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PIUXCETOS.  y.  J. 


No.  Case,    P'^'^°" 

Xo.  She//. 
J\o.    Boo/,', 


,  c  i-^n 


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SOS 


THE 


BRITISH    PULPIT 


CONSISTING  OP 


DISCOURSES  BY  THE  MOST  EMINENT  LIVING  DIVINES, 


ENGLAND,   SCOTLAND,    AND    IRELAND: 


ACCOMPANIED  WITH 


PULPIT  SKETCHES: 


TO   WHICH   ARE  ADDED, 


SCRIPTURAL  ILLUSTRATIONS;  AND  SELECTIONS  ON  THE  OFFICE,  DUTIES, 
AND  RESPONSIBILITIES  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  MINISTRY. 


REV.  W.  ^UDDARDS 

RECTOR     or     GBACE     CHURCH      P  O  11 ADE  1  P  H  I  A. 

SIXTH      EDITION. 

VOL.    I. 

NEW  YORK: 
ROBERT  CARTER,  58  CANAL  STREET. 

1844. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1836  by 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania 


■  TBBE0T7PBD  BT  L.  JOHNSON, 
PHILADBLPHIA. 


INTRODUCTION, 


The  editor  of  this  work  has  been  induced  to  enter  upon  its  publi- 
cation at  the  request  of  several  ministers  and  members  of  different 
denominations  of  Christians,  who  are  desirous  of  increasing  their 
knowledge  of  the  productions  of  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ  in  Great 
Britain.  The  original  cost  of  English  publications,  the  additional 
expenses  of  importation  and  duty,  together  with  the  difficulty  of 
making  a  desirable  selection,  render  the  purchase  of  them,  in  many 
cases,  altogether  impracticable.  To  obviate  this  difficulty  in  part,  at 
least  with  regard  to  sermons,  this  series  of  specimens  of  British  preacli- 
ing  has  been  commenced.  How  far  it  shall  prove  satisfactory,  time 
must  determine. 

The  editor,  in  his  selections,  has  not  confined  himself  to  any  section 
of  the  Christian  church,  but  has  freely  gone  among  all  denominations 
who  maintain  the  essential  principles  of  the  Reformation.  This  has 
been  done  to  encourage  a  spirit  of  liberality,  to  induce  the  reader  to 
approve  and  imitate  every  thing  scriptural,  holy,  and  excellent,  where- 
ever  it  may  be  found  ;  and  to  show  that  while  good  and  wise  men  may 
and  do  differ  upon  points  which  are  minor  in  religion,  they  are  still 
all  agreed  in  the  great  leading  truths  of  Christianity.  It  cannot  be 
expected  that  the  editor  should  be  willing  to  be  held  responsible  for 
every  sentiment  which  the  sermons  may  contain,  ranging  as  he  has 
done  in  his  selections  through  so  many  denominations  ;  at  the  same 
time,  it  has  been,  and  will  be  his  constant  desire  and  care  to  keep  from 
these  pages  every  thing  that  he  conceives  acrimonious  in  spirit,  offen- 
sively controversial  in  character,  or  fundamentally  unsound  in  doctrine. 

With  perhaps  half  a  dozen  exceptions,  all  the  ministers  whose  ser- 
mons are  contained  in  this  volume  are  still  occupying  scenes  of  useful- 
ness in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  The  prophets,  however,  do  not  live 
for  ever  :  within  the  last  three  or  four  years  Adam  Clarke  has  gone 
to  his  rest ;  Richard  Watson  has  gained  the  prize ;  Robert  Hall  has 
left  his  painful  toil;  William  Thorpe  is  numbered  with  his  fathers; 
and  Joseph  Hughes  has  slept  in  death.  But  the  cause  which  they 
lived  to  serve  and  loved  to  advocate  still  remains ;  and  hundreds  of 
Elishas  are  treading  in  the  steps  of  these  their  departed  Elijahs.  May 
they  be  baptized  with  a  double  portion  of  their  spirit. 

3 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

Of  the  ministers  whose  portraits  accompany  this  volume,  it  is  unne- 
cessary here  to  say  much,  as  sketches  of  them,  and  many  others,  are 
given  in  this,  or  will  be  given  in  succeeding  volumes.  While  Epis- 
copalians feel  pleasure  in  knowing  that  the  amiable,  pious,  devoted,  and 
laborious  Daniel  Wilson  is  a  member,  a  minister,  and  a  bishop  of  theii' 
church,  similar  feelings  of  pleasure  are  doubtless  experienced  by  Pres- 
byterians in  their  connexion  with  the  talented  Chalmers;  by  the 
]Methodists  in  regard  to  the  laborious  and  eloquent  Newton ;  by  Bap- 
tists towards  the  (late)  profound  and  pious  Hall ;  and  by  Congregation- 
alists  over  the  liberal  and  polished  Raffles.  Any  of  them  would  be  an 
honour  to  any  country,  to  any  age,  or  to  any  Christian  denomination. 

The  zeal  of  our  British  brethren  in  the  cause  of  missions,  and  their 
mode  of  bringing  its  claims  prominently  and  frequently  before  the 
people  of  their  charge,  is  seen  in  many  of  the  sermons  in  the  present 
volume  ;  and  the  hope  is  indulged  that  the  exhibition  may  be  encou- 
raging to  such  among  ourselves  as  are  arousing  themselves  to  this  work, 
and  cheering  to  those  who  for  years  have  been  actively  devoted  to  it. 

The  emigrant  from  Britain  may  probably  find  on  these  pages  ser- 
mons by  men  under  vv^hose  ministrations  he  sat  when  in  his  native 
land.  They  will  remind  him  of  scenes  which  neither  time  nor  dis- 
tance can  obliterate  from  his  mind,  and  will  convey  to  him  the  pleasing 
tidings  that  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Testament  continue  to  be  preached 
in  their  freeness  and  fulness,  in  that  land  where  so  many  of  his  kindred 
still  reside. 

Some  of  the  following  discourses  have  been  taken  down  by  the  "pen 
of  the  ready  writer"  at  the  time  of  delivery  ;  others  of  them  have  been 
published  by  their  respective  authors ;  but  not  knowing  in  every  case 
which  came  under  the  former  class,  no  distinction  has  been  made. 
From  the  editor's  acquaintance  with  many  of  the  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel in  Great  Britain,  and  the  arrangements  which  he  has  made  for  a 
supply  of  proper  materials  for  such  a  work,  he  hopes  to  present  suc- 
ceeding volumes,  should  the  sale  of  the  present  justify  a  continuance 
of  the  publication,  with  increased  claims  to  the  favourable  regard  of  the 
Christian  community  in  the  United  States. 

To  facilitate  the  labour  of  reference,  two  indexes  will  be  prefixed  to 
each  volume,  the  first  giving  the  name  of  each  minister,  in  alphabetical 
order,  the  subject  of  his  sermon,  and  a  reference  to  the  page  on  which 
it  begins;  the  second,  an  arrangement  of  the  texts,  according  to  the 
order  in  which  they  are  recorded  in  the  Bible,  with  the  preacher's 
name,  denomination,  and  the  page.  To  these  will  be  added  a  table  of 
contents,  which  will  guide  the  eye  of  the  reader  to  the  various  points 
treated  on  by  the  respective  preachers. 


\thsologxg-^ 


/^ 

■.'v 


INDEX  I. 


ALPHABETICAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  PREACHERS. 


PREACHER.                               SUBJECT.  PAGE 

Anderson,  J.,  London    .  The  Influence  of  revealed  Truth 160 

ANDERSOii,  J., Helensburgh  The  Withered  Leaf 497 

Baird,  G.  H On  the  Judgments  of  God 293 

^Beaumont,  J.  E.  .     .     .  The  Christian's  Duty 353 

Bennett,  J To  the  Young 470 

Benson,  C The  Resurrection  of  the  Dead 339 

BiNNEY,  T The  Madness  and  Folly  of  Religion      .     .     .     .     .  314 

Blackburn,  J The  Excellency  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 196 

Brodie,  R Christian  Worship  delineated 476 

Brown,  W The  Cause  and  Character  of  Religious  Joy     .     .     .  409 

BuDD,  H Ministers,  Ambassadors  for  Christ 330 

Bunting,  J Christ  the  Life  of  his  People 120 

Calcutta,  Bishop  of    .   A  farewell  Discourse 77 

"^Chalmers,  T.  .     .     .   *    Immortality  of  the  Soul 40 

Clarke,  A The  inquiring  Lawyer 429 

Clayton,  G The  inconceivable  Greatness  and  incomprehensible 

Goodness  of  God 489 

CoLLYER,  W.  B.   .     .     .    Missionary  Eiforts  founded  upon  the  Principles  and 

Claims  of  Revelation 387 

^  Gumming,  J The  moral  Influence  we  exert  after  Death   ....  456 

Dillon,  R.  C Life  a  Journey 373 

Dixon,  J Neutrality  in  Religion  impossible 232 

East,  T.* The  Progress  of  Sin lOS 

Farbar,  A.  E God's  Care  for  his  People 323 

Fletcher,  J The  Glorification  of  the  Word  of  God 185 

Foster,  J Living  without  God   ....          173 

a2  5 


6  INDEX. 

PREACHER.                               SUBJECT.  PAGE 

Grant,  J The  Glory  of  the  latter  House  .     .......  34G 

GuNN,  A The  Duty  of  early  Seeking  Christ 380 

Hall,  R The  Blessedness  of  Giving 178 

Hamilton,  R.  W.      .     .   Motives  in  Missionary  Objects  essential  to  Success  .  90 

Harvey,  A Fidelity  to  Christ  enforced 25G 

Hughes,  J Resignation  to  the  Divine  Will 127 

Irving,  E The  true  Use  of  Knowledge 152 

Jaries.  J.  a The  Nature  and  Consequences  of  Impenitence     .     •  100 

Jay,  W The  Sacred  Oracles    .     .     .  • 238 

Le  Bas,  C.  W.     .     .     .   The  Authority  of  Christ's  Teaching 114 

Lessey,  T The  Destiny  of  Man 21 G 

London,  Bishop  of   .     .  The  vicarious  Sufferings  of  Christ 308 

Macconnel,  T.      .     .     .   The  Nearness  of  Death 370 

Melville,  H The  Power  of  Religion  on  the  human  Intellect    .     .  27 

Newton,  R Glorying  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ 53 

Noel,  G.  T The  Example  of  the  ancient  Servants  of  God  .     .     .  167 

Parsons,  J The  Origin,  Universality,  and  Consequences  of  the 

Apostasy  of  Man 67 

Philip,  R The  Fulness  of  Time 402 

Raikes,  H An  important  Inquiry       436 

Raffles,  T Christ  the  only  Way  of  Salvation 17 

Sherman,  J The  Lepers  of  Samaria 444 

Simeon,  C, Christ's  Invitation  and  Promise 250 

Sinclair,  J Moral  Discipline 463 

SoMMERViLLE,  J.    .     .     .   The  oiily  Alternative 206 

Styles,  J On  the  Being  and  Perfections  of  God 281 

Taylor,  W.  R.     ...  The  Sword  of  the  Spirit 483 

Thomson,  A The  Character  of  religious  Zeal 139 

Thorpe,  W The  Prevalence  of  Infidelity  and  the  Signs  of  the  Times  2G5 

Wardlaw,  R The  Influence  of  the  Love  of  Christ 225 

Watson,  R The  Testimony  of  the  Spirit 299 

WiLrJAMS,  W.  B,      .     .   Ephraim's  Idolatry  and  its  Consequences    ....  420 

Winchester,  Bishop  of  The  Importance  of  true  Wisdom      .     .     .     .     .     .  147 


INDEX  IT. 


BIBLICAL    ARRANGEMENT    OF    TEXTS. 


TEXT.                                                                           PBEACHEB.  fAGI 

Deuteronomy  xxix.  29.      .    .  J.  Anderson,  Methodist 160 

/oshua  xxiv.  15 J.  Sommerville,  Congregational, 206  "V^ 

1  Samuel  xx.  3 T.  Macconnel, 370 

2  Kings  vii.  9 J.  Sherman,  Con 444 

1  Chronicles  xxix.  15.       .    .  R.  C.  Dillon,  Episcopal. 373 

Job  xiv.  14 J.  Hughes,  Baptist 127 

Psalm  ii.  8 W.  B.  Collyek,  Con 387 

Psalm  xii.  6 J.  Blackburn,  Con 196 

Psalm  xlviii.  14 J.  Styles,  Con 281 

Psalm  Ixiii.  1 A.  Gunn,  Presbyterian 380 

Psalm  cxiii.  5 — 8 G.  Clayton,  Con 489 

Psalm  cxix.  130 H.  Melville,  Ep 27 

Proverbs  iv.  13 Bishop  of  Winchester,  j 147 

Ecclesiastes  xii.  7 T.  Lessey,  3fe 216 

Isaiah  xxvi.  9 G.  H.  Baird 293 

Isaiah  Ixiv.  6 J.  Anderson 497 

Jeremiah  xxxvi.  32.     ...  W.  Jay,  Con 238 

Daniel  ii.  44 W.  Thorpe,  Con 265 

Hosea  iv.  17 W.  B.  Williams,  Ep 420 

Hosea  ix.  7 T.  Binney,  Con 314 

Haggai  ii.  9 J.  Grant 346 

Matthew  v.  47 H.  Raikes,  Ep 436 

Matthew  vii.  29 C  W.  Le  Bas,  Ep 114 

Matthew  xi.  29 C.  Simeon,  Ep 250 

Matthew  xii.  30 J.  Dixon,  Me 232 

Mark  x  21 J.  Bennett,  Con 470 


6  INDEX. 

TEXT.  FUEACHEB.  PAGE 

Luke  ix.  62 J.  Sinclair,  Ep 463 

Luke  X.  25—28 A.  Clarke,  Me 429 

John  iv.  21,  23 R.  Brodie 476 

John  xiv.  6 T.  Raffles,  Con 17 

Acts  viii.  39.  .              .     .     .   W.  Brown.   .     .         .    « 409 

Acts  XX.  35 R.  Hall,  Bap 178 

Romans  i.  16 R.  Newton,  Me 53 

Romans  ii.  5 J.  A.  James,  Con 100 

Romans  v.  12 J.  Parsons,  Con 67 

Romans  viii.  15,  16.     .     .     .  R.  Watson,  Me 299 

Romans  xiv.  16 R.  W.  Hamilton,  Con 90 

1  Corinthians  v.  14,  15.    .     .  R.  Wardlaw,  Con 225 

1  Corinthians  xv.  3.      .     .     .   Bishop  of  London 308 

1  Corinthians  xv.  35.   .     .     .   C.  Benson,  Ep 339 

2  Corinthians  v.  20.     ...   H.  Budd,  Ep 330 

Galatians  iv.  4,  5 R.  Philip,  Con 402 

Galatians  iv.  18 A.  Thomson,  Fr 139 

Ephesians  ii.  12 J.  Foster,  Bap 173 

Ephesians  vi.  17 W.  R.  Taylor,  Pr 483 

Colossians  iii.  1 J.  E.  Beaumont,  Me 353 

Colossians  iii.  4 J.  Bunting,  Me 120 

2  Thessalonians  iii.  1. .     .        J.  Fletcher,  Con 185 

2  Timothy  i.  10 T.  Chalmers,  Pr 40 

Hebrews  vi.  12 G.  T.  Noel,  Ep 167 

Hebrews  xi.  4 J.  Cumming,  Pr 456 

James  i.  15 T.  East,  Cm 103 

1  Peter  v.  7. A.  E.  Farrar,  Me 322 

2  Peter  i.  6 E.  Irving,  Pr 153 

Jude  20,  21 Bishop  of  Calcutta 77 

Revelation  ii.  10 A.  Harvey .     .  256 


GENERAL  INDEX  TO  SUBJECTS. 


Paje 
Affectix G  ANECDOTE Richmond . .   369 

Appeal  to  sinners Wilson . .  87 

to  the  impenitent James, .  106 

to  the  undecided Sommerville . ,  209 

to  young  men Binney. .  320 

Antichrist,  reign  of. Thorpe . .  275 

Ascension  of  Christ Joteett. .  204 

Atheism,  character  of. Foster, .  174 

character  of Styles,,  2'iS 

in  France Thorpe , ,  266 

demoralizing  consequences  of. Styles , ,  285 

the  result  of  disastrous  influences Styles . ,  283 

Authors,  responsibility  of. Cumming. 


459 


Bible,  adivine  revelation Irving..  146 

a  written  revelation Anderson . .  1 64 

authority  of  the Blackburn. ,  196 

character  and  contents  of. Biiiney. .  315 

committed  to  writing J^y-  •  ^^^ 

confirmed  by  antiquarian  research  and  philosophical  discoveries.  .Blackburn, ,  201 

destroyed  by  some Jay. ,  240 

enlarges  the  mind  and  strengthens  the  intellect Melville . ,  28 

has  been  wonderfully  preserved Anderson. .  164 

has  undergone  severe  scrutiny Blackburn . ,  199 

influence  on  the  intellectual,  political,  domestic,  and  religious  condition  of  man 

Anderson. .  164 

man's  condition  bereft  of  the Melville..  37 

not  to  love  the — shows  a  want  of  taste,  patriotism,  and  charity Jay. .  241 

outlives  the  attacks  of  enemies Anderson. .  166 

proper  weapon  to  oppose  error Taylor 

reveals  mysterious  and  all-important  truths Anderson 

sanctity  of  the Blackburn 

spirit  in  which  to  read  the Collyer 

superior  to  all  human  compositions Melville, ,  36 

teaches  ancient  history Melville, ,  29 

the  most  precious  gift  of  God Melville, 

the  sword  of  the  Spirit Taylor , 

Bigotry  to  be  guarded  against Brodie. 

Britain,  accumulated  guilt  of Thorpe..  270 

Christian  benevolence  of Thorpe. .  274 

Vol.  I.— 2  9 


487 
161 
197 
151 


36 

487 
481 


10  GENERAL  INDEX  TO  SUBJECTS. 

Paaie 

Christ,  ascension  of Joivett. .   204 

a  teacher Le  Bas..    114 

atonement  of. Dixon . .   233 

a  sufficient  atonement  for  sin 475 

cares  for  the  bodies  of  his  people Raffles . .     21 

claims  of,  on  man Harvey . .   257 

design  of  his  appearance  on  earth Philip . .  406 

died  for  our  sins Blomfield. .   309 

divinity  of,  variously  attested Rajffles . .     24 

divinity  of Wilson . .      86 

divinity  of. Dixon . .    233 

form  of  appearance Philip. .   405 

great  mercy  of. Wilson . .      85 

justification  through Bunting . .    120 

mode  of  preaching Raffles. .      17 

promises  of  mercy  made  by Simeon . .   253 

sinners  invited  to Simeon. .   250 

source  of  Christian  graces  and  duties Bunting. .    122 

source  of  ordinances  and  future  glory Bunting. .    123 

the  only  way  to  God Raffles. .     19 

the  soul's  physician Chalmers . .     47 

time  of,  incarnation Philip . .  402 

Christian,  adheres  to  the  doctrines  of  revelation Harvey . .   259 

avoids  sin Wilso7i . .    278 

conduct  of  the  true Binney. .    319 

maintains  the  honour  of  Christ Harvey. .   260 

necessity  of — consistency JVeivton. .      64 

necessity  of — consistency Biniting . .    126 

necessity  of — consistency Beaumont . .   361 

places  his  affections  above Beaumont. .   359 

privilege  to  enjoy  the  witness  of  the  Spirit Watson . .   301 

required  to  pay  his  vows , Harvey. .   261 

responsibiUty  attached  to — privilege Raffles . .     22 

strives  to  attain  great  degrees  of  holiness Wilson . .     78 

worship  described Brodie. ,   476 

Christian  benevolence  a  means  of  glorifying  God Hall. .   179 

pleasure  arising  from Hall. .   180 

benefits  of. Hall..   180 

resembles  the  benevolence  of  Christ Hall. .   181 

connected  with  reward Hall. .   181 

practical  economy  requisite  to Hall. .   182 

Christianity,  doctrines  of. J\''ewton. .     56 

doctrines  and  duties  of. Wilson . .      81 

not  Judaism Grant. .   350 

Contrasts  in  man's  future  condition 428 

Death,  abolished  by  Christ Chalmers . .  43 

certainty  of. A7iderson . .  500 

matter  of  anticipation Hughes. .  130 

nature  of Lessey..  222 


GENERAL  INDEX  TO  SUBJECTS.  1 1 

Page 

Death,  nature  of Anderson . .  49Q 

nearness  of. JMaccunnel. .  371 

of  an  aged  believer Dobson, .  369 

of  the  soul Lesser/. .  223 

ravages  of Chalmers . .  40 

spiritual Parsons. .  72 

should  produce  low  views  of  earthly  good Hughes . .  130 

should  stimulate  to  exertion Hughes. .  131 

the  result  of  sin Parsons ..  71 

universality  of. Parsons . .  72 

Depraved  heart  the  source  of  evil James. .  108 

unwilling  to  receive  instruction S^imner . .  148 

Depravity  of  the  times  occasioned  by  the  popular  reading  of  the  age East. .  109 

by  wicked  associations Hast. .  109 

by  the  theatre East..  11" 

Duties  to  the  afflicted Humphrey..  126 

Dying  regrets Wardlaiv . .  119 

Ephraim's  idolatry Williams. .  421 

punishment Williams. .  424 

Ethiopian  Eunuch Bro-wn ..  410 

Faith,  nature  of Wilson..  80 

familiar  illustration  of. Cecil. .  383 

Famine  in  Samaria Sherman . .  444 

God,  care  for  his  people Farrar. .  324 

goodness  of,  in  nature Farrar. .  32.'^ 

inconceivable  greatness  of. Clayton . .  490 

judgments  of. JBaird. .  293 

love  of Waugh . .  307 

spiritual  nature  of  worship Brodie. .  478 

unbounded  goodness  of. Clayton . .  49 1 

Gospel,  a  system  of  remedies Simeon . .  250 

contents  of  the Dixon . .  234 

duty  to  spread  the Raffl.es . .  26 

energy  of  the,  connected  with  prayer Fletcher. .  191 

glad  tidings Raffles . .     23 

glad  tidings J\''etut07i . .  54 

motives  of  the JVe-wton . .  59 

triumphs  of  the Raffles. .  25 

triumphs  of  the Melville . .     27 

triumphs  of  the JVeivton. .     60 

triumphs  of  the Fletcher. .  188 

universal  adaptation  of  the JVeviton. .     62 

Heaven,  Christ  the  bliss  of. Buntiiig. .  124 

contrast  between  earth  and Beaumo7it . .  357 

degrees  of  glory  in Bunting  ■  •  1 24 

exercises  of. Beaumont . .  356 

figures  employed  to  represent Beaumont . .  355 


12  GENERAL  INDEX  TO  SUBJECTS. 

Page 
Heaven,  friendships  of. Beaumont. .   358 

perfection  of  character  in Bemitnont. .   355 

Heathen,  deplorable  condition  of. Hamilton , .     94 

Impenitence,  nature  of. James. .  101 

its  occasional  associations James . .  1 02 

Infidelity,  design  of  the  advocates  of Styles. .  281 

fearful  malignity  of. Thorpe . .  268 

inexcusable Thorpe . .  267 

prostrated  by  Christianity Cohyer . .  387 

various  kinds  of. Thorpe. .  266 

Influence  exerted  after  death Cummin,^. .  457 

Irving — fall  of  the  Rev.  Edward Cummmg. .  460 

Jesus  vreeping J\Tason. .    177 

Judgment,  solemnity  of  the Harvey . .   263 

Knowledge,  connected  with  pure  happiness Sumner. .  149 

dangerous  when  unconnected  with  revelation JMelville. .  37 

distinction  between  wisdom  and Irving . .  153 

man's  preference  to  earthly Irvmg. .  159 

often  perverted  and  abused Irving-. .  156 

parental  feeling  concerning  religious Sumner. .  147 

power  and  uses  of. Irving. .  152 

the  strong  desire  of  man  for .Anderson. .  160 

Lawyer's  inquiry Clarke..   429 

Man,  a  compound  being Lessey. .  217 

averse  by  nature  to  religion Foster. .  280 

changes  when  he  becomes  religious Hugties. .  129 

depravity  of Parsons. .  70 

dissolution  of  his  frame Lessey . .  219 

forms  false  views Sumner. .  148 

ignorant  without  the  gospel Raffes . .  20 

intellect  associated  with  morals Melville . .  34 

loves  the  present  world Chalmers. .  44 

loves  the  present  world Lessey. .  216 

miserable  when  left  to  himself. Williams . .  425 

pardon  oifered  to Anderson . .  502 

pristine  condition Parsons . .  71 

pristine  condition Lessey. .  219 

without  God Foster ..  175 

subject  to  bitter  afflictions Anderson . .  499 

unwilling  to  be  reproved JVilliams. .  420 

Mercy  of  God  in  redemption Parsons..  174 

Ministers,  ambassadors — dignity  of Budd. .  331 

are  watchmen  on  the  walls  of  Zion 372 

ascribe  all  success  to  God Parsons. .  329 

charge,  compared  to  a  ship's  crew Abb^  Jean . .  237 


GENERAL  INDEX  TO  SUBJECTS.  13 

Patre 
Miiiisters,  danger  attends  a  lofty  intellect dimming . .   460 

popularity Cvmmiii^ . .   460 

dignity  of  calling JValton. .    292 

duties  of. Binneij . .    316 

endeared  to  their  flocks U'avdlaw . .   220 

exhibit  their  subject,  not  themselves Ec.  Rev.. .    280 

holy  life  important  to Herbert . .    215 

influence  of. Binney . .   317 

influence  of,  after  death Cummin^ . .    457 

instruct  from  house  to  house Sumner . .    184 

preach  Christ JVeiutoti. .    113 

precepts  to Garrick . .   462 

responsibility  of Reed. .    2.55 

should  aim  to  profit  all Con.  J\Tag. . .   224 

should  be  above  suspicion Le  Bus. .    118 

faithful  to  their  Master Wardhiiu . .   228 

prayed  for Fletcher. .    192 

willing  to  bear  hardships Wardlmv . .   229 

use  scripture  language Chalmers . .   255 

to  whom  sent Budd. .   330 

the  servants  of  Christ Le  Bas . .    117 

wicked — a  curse  after  death Cumming. .   457 

Ministry,  young  men  to  be  educated  for  the Hall. .    183 

Missionary  candidate 408 

barriers  to — success Raffles . .      24 

character Melville. .   345 

effort  must  be  mingled  with  devotion Hamilton. .     94 

party  singularities  to  be  avoided  in — labour Hamilton . .     96 

success  to  be  followed  up Hamillon. .     98 

worldly  excitement  to  be  avoided  in — eflbrts Hamilton. .     96 

worthy  of  a  generous  confidence Hamilton . .      97 

Missions,  appeal  to  the  friends  of Colly er. .   399 

deserve  the  support  of  the  young Collyer. .   397 

nobility  of Hamilton, .     91 

opposition  to — on  the  decrease Hamilton . .     90 

Money,  axioms  respecting 379 

Moral  discipline Sinclair. .   463 

Paganism Watson . .  205 

Parents'  influence  after  death Cumming. .  456 

Patience  in  suffering J^'oel. .  170 

Paul  a  proud  Pharisee  before  conversion J^'exvton. .  53 

a  fiirious  persecutor Fletcher..  185 

converted  to  the  faith Fletcher..  185 

minister  and  hero J^e~Mon. .  63 

Penitence,  genuine James..  101 

Press,  mighty  influence  for  good  or  evil Cumming. .  455 

Prayer,  connected  with  a  minister's  success ,'. Fletcher. .  191 

honours  the  agency  of  (Jod     .  .    , Fletcher. .  190 

importance  of Foster..  119 

B 


14  GENERAL  INDEX  TO  SUBJECTS 

Page 
Prayer,  true  character  of. Wilson. .     83 

Providence,  recognition  of. Foster . .      75 

Pulpit  Gallery,  I.  Rev.  T.  Chalmers 50 

11.  J.  Parsons,  York 75 

III.  (late)  J.  Fletcher,  vicar  of  Madeley 88 

IV.  (late)  Bishop  Latimer 107 

V.  Timothy  East,  Birmingham 112 

VL  (late)  Robert  Hall 137 

VIL  (late)  Bishop  Wilson 138 

Vm.  Hon.  and  Rev.  G.  T.  Noel 172 

IX.  Joseph  Fletcher,  D.D.,  Stepney 195 

X.  William  Jay,  Bath 248 

XL   (late)  Henry  Martyn 307 

Xn.  Thomas  Raffles,  D.D.,  Liverpool 367 

XIIL  W.  Bengo  Collyer,  D.D 400 

XIV.  Robert  Philip,  Maberly  chapel 407 

Religion,  comforts  of Soimnerville . .    214 

danger  of  delaying  attendance  to Sotmnerville. .    212 

demands  the  homage  of  the  mind Le  Jias . .    116 

insufficiency  of  natural Collyer. .   395 

more  than  amiability  of  character Bennett. .   473 

natural Wilson. .     81 

neutrality  impossible  in Sommerville . .   207 

presents  great  subjects  to  the  mind JMelville. .      34 

strengthens  the  powers  of  the  mind JMelville. .     32 

Resurrection,  a  pure  doctrine  of  revelation Benson . .   339 

great  change  at  the Benson . .   342 

instantaneous  and  universal Benso7i. .   340 

influence  of  the  doctrine Benson . .    344 

re-union  of  good  men  in  the Hall. .     99 

Rousseau  and  Byron Chalmers . .     39 

Saints,  example  of  the ' JVoel. .  169 

trial  of  ancient JK'oel. .  167 

Satan  to  be  resisted  by  the  Word  of  God Taylor. .  485 

the  service  of Soinmerville . .  208 

Sin,  beginnings  of East. .  108 

diffusion  of Parsons. .  69 

origin  of Parsons. .  68 

progress  of East. .  110 

punishment  of,  duration  and  nature James. .  104 

justice  and  proportion  of 105 

when  inflicted 103 

Souls  perishing Sher7nan. .  453 

Spirit  of  bondage  and  adoption Watson. .  300 

Temple,  dedication  of -. Grant. .  347 

greater  glory  of  the  latter Grant. .  348 

Temptation  to  be  resisted East. .  112 

Tilfeiias,  reflections  at Joivett, .  321 


GENERAL  INDEX  TO  SUBJECTS.  15 

Vase 

Trinity,  doctrine  of  the Wilson . .  86 

Tract,  benefit  of  a  religious Parsons. .  443 

Trumpet — the  executioner's 159 

War,  horrors  of Colltjer. .  146 

Whitfield's  preaching Htme. .  113 

Youth,  favourable  to  religion Bennett. .  471 

Zeal,  religious,  should  be  conscientious Thomson. .  139 

intelligent Thomson . .  149 

prudent Thomson , .  "1 62 

consistent  with  moral  integrity Thomson . .  143 

under  the  influence  of  charity Thomson ..  144 


There  stands  the  messenger  of  truth !  there  stands 

The  legate  of  the  skies !  his  theme  divine, 

His  office  sacred,  his  credentials  clear. 

By  him  the  violated  law  speaks  out 

Its  thunders ;  and  by  him,  in  strains  as  sweet 

As  angels  use,  the  gospel  whispers  peace. 

Cowper. 


The  Pulpif,  whether  we  view  it  with  the  eye  of  the  Legislator  watching  foi  the 
welfare  of  the  state;  of  the  Learned,  jealous  for  public  science  and  taste;  of  the 
Moral  Philosopher,  anxious  for  the  virtue  of  the  community;  or  of  the  devout  Chris- 
tian, weighing  every  thing  in  the  balance  of  eternity ; — the  Pulpit  must,  in  every 
light,  appear  an  object  of  vast  importance. — Eclectic  Review. 


The  pulpit  has  spoken  all  languages,  and  in  all  sorts  of  style.  It  has  partaken  of 
all  the  customs  of  the  schools,  the  theatres,  and  the  courts  of  all  the  countries  where 
it  has  been  erected.  It  has  been  a  seat  of  wisdom,  and  a  sink  of  nonsense.  It  has 
been  filled  by  the  best  and  the  worst  of  mei*.  It  has  proved  in  some  hands  a  trumpet 
of  sedition,  and  in  others  a  source  of  peace  and  consolatiofi.  But  on  a  fair  balance, 
collected  from  authentic  history,  there  would  be  no  proportion  between  the  benefits 
and  the  mischief  Avhich  mankind  have  derived  from  it ;  so  much  do  the  advantages 
of  it  preponderate  !  In  a  word,  evangelical  preaching  has  been,  and  yet  continues 
to  be,  reputed  foolishness,  but  real  wisdom,  a  wisdom  and  a  power  by  which  it 
pleaseth  God  to  save  the  souls  of  men. — R.  Robinson. 


COLLECT   FOR   THE    THIRD    SUNDAY    IN   ADVENT. 

0  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  at  thy  first  coming  didst  send  thy  messenger  to  prepare 
thy  way  before  thee,  grant  that  the  ministers  and  stewards  of  thy  mysteries  may 
likewise  so  prepare  and  make  ready  thy  way  by  turning  the  hearts  of  the  disobedient 
to  the  wisdom  of  the  just,  that,  at  thy  second  coming  to  judge  the  world,  we  may  be 
found  an  acceptable  people  in  thy  sight,  who  livest  and  reignest  with  the  Father  and 
the  Holy  Spirit,  ever  one  God,  world  without  end.    Araen. 


16 


THE 


BRITISH   PULPIT. 


SERMON  I. 


PREACHED    ON    BEHALF    OF    MISSIONS    AT    GREAT    QUEEN   STREET    CHAPEL,    LONDON 

BY  THE  REV.  T.  RAFFLES,  D.D.  LL.D. 


^^  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  am  the  xoay." — John  xiv.  6. 


"Never  man  spake  like  this  man," 
Such  was  the  testimony  of  persons  who 
could  not,  for  a  moment,  be  suspected  of 
partiality,  and  who  would  never  have 
uttered  this  eulogy  if  it  had  not  been 
wrested  from  them  by  an  admiration,  the 
expression  of  which  they  were  utterly 
unable  to  suppress.  "  Never  man  spake 
like  this  man;"  and  so  you  would  have 
said  if  you  had  heard  him  preach.  Never 
mortal  had  such  doctrines  to  deliver,  and 
never  mortal  taught  in  so  solemn  and  im- 
pressive, yet  so  tender  and  affectionate 
a  manner. 

The  philosophers  of  antiquity — they 
only  skimmed  the  surface  of  things ;  they 
talked  about  the  loveliness  of  virtue  and 
the  odiousness  of  vice ;  they  speculated 
about  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  the 
life  beyond  the  grave,  and  professed  to 
look  forward  with  mingled  hope  and  fear 
to  an  hereafter  concerning  which  none 
could  speak  with  satisfaction  or  with  cer- 
tainty. And  as  for  the  scribes  and  phari- 
sees,  who  sat  in  Moses's  seat,  they  only 
sophisticated  and  polluted  the  purity  of 
his  morality  by  their  adding  to  the  cum- 
brous mass  of  rites  and  ceremonies,  by 
which  his  dispensation  was  distinguished, 
innumerable  traditions  and  enactments  of 
their  own.  But  this  man — he  went  at 
once  to  the  spring  of  action  in  the  human 

Vol.  I 3 


heart,  he  unfolded  the  foundation  of  moral 
obligation  in  the  bonds  that  bind  the 
creature  to  the  Creator.  He  taught  the 
spirituality,  and  purity,  and  perfection  ot 
the  law  of  God.  He  threw  a  strong  and 
steady  light  upon  the  regions  of  futurity, 
and  surrounded  his  hearers  with  the  dread 
transactions  of  the  judgment-day,  and  the 
enduring  realities  of  the  eternal  world. 

"  Never  man  spake  like  this  man." 
So  Nicodemus  thought,  when,  in  reply 
to  his  complimentary  address,  he  laid 
down  the  fundamental  doctrine  of  his 
gospel,  and  said,  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  thee,  except  a  man  be  born  of  water 
and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God."  So  Nathaniel  thought, 
when  casting  at  him  his  mild  and  pierc- 
ing eye,  he  said,  "Before  that  Philip 
called  thee,  when  thou  wast  under  the 
fig  tree,  I  saw  thee."  So  Zaccheus 
thought  when  he  climbed  up  into  the 
sycamore  tree,  because  Jesus  was  to  pass 
that  way ;  and  he  turned  unto  him  and 
cried,  "  Zaccheus,  make  haste,  and  come 
down;  for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy 
house."  So  Peter  thought,  when  he 
would  have  reproved  his  Master ;  but  the 
Lord  turned  and  looked  upon  Peter,  and 
said,  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan :  thou 
art  an  offence  unto  me ;  for  thou  savourest 
not  the  things  that  be  of  God,  but  those 
b2  17 


18 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


that  be  of  man."  So  the  scribes  and 
pharisees  thought,  Avhen  he  took  off  the 
mask  of  hypocrisy  by  which  they  sought 
to  impose  upon  the  people,  and  exhibited 
their  character  in  all  its  true,  and  odious, 
and  disgusting  colours,  and  thundered 
out  the  anathema,  "  Woe  unto  you,  scribes 
and  pharisees,  hypocrites  !  how  can  ye 
escape  the  damnation  of  belli"  So 
Pilate  thought,  when  in  reply  to  his  ques- 
tion— half,  perhaps,  in  veneration,  and 
half  in  scorn,  "Art  thou  a  king]"  he  an- 
swered, "  Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king." 
Thou  hast  announced  my  true  and  proper 
dignity;  I  am  a  king;  but  my  kingdom 
is  not  of  this  world.  I  lead  no  conquer- 
ing armies  to  the  battle,  I  press  not  for 
thrones  and  palaces,  through  fields  of  car- 
nage, and  seas  of  blood  :  "  To  this  end 
was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into 
the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  unto 
the  truth." 

No  matter  where — no  matter  when — 
no  matter  what  he  said — whether  in  the 
temple,  surrounded  by  the  doctors  of  the 
law,  hearing  and  asking  them  questions, 
or  whether  on  the  deck  of  the  vessel, 
surrounded  by  the  fishermen  of  Galilee ; 
or  whether  in  the  towns,  and  cities,  and 
villages  of  Judea,  healing  the  sick  and 
raising  the  dead ;  or  whether  at  the  tribu- 
nal of  Pilate,  the  object  of  contempt  and 
scorn — "  never  man  spake  like  that  man." 
There  was  a  power,  and  an  authority,  and 
an  influence  in  all  he  said  that  none  could 
gainsay  or  resist.  The  grabbling  scribes 
heard  him,  and  they  w^ere  confounded. 
The  haughty  pharisees  heard  him,  and 
they  were  abashed.  The  frantic  demo- 
niac heard  him,  and  he  was  still.  The 
diseased  heard  him,  and  he  felt  impulses 
of  health  beat  in  all  his  veins.  The  dead 
heard  him,  and  broke  his  silence  and  rose. 
"  Never  man  spake  like  this  man."  And 
yet  the  power  and  authority  with  which 
he  spoke  was  not  that  which  thrones,  and 
sceptres,  and  diadems  could  confer — it 
was  not  the  power  and  authority  of  racks, 
and  gibbets,  and  dungeons — it  was  not 
the  power  and  authority  of  the  princes 
and  potentates  of  this  world,  who  send 
their  conquering  armies  to  enforce  their 
command,  and  hurl  the  thunders  of  their 
artillery  against  all  who  dare  to  resist 


their  mandate.  No ;  but  it  was  the  power 
of  light  beaming  upon  the  understanding 
— it  was  the  power  of  truth  making  its 
way  to  the  conscience — it  was  the  power 
of  God  speaking  to  mortals  by  his  Son. 
And  though  eighteen  hundred  years  have 
rolled  away  since  he  exercised  his  per- 
sonal ministry  on  earth,  and  uttered  the 
language  of  our  text,  yet,  by  the  preach- 
ing of  his  gospel,  he  speaks  to  you  this 
day,  and  he  demands  that  the  testimony 
he  delivers  shall  be  received  alike  in  the 
understanding  and  the  heart ;  "  I  am  the 
way." 

But  what  does  he  mean  1 — The  way  to 
what] — ^The  way  to  whom? — In  what 
sense  is  Christ  the  way  1  My  brethren, 
to  answer  these  questions  shall  be  the 
scope  of  our  present  discourse ;  and  when 
I  have  put  the  answers  in,  I  shall  endea- 
vour to  found  some  pleas  on  them  for  the 
great  cause  which  we  are  to  advocate 
with  you  this  morning. 

This  interesting  declaration  of  the  di- 
vine Redeemer  occurred  in  the  course  of 
a  conversation  which  he  had  with  his 
disciples,  in  which  he  informed  them  of 
his  approaching  departure  out  of  this 
world,  his  going  to  the  Father,  and  that 
the  world  should  see  him  no  more.  And 
he  spoke  as  though  he  took  it  for  granted 
that  they  perfectly  understood  his  mean- 
ing, "Whither  I  go  ye  know,  and  the 
way  ye  know."  But  Thomas — who,  more 
than  all  the  rest  of  the  disciples,  seems  to 
have  been  remarkably  under  the  power  of 
unbelief — Thomas  said,  "  Lord,  we  know 
not  whither  thou  goest;  and  how  can  we 
know  the  way!"  We  do  not  understand 
thy  meaning;  explain  thyself;  and  let  us 
know  precisely  what  is  the  drift  of  thy 
discourse.  And  from  this  the  Saviour 
takes  occasion  to  speak  of  himself  more 
at  large,  as  the  way,  the  divinely  ap-  N 
pointed  way,  the  all-sufl5cient  way,  the 
sole,  the  exclusive  way  of  a  sinner's  ac- 
ceptable approach  to  God,  "I  am  the 
way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life;  no  man 
Cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me." 
Thus  you  have  a  key  to  unlock  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Saviour  in  the  words  of  the 
text,  and  thus  you  perceive  the  drift  and 
scope  of  our  present  discourse. 

The  language  of  the  Redeemer,  my 


CHRIST  THE  ONLY  WAY  OF  SALVATION. 


19 


brethren,  evidently  implies  thzt  man,  in 
his  natural  stale,  is  at  a  distance  from  God. 
Adam,  in  his  primeval  state  of  inno- 
cence and  purity,  needed  no  such  way  as 
this — he  needed  no  intercessor  between 
God  and  man,  no  mediator,  no  atoning 
sacrifice.  He  approached  to  God  imme- 
diately, and  communed  with  him  without 
reserve,  even  as  a  man  communeth  with 
his  friend.  His  spirit  felt  no  dread,  his 
heart  was  agitated  with  no  terror;  he 
heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  God  in  the 
shades  of  the  garden,  in  the  cool  of  the 
day,  and  he  flew  with  gladness  to  meet 
him ;  for  he  recognised  in  its  tones  the 
voice  of  his  best  friend.  Ah,  how  altered 
is  the  scene  when  guilt  pressed  heavy  on 
his  spirit,  and  shook  him  with  dread  fore- 
bodings of  the  wrath  of  an  avenging  God  ! 
Then  a  sight  was  seen,  and  then  a  voice 
was  heard,  such  as  those  peaceful  and 
holy  bowers  had  never  witnessed  before — 
the  person  of  man  fleeing  from  his  Ma- 
ker's voice — and  arrested  by  his  Maker's 
call :  "  Adam,  where  art  thou  ?"  And  he 
said,  "  I  heard  thy  voice  in  the  garden, 
and  I  was  afraid."  "  Why  afraid  ]"  "  I 
hid  mvself  because  I  was  naked."  "  Who 
told  tTOe  that  thou  wast  naked  1  Hast 
thou  eaten  of  the  tree  whereof  I  com- 
manded thee,  saying.  Thou  shalt  not  eat 
of  it;  for  in  the  day  that  thou  eatest  there- 
of thou  shalt  surely  diel" 

And,  my  brethren,  a  similar  conscious- 
ness cf  guilt,  a  similar  dread  of  punish- 
ment, has  pressed  heavily  on  every  human 
spirit,  from  that  period  to  the  present 
hour;  and  man,  in  all  his  tribes,  and 
through  all  his  generations,  in  one  form 
or  other,  has  never  ceased  to  utter  this 
piercing  cry,  "  Wherewithal  shall  I  come 
before  the  Lord,  or  how  shall  I  bow  m}^- 
self  before  the  high  God  ]"  This  is  the 
language  of  the  Jew,  as  he  turns  from  his 
vile  abominations  and  his  inefficient  sacri- 
fices. When  rivers  of  oil  have  flowed, 
and  oceans  of  blood  have  been  shed — 
when  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  have  burned, 
and  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills  have 
been  immolated — still  he  must  inquire, 
"  Wherewithal  shall  T  come  before  the 
Lord  V  For  the  burden  is  heavy  on  his 
heart.  This  i>  the  language  of  the  pagan, 
in  his  severe  austerities  and  self-inflicted 


tortures,  and  toils,  and  pilgrimages,  and 
oft-repeated  prayers  ;  as  he  drops  the  san- 
dals from  his  bleeding  feet,  and  as  the 
lash  resounds  from  his  agonizing  limbs — 
still  he  must  cry,  "  Wherewithal  shall  I 
come  before  the  Lord,  and  how  shall  I 
bow  myself  before  the  high  God  ]"  This  v 
is  the  language  of  the  savage,  in  his  dead- 
ly incantations  at  the  shrine  of  devils. 
This  is  the  language  of  the  sage,  in  all 
his  researches  after  wisdom,  and  in  all 
his  literature  and  philosophy.  This  is 
the  language  of  the  papist,  in  his  penances 
and  invocations  of  the  saints — in  his  con- 
fessions and  fasts.  This  is  the  language  of 
the  pharisee,  in  his  close  adherence  to  the 
rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  particular 
church  to  which  he  may  be  attached.  All 
utter  one  cry,  all  breathe  one  intense 
anxiety,  all  e:xpress  one  ardent  desire ; 
and  the  desire  seems  intended  to  ascer- 
tain some  principle — to  devise  some  way 
by  which  the  burden  of  guilt  may  be  re- 
moved from  the  conscience,  and  man  ob- 
tain pardon  and  peace  with  an  offended 
God.  But  there  is  only  one  way,  one  all- 
sufficient  way,  one  divinely-appointed  way, 
and  that  way  is  announced  to  you  in  the 
text,  "  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the 
life  ;  no  man  cometli  unto  the  Father  but 
by  me." 

Will  you  allow  me  then,  my  brethren,  by 
the  induction  of  a  few  particulars,  to  en- 
deavour TO  ILLUSTRATE  THE  ReDEEMEr's 
MEANING,  AND  SHOW  YOU  IN  WHAT  RE- 
SPECTS Christ  is  the  way. 

1st.  Man  being  ignorant  of  God,  Christ 
is  the  way — the  only  ivay — to  an  acquaint' 
ance,  a  sufficient  acquaintance,  with  his 
character.  "  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  am 
the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life :  no 
man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me. 
If  ye  had  known  me,  ye  should  have 
known  my  Father  also :  and  from  hence- 
forth ye  know  him,  and  have  seen  him. 
Philip  saith  unto  him  (he  caught  at  the 
language),  Lord,  show  us  the  Father,  and 
it  sufRceth  us.  Jesus  saith  unto  him, 
Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and 
yet  hast  thou  not  known  me,  Philip  T' 
Have  I  yet  to  tell  you — have  you  yet  to 
learn — that  the  fairest,  the  brightest,  the 
loveliest,  the  most  perfect  exhibition  of 
the  character  of  God,  is  in  my  person, 


20 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT- 


n 


my  ministry,  my  miracles,  my  doctrines, 
my  mediatorial  work.  He  that  hath  seen 
me  hath  seen  the  Father ;  and  how  sayest 
thou,  then,  "  Show  us  the  Father  V  In 
perfect  harmony  with  this  declaration  of 
the  Divine  Redeemer  is  the  language  of 
St.  Paul,  when  he  says,  "  God,  who  com- 
manded the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness, 
hath  shined  in  our  hearts,  to  give  the 
light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of 
God."  Where  ]  In  the  face  of  the  sun, 
shining  in  the  fulness  of  his  strength  ? — 
in  the  splendours  of  the  starry  firmament, 
in  all  the  glories  of  a  brilliant  light  1 — in 
the  pure  face  of  nature,  its  vast  and  infi- 
nite varieties,  the  revolution  of  the  sun, 
and  the  sweet  interchange  of  day  and 
night?  No;  but  "in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ,"  "  the  brightness  of  the  Father's 
glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  per- 
son." 

And  what,  I  ask,  has  man  ever  disco- 
vesed  with  accuracy,  with  certainty,  of 
the  character  of  God,  apart  from  the  reve- 
lation that  Christ  has  made  ]  Has  he 
ever  discovered  the  unity  of  his  nature, 
the  immateriality  of  his  essence,  the  uni- 
versality of  his  presence,  the  purity  of  his 
character,  the  rectitude  of  his  government, 
the  spirit  of  his  law  ]  No ;  never,  never — 
he  never  has,  he  never  will,  he  never  can. 
Witness  the  ten  thousand  times  ten  thou- 
sand pagan  deities — their  gods  of  marble 
and  of  wood  that  croAvd  the  pantheon, 
that  swarm  in  the  mythology  of  the  pagan 
world,  wrought  of  materials  the  most 
base,  and  into  forms  and  shapes  the  most 
monstrous,  the  most  obscene,  the  most 
absurd,  that  man's  polluted,  degraded 
imagination  can  invent.  Witness  those 
wild,  those  horrible,  those  monstrous 
conceptions  of  the  Deity,  that  scare  the 
imagination  of  the  wisest  and  the  most 
venerable  men ;  and  those  deeds  of  dark- 
ness, of  cruelty,  and  of  pollution,  which 
are  perpetrated  by  man  as  a  part  of  his 
acceptable  worship,  and  as  under  his  ex- 
press and  positive  sanction  and  command. 
Oh,  when  on  these  missionary  festivals 
we  tell  you  of  the  sad  condition  of  the 
pagan  world,  and  write  the  melancholy 
stories  of  their  sufferings  and  their  crimes, 
you  can  scarcely  give  credit  to  the  recital ! 
But,  you  may  be  assured,  my  brethren,  | 


that  if  you  had  never  heard  this  teacher 
sent  from  God — if  God  had  never  spoken 
to  you  by  his  Son — if  you  had  never  seen 
the  light  of  his  glory  shine  in  the  face  of 
Jesus  Christ — and  if  you  had  never  con- 
sulted these  lively  oracles,  your  concep- 
tions of  the  Deity  would  have  been  as 
gross,  and  the  character  of  your  worship 
would  have  been  as  horrid,  as  that  of  the 
pagans. 

2d.  Under  the  condemning  sentence  of 
God^s  violated  law,  Christ  is  the  way  to 
reconciliation  and  to  peace,  hy  virtue  of  the 
infinite  merits  of  his  atoning  sacrifice.  You 
may  come  to  God  without  an  atoning 
sacrifice  for  sin  ;  but,  if  you  do,  you  may 
be  crushed  beneath  the  weight  of  his 
avenging  arm,  and  withered  by  the  light- 
ning of  his  indignation  and  wrath.  The 
beamings  of  the  Shechinah  under  the  law, 
in  the  most  holy  place,  were  mild  and 
gentle  emanations  to  the  high-priest,  when 
he  approached,  once  a  year,  with  the 
blood  of  the  appointed  sacrifice ;  but,  if 
he  had  dared  to  come  without  blood,  or 
with  the  blood  of  any  other  victim  than 
that  which  was  appointed  for  the  purpose, 
the  rash  and  impious  mortal  would  have 
perished  for  his  temerity,  and  tib  She- 
chinah  would  have  darted  on  him  con- 
suming fire.  Why  else  was  the  wretched 
Cain  rejected,  and  given  over  a  prey  to 
the  demons  of  remorse  and  despair  1  Why 
else  did  the  earth  open  her  jaws,  and  in- 
gulf Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram?  Oh, 
there  is  a  justice  to  be  satisfied — there  is 
a  justice  to  be  satisfied,  in  the  case  of  man, 
infinite  in  its  requirements,  inexorable  in 
its  demands!  Every  victim  immolated 
upon  the  altar  was  only  efficacious  as  it 
was  offered  up  in  faith  on  the  great  sacri- 
fice for  sin.  Of  such  magnitude  was  the 
offence  that  was  committed,  that  there 
was  only  one  victim  that  could  meet  the 
requirements  of  justice — the  infinite,  thw 
eternal  Son  of  God.  He  was  set  apart, 
and  set  up  from  everlasting,  both  as  the 
victim  and  as  the  priest.  He  was  anoint- 
ed with  the  holy  oil ;  he  arrayed  himself 
in  the  garments  of  his  priesthood — our 
degraded  mortality — the  vesture  that  was 
shortly  to  be  dyed  in  blood.  Amid  the 
astonishment  and  the  admiration  of  che- 
rubim and  seraphim,  and  the  morning 


CHRIST  THE  OWLV  WAY  OF  SALVATION. 


21 


stars  of  light,  he  left  the  royal  mansions 
of  the  celestial  world,  and  came  down  to 
our  polluted  earth — he  engaged  in  the 
functions  of  his  priesthood — he  pressed 
forward  to  the  high  object  of  Mount  Cal- 
vary ;  and  there,  nailed  to  the  accursed 
tree,  as  a  spectacle  to  angels  and  to  men, 
bowed  down  beneath  the  mighty  load  of 
human  guilt,  he  saw  every  type,  every 
shadow  substantiated — he  saw  every 
promise  and  every  prophecy  fulfilled — 
he  saw  every  attribute  of  Deity  harmo- 
nized and  illustrated  in  the  great  scheme 
of  human  redemption  he  was  dying  to 
accomplish,  and  with  the  voice  of  God 
he  cried,  "It  is  finished!  and  gave  up 
the  ghost."  And  then  the  vail  of  the 
temple  was  rent  in  twain  from  the  top  to 
the  bottom  by  an  invisible  hand,  to  indi- 
cate that  the  way  of  access  was  opened 
to  the  eternal  throne,  that  mortals,  guilty 
mortals,  might  approach  and  live.  "  I 
am  the  way." 

3d.  Cut  off  from  our  inheritance  in 
heaven,  by  reason  of  our  apostasy  from  God, 
we  have  a  glorious  resurrection  and  eternal 
life  by  Chrisfs  resurrection  from  the  dead. 
When  man  rebelled,  the  gate  of  Eden 
was  closed,  and  the  cherubim,  with  a 
double  flaming  sword,  was  placed  to 
guard  the  avenues  to  the  tree  of  life,  lest 
he  should  put  forth  his  hand  to  eat,  and 
live  for  ever.  But,  when  Jesus  died, 
eternal  life  was  rolled  back  again,  and 
the  cherubim  sheathed  his  double  flaming 
sword  in  the  Redeemer's  breast.  Hear 
him,  brethren ;  hear  him,  amid  the  ravages 
of  mortality;  hear  him,  amid  the  dying 
of  your  kindred ;  hear  him,  amid  the  mel- 
ancholy symptoms  of  your  own  approach- 
ing decay;  hear  him  and  rejoice:  "  I  am 
the  resurrection  and  the  life  (saith  the 
Lord) ;  he  that  believeth  on  me,  though 
he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live :  and  who- 
soever liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall 
never  die."  "This  is  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me,  that  every  one  which  seeth 
the  Son,  and  believeth  on  him,  may  have 
everlasting  life  :  and  I  will  raise  him  up 
at  the  last  day." 

The  ashes  of  the  saints,  my  brethren, 
are  the  care  of  Christ ;  his  eye  is  on  their 
sleeping  dust ;  and  whether  they  be  scat- 
tered to  the  winds  of  heaven,  to  the  re- 


gions of  the  untrodden  desert,  or  to  the 
summit  of  the  inaccessible  mount — or 
whether  they  lie  deeply  buried  amid  the 
abyss  of  the  ocean — or  whether  they 
slumber  peaceably  amid  the  hum,  and 
bustle,  and  tumult  of  the  crowded 
city — not  a  solitary  particle  essential  to 
the  identity  of  the  bodies  of  all  his  fol- 
lowers shall  ever  be  lost;  but  he  will 
guard  it  with  a  sleepless  care,  and  the 
trumpet  of  the  archangel  will  gather  to 
gether  again,  by  the  magnetic  power 
which  first  created  the  fair  system  of  this 
stupendous  universe,  all  the  myriads  of 
atoms  of  which  this  system  is  composed. 
How  he  will  do  it  is  a  matter  that  never 
troubles  me.  'Tis  only  a  fool  who  asks 
the  question,  "  How  are  the  dead  raised 
up  ■?  and  with  what  body  do  they  come  I" 
If,  my  brethren,  I  had  not  seen  the  lovely 
and  divine  character  of  spring  burst,  as  at 
the  present  season  of  the  year,  from  the 
coldness  and  the  torpidity  of  winter — if  I 
had  never  seen  the  ripened  harvest  wav- 
ing in  the  wind,  and  waiting  for  the 
reaper's  sickle,  from  the  grain  that  was 
committed  to  the  earth,  and  which,  to  all 
human  appearance,  had  perished  beneath 
the  clod — if  I  had  never  lifted  up  my  eyes 
to  the  starry  firmament,  and  contemplated 
suns,  the  centres  of  other  systems  in  mag- 
nitude and  beauty  far  surpassing  ours,  all 
sprung  into  being  by  the  fiat  of  God's 
will,  and  preserved  in  perfect  order  by 
the  exercise  of  his  omnipotence — if  I  had 
never  contemplated  my  own  frame — the 
curious  structure  of  my  own  frame,  so 
exquisitely  wrought  in  the  deep  retire- 
ments of  nature — if,  in  short,  I  had  any 
doubt  as  to  the  divinity  of  Christ,  or  the 
being  of  Christ,  I  should  look  with  trem- 
bling apprehension  to  the  day  of  death 
and  distressing  anxiety  to  the  promise 
resurrection  morning.  But,  as  it  is,  I 
know  that  he  who  built  this  body  at  first, 
can  be  at  no  loss  for  power  to  bring  it 
again  into  loveliness  and  glory  from  the 
desolations  of  the  sepulchre,  and  fashion 
it  like  unto  his  own  glorified  body,  from 
the  Avreck  and  ruin  of  the  grave. 

Thus,  my  brethren,  I  have  endeavoured 
to  illustrate  the  Redeemer's  declaration 
in  the  text,  and  have  directed  the  atten- 
tion of  this  assembly  to  Jesus  Christ  as 


22 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


the  only  way,  the  divinely  appointed 
way,  of  a  sinner's  acceptable  approach  to 
God ;  but,  ere  I  proceed  to  derive  from 
the  topic  I  have  chosen  an  argument,  an 
appeal,  in  behalf  of  the  great  object  that 
now  lies  before  us,  may  I  be  permitted — 
nay,  in  the  faithful  and  conscientious  dis- 
charge of  the  duty  with  which,  as  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel,  I  am  intrusted, 
can  I  do  otherwise  than  pause,  and  put 
it  to  every  man's  conscience  in  this  as- 
sembly, whether  he  has  embraced  the 
way  thus  consecrated  for  a  guilty  world, 
and,  by  faith  in  the  atoning  sacrifice  of 
Christ,  secured  his  own  individual  and 
personal  acceptance  in  the  sight  of  God  ] 
My  fathers  and  brethren  in  the  ministry 
will,  I  know,  justify  me,  and  approve  the 
course  I  take,  when  I  say,  I  will  not  seek 
to  move  your  sympathies  in  behalf  of 
perishing  millions  in  pagan  lands,  till  I 
have  first  pressed  the  inquiry  home  upon 
yourselves — on  each  one  in  this  congre- 
gation, Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of 
God  1  No  matter  what  thy  age,  thy  sex, 
thy  rank,  thy  station,  thy  condition  in 
society.  Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of 
God]  Is  the  mediatorial  work  of  Christ 
the  exclusive  ground  on  which  you  build 
for  eternity]  If  it  be  not,  you  must 
perish ;  and  your  ruin  will  be  the  more 
tremendous  by  reason  of  the  advantages 
you  have  enjoyed,  the  warnings  and  ad- 
monitions you  have  buried  in  oblivion,  or 
the  fair  and  specious  profession  you  have 
made.  Oh,  it  would  have  been  better  for 
you  that  you  had  never  been  born,  or  that 
you  had  been  born  in  the  rudest,  wildest 
solitude  of  nature,  where  the  name  of 
Christ  was  never  heard,  where  a  Bible 
was  never  seen,  where  the  foot  of  a  Chris- 
tian missionary  never  trod,  where  the 
light  of  a  sabbath,  a  Christian  sabbath, 
never  dawned,  than  that  you  should  hear 
of  Christ  to  despise  him,  and  to  reject 
him,  and  to  trample  on  his  blood : — for 
how  can  you  escape  ]  I  shall  press  the 
question.  How  can  you  escape]  What 
mountain  will  cover  you — what  rock  will 
crush  you — what  refuge  will  shelter  you 
' — ^what  subterfuge  will  avail  you]  By 
what  arguments  will  you  triumph  and 
prevail]  "How  will  you  escape  if 
you  neglect  so  great  salvation]"     Your 


lip  must  be  sealed,  and,  in  the  silence  of 
despair,  you  must  listen  to  your  doom, 
and  receive  your  sentence,  "  Depart,  ye 
cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for 
the  devil  and  his  angels :"  for  "  he  that 
l)elieveth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life ; 
but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him." 

But  our  deep  and  profound  attention, 
my  brethren,  is  now  demanded  by  a 
world  lying  in  wickedness ;  and  we  must 
address  ourselves  this  day  once  more  to 

THE  GREAT  ARGUMENT  BY  AVHICH  WE 
STRIVE  TO  EXCITE  YOUR  SYMPATHIES, 
YOUR  CONTRIBUTIONS,  AND  YOUR  PRAYERS, 
IN  AID  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  CAUSE. 

O  how  gladly  would  I  retire  from  the 
service,  the  weight  and  the  magnitude  of 
which  wellnigh  overwhelms  me,  and  lis- 
ten to  the  more  powerful  pleadings  of 
some  able  advocate  from  among  the  many 
devoted  and  honourable  men  by  whom  I 
see  myself  surrounded.  But  I  am  here 
at  your  bidding,  I  cast  myself  upon  his 
aid  whose  cause  I  dare  to  plead;  and, 
resting  on  the  thousand  promises  adapted 
to  an  occasion  like  this,  I  spurB  with 
boldness  the  dark  suggestions  of  despond- 
ency and  unbelief. 

The  time  has  gone  by,  my  brethren, 
when  any  thing  like  novelty  can  reasona- 
bly be  expected  in  a  Missionary  Sermon ; 
and  I  rejoice  exceedingly  that  it  has.  The 
novelty  of  the  subject  has  been  for  ages 
the  scandal  of  the  Christian  church ;  but 
that  scandal  has  now,  happily,  been  roll- 
ed away.  Christians  of  every  denomina- 
tion have  become  familiar  with  the  mighty 
subject.  It  is  no  longer  the  matter  of 
doubtful  speculation,  or  of  the  divided 
opinions,  that  it  once  was.  The  army  of 
the  living  (Jod  is  enrolled — it  has  become 
a  living  mass  of  the  Lord's  detachments 
— the  troops  have  advanced  far  into  the 
goodly  land,  and  they  have  taken  posses- 
sion of  many  fair  and  promising  regions 
in  the  name  of  our  Immanuel.  And  we, 
my  brethren,  who  stay  at  home  and  watch 
for  the  issues,  have  only  from  time  to 
time  to  recount  to  you  the  victories  won 
by  their  peaceful  armies,  to  beat  up  for 
fresh  recruits,  and  levy  new  contributions 
on  your  willing  benevolence  and  zeal. 
It  is  for  this  that  you  hold  your  annual 
festivals  in  this  great  metropolis,  and  we 


CHRIST  THE  ONLY  WAY  OF  SALVATION. 


23 


in  the  distant  provinces  of  the  empire, 
and  our  brethren  in  every  village,  in  every 
hamlet  throughout  the  country ; — that  as 
the  pious  Jews  in  ancient  times  strength- 
ened the  bond — the  .bond  that  was  more 
than  filial  affection — to  Jerusalem,  by 
their  annual  visits  to  the  temple,  so  we 
may  rekindle  our  liberal  zeal,  and  renew 
to  one  another  the  solemn  pledge  of  de- 
votedness  to  this  great  cause;  and  year 
after  year  thus  at  the  altar  of  God  swear 
that  we  will  not  forsake  it  while  there  is 
a  single  human  being  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth  who  has  not  heard  and  wel- 
comed the  glad  tidings  of  salvation. 

The  cause  in  which  we  are  engaged, 
my  brethren,  is  infinitely  worthy  of  a  de- 
votion like  this,  inasmuch  as  that  every 
other  to  which  men  have  consecrated 
their  energies  in  comparison  with  it — I 
say  in  companson  with  it — I  care  not 
whether  it  be  the  cause  of  philanthropy, 
or  the  cause  of  philosophy,  or  the  cause 
of  patriotism — but  every  other  in  compa- 
rison with  it  dwindles  in  utter  insignifi- 
cance, or  is  not  worthy  of  serious  consi- 
deration at  all :  for  what  is  the  body  to 
the  soul? — and  what  are  the  interests  of 
an  empire,  and  the  passing,  perishable, 
fleeting  concerns  of  time,  to  the  enduring 
realities  of  eternity'? 

Ponder,  then,  my  brethren — ponder  this 
day  again  the  great  object  of  missionary 
enterprise.  Contemplate  it  as  an  object  so 
simple  that  a  child  vuiy  comprehend  it — an 
object  so  sublime  that  the  purest  seraph  that 
hums  before  the  eternal  throne  would  deem 
it  his  highest  honour  to  be  intrusted  with 
the  great  commission,  and  tuould  fiy  with 
the  rapidity  of  lightning  to  execute  it.  It 
is  sirnply  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature.  And  what  is  the  gospel  it 
preaches  ]  I  say  its  very  name  is  glori- 
ous ;  and,  wherever  there  is  a  tongue  to 
proclaim  it,  it  must  awaken  emotions  of 
the  liveliest  gratitude  and  joy.  It  is 
news — good  news — good  news  to  man — 
good  news  to  all — good  news  to  men 
sunk  in  ignorance  and  sin — good  news 
from  God.  It  is  a  proclamation  of  par- 
don from  the  King  of  kings  to  his  rebel- 
lious subjects — from  God  to  the  human 
race;  and  the  first  sentence  of  the  procla- 
mation is,  "  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his 


ways,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his 
thoughts ;  and  let  him  return  unto  the 
Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  upon  him ; 
and  to  our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly 
pardon."  The  chief  excellency  of  the 
gospel,  my  brethren,  is  that  it  is  precisely 
adapted  to  the  condition  and  the  necessity 
of  man,  under  all  the  possible  circum- 
stances of  his  existence  upon  earth.  The 
state  of  the  case  is  simply  this ;  every 
creature  is  in  a  condition  to  need  the  gos- 
pel, and  the  gospel  is  adapted  to  the  con- 
dition of  every  creature.  Every  creature 
is  guilty ;  the  gospel  announces  pardon. 
Every  creature  is  ignorant;  the  gospel 
sheds  the  light  of  divine  illumination 
upon  the  darkened  understanding.  Every 
creature  is  wretched ;  the  gospel  directs 
him  to  the  true  source  of  felicity  and  joy. 
Every  creature  is  polluted;  the  gospel 
unfolds  a  fountain  open  for  sin  and  un- 
cleanness.  Every  creature  is  diseased, 
and  dying  from  the  dreadful  malady  of 
sin ;  the  gospel  points  to  the  true  sove- 
reign balm — announces  the  balm  of  Gilead 
and  the  physician  of  souls.  Hence,  he 
who  has  it  in  commission  to  preach  the 
gospel  may  ever  be  at  work,  and  wherever 
he  meets  a  human  being,  with  that  hu- 
man being  he  has  to  do.  He  has  a  mes- 
sage with  him — he  has  a  story  of  redeem- 
ing love  to  tell  him ;  and  there  is  no 
exception  at  all,  constituted  by  man"? 
colour,  or  kindred,  or  clime — his  rank, 
or  station,  or  condition  in  life.  It  ad- 
dresses alike  the  monk  and  the  libertine 
— the  widow  in  her  cottage  and  the  pea- 
sant in  his  barn — the  criminal  at  the  bar 
and  the  judge  upon  the  tribunal — the 
philosopher  in  his  studies  and  the  poet  in 
his  reveries — the  beggar  on  the  dunghill 
and  the  monarch  on  the  throne ;  and  he 
that  rejects  it  does  it  at  his  peril ;  its 
glad  tidings  must  be  welcomed,  or  the 
man  must  perish. 

Ponder,  brethren,  again,  I  beseech  you 
— since  how  glorious  is  the  message 
which  I  have  to  deliver  to  mankind — pon 
der  the  grounds  of  encouragement  tvith 
ivhich  you  are  presented  in  the  publicaiio7i 
of  the  message  to  the  world.  They  are  so 
abundant  that  I  scarcely  know  where  to 
begin.  In  the  first  place,  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  is  a  divine  institution.     It  ia 


24 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


not  a  human  device  ;  the  language  of  the 
Saviour  is  most  distinct  and  unequivocal : 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature."  This  is 
enough  for  us ;  we  want  no  more  than 
this.  With  this  assurance  we  can  meet 
the  sneer  of  contempt,  the  serpent  of  ma- 
lignitj',  and  the  loud  laughter  of  derision. 
We  know  that  the  instrument  is  mean, 
and  in  itself  altogether  inadequate.  We 
know  that  it  is  an  earthly  vessel,  in 
which  the  heavenly  treasure  is  contained. 
We  wonder  not  that  the  wise  and  pru- 
dent of  this  world  account  it  the  foolish- 
ness of  preaching.  But  if  the  instrument 
were  even  meaner  than  it  is,  and  God 
still  condescended  to  employ  it,  he  could 
make  it  mightier  than  all  the  influence 
that  maybe  exerted  against  it,  and  demon- 
strate, in  a  way  the  most  humbling  to 
the  pride  of  man  and  degrading  to  human 
glory,  that  the  foolishness  of  God  is 
wiser  than  man,  and  the  weakness  of 
God  stronger  than  man. 

Ponder  again  the  dignity  and  glory  of 
HiiH  in  whose  cause  you  are  engaged,  and 
hy  ivhose  auihority  you  ad.  It  was  in 
immediate  connexion  with  this  great  com- 
mission that  the  Redeemer  declared,  "All 
pov/er  is  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth."  And  it  was  not  a  vain  boast. 
Witness  the  credentials  with  which  he 
was  furnished,  and  the  many  proofs  he 
had  of  the  divinity  both  of  his  person  and 
of  his  mission.  Three  times  was  it 
attested  by  a  voice  from  heaven  :  once  at 
his  baptism,  when  the  heavens  opened, 
and  the  Spirit  descended  like  a  dove  and 
rested  upon  him ;  once  at  his  transfigura- 
tion, when  the  displays  of  his  godhead 
beamed  so  glorious  through  the  veil  of 
his  humanity,  that  the  disciples  were 
enraptured,  and  wist  not  what  to  say; 
and  once,  when  so  terrible  was  the  voice, 
that  some  said  it  thundered,  and  others 
that  an  angel  spake.  Do  you  want  fur- 
ther proof?  See  him  imparting  the  light 
of  day  to  the  sightless  eyeball,  giving 
tone  and  vigour  to  palsied  limbs,  ejecting 
demons  from  their  distressed  victims, 
stilling  the  furious  tempests,  and  raising 
the  dead ;  and  even  in  the  season  of  his 
deepest  ignominy  and  extremest  suffer- 
ing, when  he  bled  in  agony  upon  the  ac- 


cursed tree,  the  heaving  of  the  solid 
ground,  as  in  the  throes  of  an  untimely 
birth — the  darkened  heavens  at  high  noon 
— the  rending  of  the  rocks — the  raising 
of  the  dead,  proclaiming  him  to  be  the 
Son  of  God.  But  it  was  only  for  a  sea- 
son that  he  bowed  to  the  empire  of  death, 
and  condescended  to  remain  a  captive  in 
the  grave.  He  burst  the  bars  of  the 
tomb  ;  it  was  not  possible  that  he  could 
be  holden  of  them ;  and  he  rose  to  ascend 
up  on  high.  Amid  the  greetings  and 
shoutings  of  cherubic  and  seraphic  attend- 
ants, and  the  morning  stars  of  light  and 
glorified  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect, 
he  entered  the  celestial  world,  and  took 
his  seat  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  and 
grasping  the  sceptre  of  universal  empire 
— his  double  right,  by  creation  and  by 
his  blood — he  sways  it  over,  and  is  over- 
ruling continually  the  aifairs  of  this  infe- 
rior world,  that  he  may  establish  the 
security  of  his  church,  accomplish  her 
destined  trophies,  and  set  up  his  throne 
in  the  hearts  of  the  millions,  the  countless 
millions,  he  has  ransomed  in  his  blood. 

The  success,  my  brethren,  which  has 
already  accompanied  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel,  a?id  the  trophies  luhich  the  cause  of 
Christ  has  hitherto  achieved,  furnish  aiwther 
ground  of  confidence  in  connexion  with  the 
missionary  enterprise.  That  there  are 
difficulties  we  are  quite  ready  to  acknow- 
ledge ;  we  are  by  no  means  anxious  to 
conceal  them,  as  it  respects  their  number 
or  their  magnitude.  W^e  know  something 
of  the  obstinacy  and  perverseness  of  the 
human  heart — something  of  its  deep- 
rooted  and  bitter  malignity  against  God — 
something  of  its  decided  and  desperate 
hostility  to  every  thing  that  is  pure  and 
holy ;  we  know  something  of  the  terrific 
forms  which  this  bitter  enmity  assumes 
in  pagan  lands ;  something  of  the  inve- 
teracy of  habit;  something  of  the  power 
of  a  system,  whose  institutions  and 
whose  principles  are  wrought  in  the  very 
texture  and  frame-work  of  society ;  and 
we  know  how  hopeless  would  be  the 
eflfort  to  undermine  and  overthrow  this 
state  of  things,  so  firmly  settled,  so 
deeply  rooted,  by  the  mere  eflTort  of 
human  ingenuity,  of  human  skill,  or  by 
an  arm  of  flesh.     While,  however,  the 


CHRIST  THE  ONLY  WAY  OF  SALVATION. 


25 


statesman  and  the  philosopher  pour  con- 
tempt on  our  undertaking,  and  regard  it 
as  the  extreme  of  fanaticism  and  folly, 
we  occupy  ground  on  which  they  never 
stood,  and  we  have  resources  at  our  com- 
mand on  which  they  never  calculated. 
Is  any  thing  too  hard  for  the  Lord  1 
"  Who  art  thou,  0  great  mountain  1  Be- 
fore Zerubbabel  thou  shalt  become  a 
plain."  Only  admit  that  the  cause  is 
God's,  and  that  the  arm  of  Omnipotence 
is  guaranteed  on  its  behalf,  and  all  our 
fears  are  given  to  the  winds.  He  may 
indeed,  for  the  trial  of  our  faith,  and  the 
exercise  of  our  patience,  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  his  purposes,  seem  to  delay ; 
but  though  it  should  ever  be  remembered 
that  one  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thou- 
sand years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one 
day ;  though  in  a  manner  to  humble  our 
pride,  and  to  convince  us  that  in  this  great 
undertaking  our  confidence  must  be 
reposed  exclusively  in  him,  he  may  suf- 
fer us  sometimes  to  endure  disappoint- 
ment, )'et,  as  to  the  final  issue,  we  can 
no  more  doubt  than  we  can  doubt  the 
return  of  the  seasons,  or  the  rising  of  the 
morrow's  sun.  Men  talk  about  the 
mighty  fabric  of  eastern  superstition,  and 
about  the  power  of  prejudices,  and  about 
the  fascinations  of  caste,  as  though  these 
things  were  omnipotent, — and  to  mere 
human  strength  they  are  ;  but  mighty  as 
is  the  fabric,  though  it  be  consummated 
and  cemented  by  the  veneration  and  prac- 
tices of  ages  and  generations,  and  though 
it  be  deeply  rooted  in  all  the  natural  appe- 
tites and  passions  of  the  human  breast, 
yet,  if  God  put  his  hand  to  the  work, 
and  employ  his  almighty  power,  "The 
strong  shall  be  as  tow,  and  the  maker  of 
it  as  a  spark;  and  they  shall  both  burn 
together,  and  none  shall  quench  them." 

There  is  no  species  of  opposition,  my 
brethren,  over  which  the  gospel  has  not 
already  triumphed,  and  over  which  it  is 
not  still  destined  to  triumph.  Can  you 
conceive  of  difficulties  more  formidable 
than  those  which  pressed  around  it  in  the 
first  age  of  Christianity.  All  the  rank, 
learning,  power,  influence,  eloquence, 
wisdom,  and  philosophy  of  the  world 
were  overthrown  by  it,  though  its  abet- 
tors, its  supporters — the  first  heralds  of 

Vol.  L— 4 


salvation — were  the  meanest  and  the  most 
despised  among  men ;  fishermen,  tax- 
gatherers,  tent-makers.  Against  them 
power  lifted  up  her  arm,  and  authority 
promulgated  her  edicts ;  bigotry  mustered 
her  hosts — intolerance  pointed  her  enmity 
—persecution  opened  her  dungeons,  forged 
her  fetters,  reared  her  gibbets,  kindled  her 
fires ;  and  yet — at  the  peril  of  imprison- 
ment and  death,  at  the  risk  of  all  that 
men  are  accustomed  to  hold  dear — these 
devoted  servants  of  the  cross  went  forth : 
they  scattered  the  seed  of  the  kingdom ; 
they  nourished  the  seed  they  scattered 
with  their  blood ;  it  was  rendered,  by  an 
influence  from  heaven,  prolific ;  and, 
growing  a  very  great  tree,  it  speedily 
filled  the  earth  with  its  foliage  and  the 
luxuriousness  of  its  fruit. 

And  hear,  my  brethren, — hear  the 
pledge  and  promises  of  those  triumphs 
which  the  gospel  is  yet  destined  to 
achieve,  and  which  it  must  achieve,  ere 
the  predictions  of  ancient  times  are 
accomplished ;  that  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea.  Then,  Juggernaut  shall 
bow  before  the  cross  ;  then,  the  Shasters 
of  the  Brahmin,  and  the  Koran  of  Maho- 
met, shall  be  torn  in  pieces,  and  their 
fragments  scattered  to  the  wind.  Then, 
every  pagan  idol,  every  pagan  altar,  every 
Mahometan  delusion,  every  popish  su- 
perstition, shall  be  crushed  beneath  the 
wheels  of  the  triumphant  car.  Then, 
the  cities  of  Pekin  and  Canton  shall  send 
forth  their  teeming  populations  to  bid  the 
Saviour  welcome.  Myriads  of  voices  in 
heaven  shall  respond  to  myriads  on  earth ; 
and  the  anthem  shall  be  heard  like  mighty 
thunder  rolling  the  universe  of  God, 
"  Hallelujah,  hallelujah  !  the  Lord  God 
Omnipotent  reigneth  !"  Visions  of  glory ! 
Bright  anticipations  of  the  future  !  Shall 
they  ever  be  realized  1  They  shall,  they 
must.  God  hath  spoken  it,  and  he  cannot 
lie ;  and  to  the  declaration  he  has  set  the 
seal  of  an  oath ;  and,  because  he  can 
swear  by  no  greater,  he  has  sworn  by 
himself,  saying,  "  Surely  every  knee  shall 
bow  to  me,  and  every  tongue  confess  that 
I  am  God." 

Must  I  plead,  and  must  I  plead  with 
you  this  great  cause  1     Let  your  count©- 


26 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


naaccs  respond.  Tell  me,  do  you  need 
argument  to  convince  you,  and  strong 
appeals  to  excite  you  ]  Are  you  not  con- 
scious of  the  miseries  of  millions  of  your 
species — millions  sunk  in  all  the  degra- 
dation of  paganism,  wallowing  in  its 
pollution,  and  agonized  by  its  tortures  1 
Must  I  appeal  to  you  on  the  principles  of 
common  humanity?  If  this  be  the  bread 
of  life  that  is  to  feed  a  starving  world — 
if  this  be  the  sovereign  balm  that  is  to 
heal  and  to  sooth  the  moral  maladies  and 
wounds  that  infect  our  nature — if  this  be 
the  only  light  that  can  conduct  man 
through  the  darkness  of  this  world  to 
climes  of  felicity  and  bliss  beyond  the 
grave,  can  you  have  it,  and  the  power  to 
impart  it — and  imparting  it  to  others  will 
by  no  means  impoverish  yourselves — I 
say,  where  is  your  claim  to  a  spark  of  com- 
mon humanity  if  you  can  withhold  your 
hand,  monopolize  the  precious  boon,  and 
let  others  perish  in  moral  want  ]  I  appeal 
on  the  ground  of  common  justice.  I  do 
not  merely  appeal  to  you  on  principles  of 
benevolence,  to  move  you  by  the  multi- 
plicities of  their  miseries,  but  I  plead 
upon  the  ground  of  common  justice.  It 
is  a  debt  you  owe  to  the  world.  "I  am 
a  debtor,  says  the  apostle,  both  to  the 
Greeks  and  to  the  barbarians ;  both  to  the 
wise  and  to  the  unwise ;"  and  you  are  as 
much  a  debtor  as  he  could  be.  God  gave 
you  not  this  book  that  you  might  mo- 
nopolize it,  and  the  gospel,  that  you 
might  press  it  to  your  bosom  in  your  self- 


ishness and  solitude,  and  thus  steal  to 
heaven  alone.  jVo  ;  but  he  gave  you  this 
book  in  'commission,  in  trust,  tliat  you 
might  give  it  to  others ;  and  he  sent  you 
the  gospel,  that,  having  drank  yourselves 
deep  and  refreshing  draughts  of  the  cup 
of  life,  you  might  hand  it  round  to  the 
perishing  millions  that  are  within  your 
reach.  And  is  there  a  man — nay,  is  there 
a  creature  that  calls  himself  a  man,  for  I 
will  not  designate  him  so — in  this  assem- 
bly, who  will  rise  up  and  ask,  "  Who  is 
my  neighbour,  and  who  is  my  brother  ]" 
Every  man — every  man,  whether  his 
skin  is  black  or  white — whether  he 
speaks  your  language,  or  one  you  cannot 
comprehend — whether  he  dwells  here  or 
at  the  antipodes — I  say,  every  man  is 
your  brother  and  your  neighbour,  and  if 
you  can  reach  him,  and  enlighten  him, 
and  save  him,  can  you  refuse  to  do  it? 
If  you  do,  God  will  plead  against  you — 
will  take  the  injured  brother's  part ;  for 
the  voice  of  his  blood  will  cry  to  heaven 
against  you  from  the  ground. 

Go,  I  beseech  you,  and  be  prompt  and 
liberal  in  what  you  do  this  day.  Time  is 
rolling  rapidly  on ;  men  are  perishing 
every  moment  in  ignorance  ;  zealous  mis- 
sionaries need  supplies,  and  the  wants  of 
a  perishing  world  need  to  be  satisfied ; 
and  we  look  to  your  benevolence  and  zeal 
that  their  cry  may  be  answered,  "  Come 
over  and  help  us!"  I  cease  to  plead: 
let  the  collection  now  be  made.     Arise, 

0  God,  AND  PLEAD  THINE  OWN  CAUSE  ! 


SERMON  II. 

THE  POWER  OF  RELIGION  ON  THE  HUMAN  INTELLECT 
BY  THE  REV.  H.  MELVILL,  M.A. 

LATE    FELLOW    AND   TUTOR    OF    ST.    PETEr's    COLLEGE,    CAMBRIUGE,    AND    MINISTER   OB" 
CAMDEN    CHAPEL,    CAMBERWELL. 


"  Th.c  entrance  of  thy  viords  giveth  light;  it  giveth  understanding  to  the  simple."- 
Psalm  cxix.  130. 


There  is  no  point  of  view  under  which 
the  Bible  can  be  surveyed,  and  not  com- 
mend itself  to  thinking  minds  as  a  won- 
derful book,  and  a  precious.  Travelling 
down  to  us  across  the  waste  of  far-off 
centuries,  it  brings  the  history  of  times 
which  must  otherwise  have  been  given 
up  to  conjecture  and  fable.  Instructing  us 
as  to  the  creation  of  the  magnificent  uni- 
verse, and  defining  the  authorship  of  that 
rich  furniture,  as  well  material  as  in- 
tellectual, with  which  this  universe  is 
stored,  it  delivers  our  minds  from  those 
vague  and  unsatisfjang  theories  which 
reason,  unaided  in  her  searchings,  pro- 
posed with  respect  to  the  origin  of  all 
things.  Opening  up,  moreover,  a  sub- 
lime and  simple  system  of  theology,  it 
emancipates  the  world  from  degrading 
superstitions,  which,  dishonouring  Deity 
by  the  representations  propounded  of  his 
character,  turn  vice  into  virtue,  and  so 
banish  what  is  praiseworthy  from  human 
society. 

And  thus,  if  you  kept  out  of  sight  the 
more  important  ends  subserved  by  the 
disclosures  of  the  Bible,  there  would  be 
no  single  gift  for  which  men  stood  so 
indebted  to  the  Almighty  as  for  the  reve- 
lation of  himself  in  the  pages  of  Scripture. 
The  great  engine  of  civilization  is  still 
the  written  word  of  the  Most  High.  And 
if  you  visit  a  tribe  of  our  race  in  the  low- 
est depths  of  barbarism,  and  desire  to 
bring  up  the  debased  creatures,  and  place 
them  on  their  just  level  in  the  scale  of 
existence,  it  is  not  by  the  enactments  of 


earthly  legislation,  any  more  than  by  the 
tyrannizings  of  earthly  might,  that  you 
may  look  to  bring  speedily  round  the 
wished-for  result.  The  effective  machi- 
nery is  Christianity,  and  Christianity 
alone.  Propagate  the  tenets  of  this  reli- 
gion, as  registered  in  the  Bible,  and  a 
mighty  regeneration  will  go  out  over  the 
face  of  the  long  degraded  community. 

We  need  hardly  appeal,  in  proof  of 
this  assertion,  to  the  records  of  the  effects 
of  missionary  enterprise.  You  are  all 
aware  that,  in  m.any  instances,  a  great 
change  has  been  wrought,  by  the  labours 
of  faithful  and  self-denying  men,  on  the 
savage  clans  amongst  which  they  have 
settled.  We  omit,  for  the  present,  the 
incalculable  advantages  consequent  on 
the  introduction  of  Christianity,  when 
another  state  of  being  is  brought  into  the 
account.  We  consider  men  simply  with 
respect  to  their  sojourning  upon  earth; 
and  we  contend  that  the  revolution  effect- 
ed in  temporal  affairs  should  win,  even 
from  those  who  prize  not  its  disclosures 
in  regard  to  eternal,  the  warmest  admira- 
tion for  the  Bible.  There  has  succeeded 
to  lawlessness  and  violence,  the  beautiful 
scenery  of  good  order  and  peace.  The 
rude  beings,  wont  to  wander  to  and  fro, 
alternately"  the  prey  and  the  scourge  of 
neighbouring  tribes,  have  settled  down 
to  the  quiet  occupations  of  industry ;  and 
gathering  themselves  into  villages,  and 
plying  at  the  businesses  of  handicraft  or 
agriculture,  have  presented  the  aspect 
of  a  well-disciplined  society  in  exchange 

27 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


for  that  of  a  roving  and  piratical  horde. 
And  w^n  a  district  which  has  heretofore, 
both  'iSlally  and  physically,  been  little 
better  th'^  a  desert,  puts  forth,  in  all  its 
outspread,  the  tokens  of  a  vigorous  cul- 
ture, and  the  sabbath-bell  summons  from 
scattered  cottages  a  smiling  population, 
linked  together  by  friendship,  and  happy  in 
all  the  sweetnesses  of  domestic  charities ; 
why,  the  infidel  must  be  something  less 
than  a  man,  if,  with  all  his  contempt  for 
the  Bible  as  a  revelation  from  God,  he 
refuse  to  admire  and  esteem  it  as  a  noble 
engine  for  uplifting  humanity  from  its 
deep  degradations. 

But  we  wish  rather  to  draw  off  your 
thoughts  from  what  the  Bible  has  done 
for  society  at  large,  and  to  fix  them  on 
what  it  effects  for  individuals.  It  fol- 
lows, of  course,  that,  since  society  is  the 
aggregate  of  individuals,  what  the  Bible 
does  for  the  mass  is  mainly  the  sum  of 
what  it  does  separately  for  the  units.  An 
effect  upon  society  presupposes  an  effect 
on  its  component  members  in  their  in- 
dividual capacities ;  it^  being  impossible 
that  the  whole  sho,uld  be  changed  except 
by  the  change  of  its  parts. 

Now  we  are  persuaded,  that  there  is 
no  book,  by  the  perusal  of  which  the 
mind  is  so  much  strengthened,  and  so 
much  enlarged,  as  it  is  by  the  perusal  of 
the  Bible.  We  deal  not  yet  with  the 
case  of  the  man  who,  being  under  the 
teachings  of  God's  Spirit,  has  the  truths 
of  revelation  opened  up  to  him  in  their 
gigantic  and  overwhelming  force.  We 
shall  come  afterwards  to  the  consideration 
of  the  circumstances  of  the  converted; 
we  confine  ourselves,  for  the  present,  to 
those  of  the  unconverted.  We  require 
nothing  but  an  admission  of  the  truth  of 
Scripture ;  so  that  he  who  reads  its  decla- 
rations, and  statements,  receives  them  as 
he  would  those  of  a  writer  of  acknow- 
ledged veracity.  And  what  we  contend 
is,  that  the  study  of  the  Bible,  even  when 
supposed  without  influence  on  the  soul, 
is  calculated,  far  more  than  any  other 
study,  to  enlarge  the  mind,  and  strengthen 
the  intellect.  There  is  nothing  so  likely 
to  elevate,  and  endow  with  new  vigour, 
our  faculties,  as  the  bringing  them  into 
contact  with  stupendous  truths,  and  the 


setting  them  to  grasp  and  measure  those 
truths.  If  the  human  mind  grow  dwarf- 
ish and  enfeebled,  it  is,  ordinarily,  be- 
cause left  to  deal  with  common-place 
facts,  and  never  summoned  to  the  eflfort  of 
taking  the  span  and  altitude  of  broad  and 
lofty  disclosures.  The  understanding 
will  gradually  bring  itself  down  to  the 
dimensions  of  the  matters  with  which 
alone  it  is  familiarized,  till,  having  long 
been  habituated  to  contracting  its  powers, 
it  shall  lose,  wellnigh,  the  ability  of  ex- 
panding them. 

But  if  it  be  for  the  enlargement  of  the 
mind,  and  the  strengthening  of  its  facul- 
ties, that  acquaintance  should  be  made 
with  ponderous  and  far-spreading  truths,  it 
must  be  clear  that  knowledge  of  the  Bible 
outdoes  all  other  knowledge  in  bringing 
round  such  result.  We  deny  not  that 
great  effects  may  be  wrought  on  the  pea- 
santry of  a  land  by  that  wondrous  diffu- 
sion of  general  information  which  is  now 
going  forM'ard  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  press.  It  is  not  possible  that  our 
penny  magazines  should  be  carrying  to 
the  workshop  of  the  artisan,  and  the  cot- 
tage of  the  labourer,  an  actual  library  of 
varied  intelligence,  without  producing  a 
universal  outstretch  of  mind,  whether  for 
good,  or  whether  for  evil.  But  if  a  popu- 
lation could  be  made  a  Bible  reading 
population,  we  argue  that  it  would  be 
made  a  far  more  thinking,  and  a  far  more 
intelligent  population,  than  it  will  ever 
become  through  the  turning  its  attention 
on  simplified  sciences,  and  abbreviated 
histories.  If  I  desired  to  enlarge  a  man's 
mind,  I  should  like  to  fasten  it  on  the 
truth  that  God  never  had  beginning,  and 
never  shall  have  end.  I  would  set  it  to 
the  receiving  this  truth,  and  to  the  grap- 
pling with  it.  I  know  that,  in  endeavour- 
ing to  comprehend  this  truth,  the  mind 
will  be  quickly  mastered,  and  that,  in 
attempting  to  push  on  to  its  boundary 
lines,  it  will  fall  down,  wearied  with  tra- 
vel, and  see  infinity  still  stretching  be- 
yond it.  But  the  effort  will  have  been  a 
grand  mental  discipline.  And  he  who 
has  looked  at  this  discovery  of  God,  as 
made  to  us  by  the  word  of  inspiration,  is 
likely  to  have  come  away  from  the  con- 
templation with  his  faculties  elevated,  and, 


THE  POWER  OF  RELIGION  ON  THE  HUMAN  INTELLECT. 


20 


at  the  same  time,  humbled ;  so  that  a 
vigour,  allied  in  no  degree  with  arrogance, 
will  have  been  generated  by  the  study 
of  a  Bible  truth ;  and  the  man,  whilst 
strengthening  his  mind  by  a  mighty  ex- 
ercise, will  have  learned  the  hardest,  and 
the  most  useful,  of  all  lessons,  that  intel- 
lect is  not  omnipotent,  but  that  the  great- 
est wisdom  may  be,  oftentimes,  the  know- 
ing ourselves  ignorant. 

We  are  not,  you  will  observe,  referring 
to  the  Bible  as  containing  the  food  of  the 
soul,  and  as  teaching  man  what  he  must 
learn  if  he  would  not  perish  everlastingly. 
We  are  simply  arguing  that  the  bringing 
men  to  study  the  Bible  would  be  the  go- 
ing a  vast  deal  further  towards  making 
them  strong-minded,  and  intellectual,  than 
the   dispersing    amongst  them   treatises 
on  all  the  subjects  which  philosophy  em- 
braces.    The  Bible,  whilst  the  only  book 
for  the  soul,  is  the  best  book  for  the  in- 
tellect.   The  sublimity  of  the  topics  of 
which  it  treats;  the  dignified  simplicity 
of  its  manner   of  handling    them;    the 
nobleness  of  the  mysteries  which  it  de- 
velopes ;  the  illumination  which  it  throws 
on  points  the  most  interesting  to  creatures 
conscious  of  immortality;  all  these  con- 
spire to  bring  round  a  result  which  we 
insist    upon    as    actual   and    necessary, 
namely,  that  the  man  who  should  study 
the   Bible,  and  not  be    benefited   by   it 
spiritually,   would  be  benefited  by  it  in- 
tellectually.     We  think  that  it  may  be 
reckoned  amongst  incredible  things,  that 
converse   should  be  held  with  the   first 
parents   of    our  race;   that  man   should 
stand  on  this  creation  whilst  its  beauty 
was  unsullied,  and  then  mark  the  retinue 
of  destruction  careering  with  a  dominant 
step  over  its  surface ;  that  he  should  be 
admitted  into  intercourse  with  patriarchs 
and  prophets,  and  move  through  scenes 
peopled  with  the  majesties  of  the  Eternal, 
and  behold  the  Godhead  himself  coming 
down  into  humanity,  and  working  out,  in 
the  mysterious  coalition,  the  discomfiture 
of  the  powers  of  darkness — oh,  we  reckon 
it,  w'e   say,  amongst  incredible   things, 
that  all  this   should  be  permitted   to  a 
man — as  it  is  permitted  to  every  student 
of  Scripture — and  yet  that  he  should  not 
come  back  from  the  ennobling  associa- 


tions with  a  mind  a  hundred-fold  more 
expanded,  and  a  hundred-fold  more  ele- 
vated, than  if  he  had 'given  his  time  to 
the  exploits  of  Cssar,  or  poured  forth  his 
attention  on  the  results  of  machinery. 

W^e  speak  not  thus  in  any  disparage- 
ment of  the  present  unparalleled  efforts 
to    make    knowledge    accessible   to   all 
classes  of  our  community.     We  are  far 
enough   from  underrating   such   eff"orts; 
and  we  hold,  unreservedly,  that  a  vast  and 
a  beneficial  effect  may  be  wrought  amongst 
the  poor  through  the  well-applied  agency 
of  vigorous  instruction.      In  the  mind  of 
many  a  peasant,  whose  every  moment  is 
bestowed  on  wringing  from  the   soil   a 
scanty  subsistence,  there  slumber  powers 
which,  had  they  been  evolved  by  early 
discipline,   would    have    elevated    their 
possessor  to  the  first  rank  of  philosophers ; 
and  many  a  mechanic,  who  goes  patiently 
the   round   of  unvaried   toil,   is,   uncon- 
sciously, the  owner  of  faculties  which, 
nursed  and  expanded  by  education,  would 
have   enabled   him  to   electrify  senates, 
and  to  win  that  pre-eminence  which  men 
award  to  the  majesty  of  genius.     There 
arise   occasions  when,   peculiar  circum- 
stances aiding  the  developement,  the  pent- 
up  talent  struggles  loose  from  the  tram- 
mels of  pauperism ;  and  the  peasant  and 
mechanic,  through  a  sudden  outbreak  of 
mind,   start  forward   to    the   places   for 
which  their  intellect  fits    them.      But, 
ordinarily,   the   powers   remain  through 
life  bound  up  and  torpid ;  and  he,  there- 
fore, forms  but  a  contracted  estimate  of 
the  amount  of  liigh  mental  endowment, 
who  reckons  by  the  proud  marbles  which 
cause  the  aisles  of  a  cathedral  to  breathe 
the  memory  of  departed  greatness,  and 
never  thinks,  when  walking  the  village 
church-yard  with  its  rude  memorials  of 
the  fathers  of  the  valley,  that,  possibly, 
there  sleeps  beneath  his  feet  one  who,  if 
early   taught,   might  have   trod   with   a 
Newton's  step  the  firmament,  or  swept 
with  a   Milton's   hand   the   harpstrings 
We  make  then  every  admission   of  the 
power  which  there  is  in  cultivation  to 
enlarge  and  unfold  the  human  understand 
ing.      We  nothing  question  that  mental 
capacities  are  equally  distributed  amongst 
different  classes  of  society ;  and  that,  if  it 
c2 


30 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


were  not  for  the  adventitious  circum- 
stances of  birth,  entailing  the  advantages 
of  education,  there  would  be  sent  out 
from  the  lower  grades  the  same  propor- 
tion as  from  the  higher,  of  individuals 
distinguished  by  all  the  energies  of  ta- 
lent. 

And  thus  believing  that  efforts  to  dis- 
seminate knowledge  may  cause  a  general 
calling  forth  of  the  mental  powers  of  our 
population,  we  have  no  other  feeling  but 
that  of  pleasure  in  the  survey  of  these 
efforts.  It  is  indeed  possible — and  of 
this  we  have  our  fears — that,  by  sending 
a  throng  of  publications  to  the  fireside  of 
the  cottager,  you  may  draw  him  away 
from  the  Bible,  which  has  heretofore 
been  specially  the  poor  man's  book,  and 
thus  inflict  upon  him,  as  we  think,  an  in- 
tellectual injury,  full  as  well  as  a  moral. 
But,  in  the  argument  now  in  hand,  we 
only  uphold  the  superiority  of  scriptural 
knowledge,  as  compared  with  any  other, 
when  the  alone  object  proposed  is  that 
of  developing  and  improving  the  thinking 
powers  of  mankind.  And  we  reckon 
that  a  fine  triumph  might  be  won  for 
Christianity,  by  the  taking  two  illiterate 
individuals,  and  subjecting  them  to  two 
different  processes  of  mental  discipline. 
Let  the  one  be  made  familiar  with  what 
is  styled  general  information;  let  the 
other  be  confined  to  what  we  call  Bible 
information.  And  when,  in  each  case, 
the  process  has  gone  on  a  fair  portion  of 
time,  and  you  come  to  inquire  whose 
reasoning  faculties  have  ,been  most  im- 
proved, whose  mind  has  most  grown  and 
expanded  itself,  we  are  persuaded  that 
the  scriptural  study  will  vastly  carry  it 
over  the  miscellaneous,  and  that  the  ex- 
periment will  satisfactorily  demonstrate, 
that  no  knowledge  tells  so  much  on  the 
intellect  of  mankind  as"  that  which  is 
furnished  by  the  records  of  inspiration. 

And  if  the  grounds  of  this  persuasion 
be  demanded,  we  think  them  so  self-evi- 
dent as  scarcely  to  require  the  being  for- 
mally advanced.  We  say  again,  that  if 
you  keep  out  of  sight  the  concern  which 
man  has  in  scriptural  truths,  regarding 
him  as  born  for  eternity,  there  is  a  gran- 
deur about  these  truths,  and  a  splendour, 
and  a  beauty,  which  must  amaze  and 


fascinate  him,  if  he  look  not  beyond  the 
present  area  of  existence.  In  all  the  wide 
range  of  sciences,  what  science  is  there 
comparable,  in  its  sublim.ity  and  difficulty, 
to  the  science  of  God  ?  In  all  the  annals 
of  humankind,  what  history  is  there  so 
curious,  and  so  riveting,  as  that  of  the 
infancy  of  man,  the  cradling,  so  to  speak, 
of  the  earth's  population?  Where  will 
you  find  a  lawgiver  from  whose  edicts 
may  be  learned  a  nobler  jurisprudence 
than  is  exhibited  by  the  statute  book  of 
Moses  1  Whence  will  you  gather  such 
vivid  illustrations  of  the  power  of  truth 
as  are  furnished  by  the  march  of  Chris- 
tianity, when  apostles  stood  alone,  and  a 
whole  world  was  against  them?  And  if 
there  be  no  book  wl^ich  treats  of  a  loftier 
science,  and  none  which  contains  a  more 
interesting  history,  and  none  which  more 
thoroughly  discloses  the  principles  of 
right  and  the  prowess  of  truth  ;  why  then, 
just  so  far  as  mental  improvement  can 
be  proved  dependent  on  acquaintance 
with  scientific  matters,  or  historical,  or 
legal,  or  ethical,  the  Bible,  beyond  all 
other  books,  must  be  counted  the  grand 
engine  for  achieving  that  improvement; 
and  we  claim  for  the  Holy  Scriptures 
the  illustrious  distinction,  that,  containing 
whatsoever  is  needful  for  saving  the  soul, 
they  present  also  whatsoever  is  best  cal- 
culated for  strengthening  the  intellect. 

Now  we  have  not  carried  on  our  argu- 
ment to  its  utmost  limit,  though  Ave  have, 
perhaps,  advanced  enough  for  the  illus- 
tration of  our  text.  We  might  occupy 
your  attention  with  the  language,  as  we 
have  done  with  the  matter,  of  Holy  Writ. 
It  were  easy  to  show  you  that  there  is  no 
human  composition,  presenting,  in  any 
thing  of  the  same  degree,  the  majesty  of 
oratory,  and  the  loveliness  of  poetry.  So 
that  if  the  debate  were  simply  on  the  best 
means  of  improving  the  taste  of  an  indi- 
vidual, others  might  commend  to  his 
attention  the  classic  page,  or  bring  for- 
ward the  standard  works  of  a  nation's 
literature;  but  we,  for  our  part,  would 
chain  him  down  to  the  study  of  Scripture ; 
and  we  would  tell  him,  that,  if  he  would 
learn  what  is  noble  verse,  he  must  heark- 
en to  Isaiah  sweeping  the  chords  to  Jeru- 
salem's glory ;  and  if  he  would  know 


THE  POWER  OF  RELIGION  ON  THE  HUMAN  INTELLECT. 


31 


what  is  powerful  eloquence,  he  must 
stand  by  St,  Paul  pleading  in  bonds  at 
Agrippa's  tribunal. 

It  suits  not  our  purpose  to  push  further 
this  inquiry.  But  we  think  it  right  to 
impress  on  you  most  earnestly  the  won- 
derful fact,  that,  if  all  the  books  in  the 
wide  world  were  assembled  together,  the 
Bible  would  as  much  take  the  lead  in 
disciplining  the  understanding,  as  in 
airecting  the  soul.  Living,  as  we  do,  in 
days  when  intellectual  and  scriptural  are 
set  down,  practically,  as  opposite  terms, 
and  it  seems  admitted  as  an  axiom  that  to 
civilize  and  to  christianize,  to  make  men 
intelligent,  and  to  make  men  religious, 
are  things  which  have  no  necessary  nor 
even  possible  connexion,  it  is  well  that 
we  sometimes  revert  to  the  matter  of  fact ; 
and  whilst  every  stripling  is  boasting 
that  a  great  enlargement  of  mind  is  com- 
ing on  a  nation,  through  the  pouring  into 
all  its  dwellings  a  tide  of  general  informa- 
tion, it  is  right  to  uphold  the  forgotten 
position,  that,  in  carinsr  for  man  as  an 
immortal  being,  God  cared  for  him  as  an 
intellectual,  and  that,  if  the  Bible  were 
but  read  by  our  artisans  and  our  peasant- 
ry, we  should  be  surrounded  by  a  far 
more  enlightened,  and  intelligent,  popula- 
tion than  will  appear  on  this  land,  when 
the  schoolmaster,  with  his  countless 
magazines,  shall  have  gone  through 
it  in  its  length  and  in  its  breadth. 

But  up  to  this  point  we  have  made  no 
direct  reference  to  those  words  of  David 
which  we  brought  forward  as  the  subject 
of  the  present  discourse.  Yet  all  our 
remarks  have  tended  to  their  illustration. 
The  Psalmist,  addressing  himself  to 
his  God,  declares,  "the  entrance  of  thy 
words  giveth  light,  it  giveth  understanding 
to  the  simple."  Now  you  will  at  once 
perceive  that,  when  taken  in  its  largest 
signification,  this  verse  ascribes  to  the 
Bible  precisely  that  energy  for  which  we 
have  contended.  The  assertion  is,  that 
the  entrance  of  God's  word  gives  light, 
and  that  it  gives  also  understanding  to 
the  simple ;  just  as  it  has  been  our  endea- 
vour to  show  that  a  mind,  dark  through 
want  of  instruction,  or  weak  through  its 
powers  being  either  naturally  poor,  or 
long  unexercised,  would  become  either 


illuminated,  or  strengthened,  through  ac- 
quaintance with  the  contents  of  Scripture. 
We  thus  vindicate  the  truth  of  our  text, 
when  religion,  properly  and  strictly  so 
called,  is  not  brought  into  the  account. 
We  prove  that  the  study  of  the  Bible, 
when  it  does  not  terminate  in  the  conver- 
sion of  the  soul,  will  terminate  in  the 
clearing  and  improvement  of  the  intellect. 
So  that  you  cannot  find  the  sense  wherein 
it  does  not  hold  good,  that  "  the  entrance 
of  God's  words  giveth  light,  it  giveth 
understanding  to  the  simple." 

But  we  now  go  on  to  observe  that  the 
passage  applies  with  a  vastly  greatei 
force  to  the  converted  than  to  the  uncon- 
verted. We  will  employ  the  remainder 
of  our  time  in  examining  its  truth  when 
the  student  of  Scripture  is  supposed  also 
the  subject  of  grace.  It  would  seem  as 
though  this  case  were  specially  contem- 
plated by  the  Psalmist,  there  being  some- 
thing in  the  phraseology  which  loses 
otherwise  much  of  its  point.  The  ex- 
pression "the  entrance  of  thy  words," 
appears  to  denote  more  than  the  simple 
perusal.  The  light  breaks  out,  and  the 
understanding  is  communicated,  not 
through  the  mere  reading  of  thy  words, 
but  through  the  "  entrance  of  thy  words ;" 
the  Bible  being  elfective,  only  as  its  truths 
pierce,  and  go  deeper  than  the  surface. 
And  although  it  must  be  readily  conceded 
that  the  mere  reading,  apart  from  the  en- 
trance of  the  word,  can  eifect  none  of 
those  results  which  we  have  already 
ascribed  to  the  Bible,  we  still  think  the 
chief  reference  must  be  to  an  entrance 
into  the  soul,  which  is  peculiar,  rather 
than  to  that  into  the  understanding,  which 
is  common.  We  may  also  remark  that 
the  marginal  reading  of  the  passage  is, 
"  the  opening  of  thy  words  giveth  light." 
If  we  adopt  this  translation,  which  is, 
probably,  the  more  accurate  of  the  two, 
we  must  conclude  that  the  Psalmist 
speaks  of  the  word  as  interpreted  by 
God's  Spirit,  and  not  merely  as  perused 
by  the  student.  It  is  not  the  word,  the 
bare  letter,  which  gives  the  light,  and  the 
understanding,  specially  intended ;  but 
the  word,  as  opened,  or  applied  by  the 
Spirit.  Now,  in  treating  the  text  in  this 
its  more  limited  signification,  we  have  to 


32 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


do,  first  of  all,  with  a  fact ;  and  secondly, 
with  the  reasons  of  that  fact.  The  fact 
is,  that,  on  conversion,  there  is  given  to 
man  an  increased  measure  of  understand- 
ing. The  reasons  of  this  fact  are  to  be 
looked  for  in  another  fact,  namely,  that 
conversion  results  from  the  entrance,  or 
opening,  of  God's  words.  It  will  be  for 
our  profit  that  we  consider  attentively 
both  the  fact  and  the  reasons.  And,  first 
of  all,  as  to  the  fact  that,  on  becoming  a 
man  of  godliness,  the  simple  becomes 
increasinglj'  a  man  of  understanding. 

Now  it  is,  we  believe,  commonly  ob- 
served by  those  who  set  themselves  to 
examine  the  effects  of  religion  upon  differ- 
ent characters,  that  a  general  strengthening 
of  the  mind  is  amongst  the  usual  accom- 
paniments of  piety.  The  instances,  in- 
deed, are  of  no  rare  occurrence  in  which 
a  mental  weakness,  bordering  almost  on 
imbecility,  has  been  succeeded  by  no 
inconsiderable  soundness  and  strength  of 
understanding.  The  case  has  come  with- 
in our  own  knowledge  of  an  individual 
who,  before  conversion,  was  accounted 
to  say  the  least,  of  very  limited  capacities, 
but  who,  after  conversion,  displayed  such 
power  of  comprehending  difficult  truths, 
and  such  facility  in  stating  them  to  others, 
that  men  of  staunch  and  well  informed 
minds  sought  intercourse  as  a  privilege. 
Something  of  the  same  kind  has  fre- 
quently been  observed  in  regard  to  child- 
ren. The  grace  of  God  has  fallen,  like 
the  warm  sun  of  the  east,  on  their  mental 
faculties,  and,  ripening  them  into  the 
richness  of  the  summer,  whilst  the  body 
had  as  yet  not  passed  through  its  spring 
time,  has  caused  that  grey  hairs  miglit 
be  instructed  by  the  tender  disciple,  and 
brought  a  neighbourhood  round adeath-bed 
to  learn  wisdom  from  the  lips  of  a  youth. 
And,  without  confining  ourselves  to  in- 
stances which  may  be  reckoned  peculiar 
and  extraordinary,  we  would  assert  that, 
in  all  cases,  a  marked  change  passes  over 
the  human  mind,  when  the  heart  is  re- 
newed by  the  influences  of  God's  Spirit. 
We  are  not  guilty  of  the  absurdity  of 
maintaining  that  there  are  supernaturally 
communicated  any  of  those  stores  of  in- 
formation, which  are  ordinarily  gained 
Dy  a  patient  and  pains-taking  application. 


A  man  will  not  become  more  of  an  as- 
tronomer than  he  was  before,  nor  more  ot 
a  chemist,  nor  more  of  a  linguist.  He 
will  have  no  greater  stock  of  knowledge 
than  he  before  possessed  of  subjects 
which  most  occupy  the  learned  of  his 
fellows.  And  if  he  would  inform  him- 
self in  such  subjects,  the  man  of  religion 
must  give  himself  to  the  same  labour  as 
the  man  of  no  religion,  and  sit  down,  with 
the  same  industry  to  the  treatise  and  tho 
grammar.  The  peasant,  who  becomes 
not  the  philosopher  simply  because  his 
mental  powers  have  been  undisciplined, 
will  not  leave  the  plough  for  the  orrery, 
because  his  understanding  is  expanded  by 
religion.  Education  might  give,  whilst 
religion  will  not  give,  the  powers  the 
philosophical  bent.  But  there  is  a  wide 
difference  between  the  strengthening  the 
mind,  and  the  storing  it  with  information. 

We  may  plead  for  the  former  effect 
without  at  all  supposing  the  latter ;  though 
we  shall  come  afterwards  to  see  that  in- 
formation of  the  loftiest  description  is 
conveyed  through  the  opening  of  tlie 
Bible,  and  that,  consequently,  if  the  im- 
partment  of  knowledge  be  an  improving 
thing  to  the  faculties,  an  improvement, 
the  most  marked,  must  result  from  con- 
version. But  we  ccnfine  ourselves,  at 
present,  to  the  statement  of  a  fact.  We 
assert  that,  in  all  cases,  a  man  is  intel- 
lectually, as  well  as  spiritually,  advan- 
taged through  becoming  a  man  of  piety. 
He  will  have  a  clearer  and  less  biassed 
judgment.  His  views  will  be  wider, 
his  estimates  more  correct.  His  under- 
standing, having  been  exercised  on  truths 
the  most  stupendous,  will  be  more  com- 
petent for  the  examination  of  what  is 
difficult  or  obscure.  His  reason,  having 
learned  that  much  liesbeyond  herprovince, 
as  well  as  much  within,  will  give  herself 
to  inquiries  with  greater  humility  and 
greater  caution,  and  therefore,  almost  to 
a  moral  certainty,  with  greater  success. 

And  though  we  may  thus  seem  rather 
to  account  for  the  fact  than  to  prove  it, 
let  it  be  remembered  that  this  fact,  being 
an  effect,  can  only  be  established,  either 
by  pointing  out  causes,  or  by  appealing 
to  experience.  The  appeal  to  experience 
is,  perhaps,  the  correcter  mode  of  the  two 


THE  POWER  OF  llELIGION  ON  THE  HUMAN  INTELLECT. 


33 


And  we,  therefore,  content  ourselves  with 
saying,  that  those  wlio  have  watched 
character  most  narrowly  will  bear  out  the 
statement,  that  the  opening  of  God's 
word  is  followed,  ordinarily,  by  a  surpris- 
ing opening  of  man's  faculties.  If  you 
take  the  rude  and  illiterate  labourer,  you 
will  find  that  regeneration  proves  to  him 
a  sort  of  intellectual,  as  well  as  a  moral 
renovation.  There  shall  generally  be  no 
ploughman  in  the  village  who  is  so 
sound,  and  shrewd,  and  clear-headed  a 
man,  as  the  one  who  is  most  attentive  to 
the  salvation  of  his  soul.  And  if  an  indi- 
vidual have  heretofore  been  obtuse  and 
unintelligent,  let  him  be  converted,  and 
there  shall  hereafter  be  commonly  a 
quickness  and  animation ;  so  that  religion, 
whose  prime  business  it  is  to  shed  light 
upon  the  heart,  shall  appear,  at  the  same 
time,  to  have  thrown  fire  into  the  eye. 
We  do  not,  indeed,  assert  that  genius 
and  talent  are  imparted  at  the  new  birth. 
But  that  it  is  amongst  the  characteris- 
tics of  godliness,  that  it  elevates  man  in 
the  scale  of  intellectual  being,  that  it 
makes  him  a  more  thinking,  and  a  more 
inquiring,  and  a  more  discriminating 
creature,  that  it  both  rectifies  and 
strengthens  the  mental  vision ;  we  are 
guilty  of  no  exaggeration,  if  we  contend 
for  this  as  universally  true ;  and  this,  if 
not  more  than  this,  is  asserted  in  the 
statement,  that  "  the  entrance  of  God's 
words  giveth  light,  it  giveth  understand- 
ing to  the  simple." 

But  we  are  now,  in  the  second  place, 
to  consider  certain  of  the  reasons  of  this 
fact.  What  is  there  in  the  entrance,  or, 
more  strictly,  in  the  opening,  of  God's 
words,  which  may  fairly  account  for  so 
singular  a  result  ]  We  begin  by  remind- 
ing you  that  the  entrance,  or  opening  of 
God's  word,  denotes  the  application  of 
scriptural  truth  to  the  heart  and  con- 
science by  that  Almighty  agent,  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Hence  a  saving,  influential,  be- 
lief in  the  disclosures  of  revelation  is  the 
distinguishing  property  of  the  individuals 
referred  to  in  our  text.  And  in  inquir- 
ing, therefore,  how  it  comes  to  pass  that 
understanding  is  given  to  the  simple,  we 
are  to  proceed  on  the  supposition  that  he 
is  endowed  with  real  faith  in  those  mighty 

Vol.  I 5 


truths  which  inspired  writers  were  com- 
missioned to  make  known.  Thus  the 
question  before  us  is  reduced  to  this — 
what  connexion  subsists  between  believ- 
ing in  the  heart  the  words  of  God,  and 
having  the  understanding  enlightened 
and  strengthened  1 

Now  our  great  difliculty  is  not  in  find- 
ing an  answer  to  this  question,  but  in 
arranging  and  condensing  our  material  of 
reply.  We  would,  first  of  all,  remind 
you  that  the  truths,  which  have  been 
commended  to  the  belief,  are  the  most 
sublime  and  spirit-stirring  of  all  that  can 
engage  the  attention  of  mankind.  They 
are  the  truths  of  eternity,  and  their 
dimensions  correspond  with  their  dura- 
tion. And  we  feel  that  there  must  be  an 
amazing  demand  upon  the  mind,  when, 
after  long  years  of  confinement  to  the 
petty  affairs  of  this  perishing  state,  it  is 
summoned  to  the  survey  of  those  un- 
measured wonders  which  crowd  the  plat- 
form of  the  future.  I  take  a  man  whose 
attention  has  been  engrossed  by  com- 
merce, and  whose  thoughts  have  been 
given  wholly  to  the  schemings  and  work- 
ings of  trade.  May  we  not  affirm  that, 
when  the  grace  of  God  takes  possession 
of  this  man's  soul,  there  wdll  occur  an 
extraordinary  mental  revolution,  and  that, 
too,  brought  round  by  the  magnificence 
of  the  subjects  with  which  his  spirit  has 
newly  grown  conversant  ]  In  place  of 
oceans  which  can  be  fathomed,  and  weigh- 
ed, and  measured,  there  is  an  expanse 
before  him  without  a  shore.  In  place  of 
carrying  on  intercourse  with  none  but  the 
beings  of  his  own  race,  separated  from 
him  by  a  few  leagues  of  distance,  he 
sends  his  vessels,  as  it  were,  to  lands 
tenanted  by  the  creatures  of  a  more  glo- 
rious intelligence,  and  they  return  to  him 
freighted  with  a  produce  costlier,  and 
brighter,  than  earthly  merchandise.  In 
place  of  acquaintance  with  no  ledger, 
save  the  one  in  which  he  casts  up  the 
debtorandcreditor  of  a  few  fellow-worms, 
there  arises  before  him  the  vast  volume 
of  doomsday,  and  his  gazings  are  often 
on  the  final  balance  sheet  of  the  human 
population.  And  we  simply  demand 
whether  you  think  it  possible,  that  there 
should  be  this  overpowering  accession  to 


34 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


the  objects  -which  occupy  the  mind,  and 
yet  that  the  mind  itself  should  not  ^ow, 
and  enlarge,  and  strengthen  ]  The  mind 
which  deals  with  both  worlds  cannot,  in 
the  nature  of  things,  be  so  contracted  as 
that  which  deals  only  with  one.  Can 
that  be  a  large  understanding  which  is 
conversant  with  nothing  but  the  scenery 
of  a  finite  existence  ;  or,  rather,  if  here- 
tofore the  understanding  have  grasped 
nothing  but  the  facts  of  an  hour  and  a 
league,  and  these  have  appeared  to  crowd 
it  to  the  full,  must  there  not  have  taken 
place  a  scarcely  measurable  enlargement 
if  eternity  and  infinity  now  be  gathered 
within  its  spreadings  ]  Besides,  there  will 
be  a  sounder  and  correcter  judgment  upon 
events  and  probabilities,  when  reference 
is  always  made  to  tile  first  cause,  than 
when  regard  is  had  only  to  second  causes. 
There  will  be  a  fairer  and  more  honest 
deliberation,  when  the  passions  are  under 
the  sway  of  divine  promises  and  threat- 
enings,  than  when  there  is  no  higher 
restraint  than  the  ill-defined  ones  of 
human  honour.  So  that  it  would  seem 
altogether  to  be  expected  that,  on  the 
mere  account  of  the  might  and  vastness 
of  the  truths,  into  acquaintance  with 
which  the  mind  is  introduced,  the  mind 
itself  will  send  forth  latent  and  unsus- 
pected powers,  or  even  shoot  up  into  a 
new  stature  which  shall  put  to  shame  its 
former  dwarfishness.  Thus  the  opening 
of  God's  words  is  accompanied,  or  fol- 
lowed, by  the  rousing  up  of  dormant 
energies.  The  sphere,  which  the  sand- 
grain  seemed  to  fill,  is  required  to  dilate, 
and  take  in  immensity.  The  arm  which 
plucked  a  leaf,  or  lifted  a  pebble,  must 
strive  to  wrench  up  the  oak,  and  raise  the 
mountain.  And  in  striving  it  strengthens. 
The  mind,  employed  on  what  is  great, 
becomes  itself  greater ;  busied  with  what 
is  bright,  it  becomes  itself  brighter.  Let 
the  man,  therefore,  have  been  even  of 
weak  mental  capacity — conversion  Avill 
give  something  of  nerve  and  tone  to  that 
capacity.  Besides,  it  is  a  thing  worthy 
your  remark,  and  so  obvious  as  scarcely 
to  be  overlooked,  that  all  love,  except  the 
love  of  God,  reduces  and  contracts  the 
eoul.  If  a  man  be  a  covetous  man,  fast- 
ening the  might  of  his  affections  upon 


money,  you  will  ordinarily  find  him,  in 
every  respect,  a  narrow-minded  being. 
His  intellect,  whatever  its  natural  capa- 
cities, will  embrace  little  or  nothing 
beyond  modes  of  accumulation,  and  will 
grow  practically  unable  to  overpass  the 
circles  of  profit  and  loss.  It  is  just  the 
same  if  a  man's  love  be  fixed  on  reputa- 
tion. We  hold  it  impossible  there  should 
be  enlarged  views,  when  those  views 
centre  in  one's  self.  There  may  be  lofty 
and  far-spreading  schemes  ;  for  ambition 
can  look  upon  a  world,  and  think  it  too 
small  for  its  marchings.  But  so  long 
as  those  schemes  are  schemes  for  the 
aggrandizement  of  self,  they  may  take  a 
creation  for  their  sphere,  and  yet  require 
to  be  described  as  pitiful  and  nigg-ardly. 
It  is  no  mark  of  an  ample  mind  that  it 
can  be  filled  with  an  unit.  And  many  a 
philanthropist,  labouring  quietly,  and 
unobtrusively,  for  the  well-being  of  a 
solitary  parish,  or  neighbourhood,  has 
thereby  proved  himself  a  larger  hearted, 
and  a  larger  souled,  creature  than  an  Alex- 
ander.boundless  in  his  graspings;  and  that, 
too,  upon  the  clear  and  straight-forward 
principle,  that  a  heart  which  holds  only 
one's-self,  is  a  narrower  and  more  circum- 
scribed thing  than  another  which  contains 
a  multitude  of  our  fellows.  The  truth  is 
that  all  objects  of  love,  except  God,  are 
smaller  than  the  heart  itself.  They  can 
only  fill  the  heart,  through  the  heart  being 
contracted  and  narrowed.  The  human 
soul  was  framed,  in  its  first  creation,  to 
that  wideness  as  to  be  capable  of  enjoy- 
ing God,  though  not  of  fully  comprehend- 
ing Him.  And  it  still  retains  so  much 
of  its  glorious  original,  that  "  all  other 
things  gather  it  in  and  straiten  it  from  its 
natural  size."  Whereas  the  love  of  God 
not  only  occupies  it  to  the  full,  but,  inas- 
much as  in  its  broadest  enlargement  it  is 
still  infinitely  too  narrow  for  God,  this 
love,  as  it  were,  doth  stretch  and  expand 
it,  enabling  it  to  hold  more,  and  giving 
it,  at  the  same  time,  more  to  hold.  Thus, 
since  the  converted  man  loves  God,  and 
this  new  object  of  love  demands  ampli- 
tude of  dwelling,  we  contend  that,  as  a 
consequence  on  conversion,  there  will  be 
extension  of  the  whole  mental  apparatus. 
And  if  you  find  the  man  hereafter,  as  wc 


Trie  POWER  OF  rl:ligion  on  the  human  intellect. 


35 


Tire  bold  to  say  j'ou  will  find  him,  exer- 
cising a  correcter  judgment,  and  display- 
ing a  shrewder  sense,  than  had  before 
time  seemed  in  his  possession,  you  have 
only  to  advance,  in  explanation  of  the 
phenomenon,  that  "  the  entrance  of  God's 
words  giveth  understanding  to  the  sim- 
ple." 

But  we  may  state  yet  more  strongly, 
and  also  multiply  our  reasons  why,  on 
becoming  religious,  the  simple  man  should 
become  more  a  man   of  understanding. 
Let  it  just  be  considered  that  man,  whilst 
left  in  his  state  of  natural  corruption,  is 
■a  being,  in  every  respect,  disorganized. 
Under  no  point  of  view  is  he  the  crea- 
ture that  he  was,  as  fashioned,  originally, 
after  the  image  of  his  Maker.     He  can 
no  longer  act  out  any  of  the  great  ends  of 
his  creation;  a  total  disability  of  loving 
and  obeying  the  Almighty  having  been 
fastened    on   him,    by   his    fore-father's 
apostasy.     And  when  this  degraded  and 
ruined  being  is  subjected  to  the  saving 
operations  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  he  is  said 
to  be  renewed,  or  remodelled,  after  the 
long  lost  resemblance.     The  conscience 
becomes  disquieted ;  and  this  is  convic- 
tion.    The   heart  and   its   affections  are 
given  back  to  God  ;  and  this  is  conversion. 
Now  we  do  not  say,  that,  by  this  great 
moral  renovation,  the  injuries  which  the 
fall   caused  to  the  human   intellect  are 
necessarily  repaired.     Nevertheless,  we 
shall  assert  that  the  moral  improvement 
15  just  calculated  to  bring  about  an  intel- 
lectual.    You  all  know  how  intimately 
mind  and  body  are  associated.     One  plays 
wonderfully  on  the  other,  so  that  disease 
of  body  may  often  be  traced  to  gloom  of 
mind,  and,  conversely,  gloom  of  mind  be 
proved  to  originate  in  disease  of  body. 
And  if  there  be  this  close  connexion  be- 
tween mental   and   corporeal,   shall   we 
suppose  there  is   none  between   mental 
and  moral  1     On  the  contrary,  it  is  clear 
that  the  association,  as  before  hinted,  is 
of  the  strictest.     What  an  influence  do 
the  passions  exercise  upon  the  judgment ! 
How  is  the  voice  of  reason  drowned  in 
the  cry  of  impetuous  desires  !     To  what 
absurdities  will  the  understanding  give 
assent,  when   the  will   has  resolved   to 
take  us  their  advocacy !     How  little  way 


can  truth  make  with  the  intellect,  when 
there  is  something  in  its  character  which 
opposes  the  inclination  !     And  what  do 
we   infer  from   these   undeniable  facts? 
Simply,  that  whilst  the  moral  functions 
are  disordered,  so  likewise  must  be  the 
mental.      Simply,   that  so   long  as   the 
heart    is    depraved    and    disturbed,    the 
mind,  in  a  certain  degree,  must  itself  be 
out  of  joint.     And  if  you  would  give  the 
mind   fair  play,  there   must  be   applied 
straightways,  a  corrective  process  to  the 
heart.     You  cannot  tell   what  a  man's 
understanding  is,  so  long  as  he  continues 
"  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins."     There 
is  a  mountain  upon  it.     It  is  tyrannized 
over  by  lusts  and  passions,  and  affections 
and  appetites.     It  is  compelled  to  form 
wrong  estimates,  and  to  arrive  at  w-rong 
conclusions.     It  is  not  allowed  to  receive 
as  truth  what  the  carnal  nature  has  an 
interest  in  rejecting  as  falsehood.     And 
what  hope,  then,  is  there  that  the  intellect 
will  show  itself  what  it  actually  is  1     It 
may   be   gigantic,   when   it  seems  only 
puny ;  respectable,   when  it   passes   for 
despicable.     And  thus  we  bring  you  back 
again   to   the  argument  in   hand.      We 
prove  to  you  that  a  weak  mind  may  be 
so  connected  with  a  wicked  heart,  that  to 
act  on  the  wickedness  would  be  going 
far  towards  acting  on  the  weakness.     Oh, 
fatal  downfall  of  man's  first  parent — the 
image  could  not  be  shivered  in  its  moral 
features,  and  remain  untouched  in  its  in- 
tellectual.     Well  has  it  been  said  that 
possibly  "Athens  was  but  the  rudiments 
of  Paradise,  and  an  Aristotle  only  the  rub- 
bish of  Adam."     But  if  there  be  a  moral 
renovation,  there  will,  from  the  connexion 
now  traced,  be  also,  to  a  certain  extent, 
an  intellectual.     And  hence,  since  at  the 
entrance  of  God's  words  the  man  is  re- 
newed in  holiness,  we  have  a  right  to 
expect  that  he  will  also  be  renewed  in 
understanding.     If  additional  mental  ca- 
pacity be  not  given,  what  he  before  pos- 
sessed is  allowed  to  develope  itself;  and 
this   is  practically  the  same   as   though 
there  were  a  fresh  gift.     If  he  receive  not 
actually  a  greater  measure  of  understand- 
ing, still,  inasmuch  as  the  stern  embargo 
which  the  heart  laid  on  the  intellect  is 
mercifully    removed,    he    is,    virtually, 


36 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


under  the  same  circumstances  as  if  a  new 
portion  were  bestowed.  Thus,  with  all 
the  precision  which  can  fairly  be  required 
in  the  interpretation  of  such  a  phrase, 
we  prove  that,  since  man  is  elevated  in 
the  scale  of  intelligence  through  being 
raised  from  his  moral  degradation,  we 
are  bound  to  conclude  with  the  Psalmist, 
that  "the  entrance  of  God's  words  giv- 
eth  light,  it  giveth  understanding  to  the 
simple." 

We  have  yet  one  more  reason  to  ad- 
vance, explanatory  of  the  connexion 
which  we  set  ourselves  to  trace.  You 
observe  that  the  entrance,  or  the  opening, 
of  God's  words  denotes  such  an  applica- 
tion to  the  soul  of  the  truths  of  revelation 
that  they  become  influential  on  the  life 
and  conversation.  Now,  why  should  a 
man  who  lives  by  the  Bible  be,  practi- 
cally, possessed  of  a  stronger  and  clearer 
understanding  than,  apparently,  belonged 
to  him  ere  this  rule  was  adopted  ■?  The 
answer  may  be  found  in  the  facts,  that  it 
is  a  believer's  duty,  whensoever  he  lacks 
wisdom,  to  ask  it  of  God,  and  a  be- 
liever's privilege  never  to  be  sent  empty 
away.  In  all  those  cases  which  require 
the  exercise  of  a  sound  discretion,  which 
present  opposite  difficulties,  rendering 
decision  on  a  course  painfully  perplexing, 
who  is  likely  to  display  the  soundest 
judgment]  the  man  who  acts  for  him- 
self, or  another  who  seeks,  and  obtains, 
direction  from  above  1  We  plead  not  for 
rash  and  unfounded  expectations  of  a 
divine  interference  on  our  behalf.  We 
simply  hold  fast  to  the  promises  of  Scrip- 
ture. And  we  pronounce  it  to  be  beyond 
all  peradventure,  that,  if  the  Bible  be 
true,  it  is  also  trae  that  they  who  have 
been  translated  from  darkness  to  light  are 
never  left  without  the  aids  of  God's 
Spirit,  unless  they  seek  not  those  aids, 
or  seek  them  not  earnestly  and  faith- 
fully. If  I  have  known  the  entrance,  or 
the  opening,  of  the  word  of  our  God,  then 
I  have  practically  learned  such  lessons 
as  these  :  "  lean  not  to  thine  own  under- 
standing ;"  "  in  all  thy  ways  acknowledge 
him,  and  he  shall  direct  thy  paths." 
And  if  I  am  not  to  lean  to  mine  own  un- 
derstanding, and  if  I  have  the  privilege 
of  being  directed  by  a  higher  than  mine 


own,  it  is  evident  that  I  occupy,  practi- 
cally, the  position  of  one  to  whom  has 
been  given  an  increased  measure  of  under- 
standing ;  and  what,  consequently,  is  to 
prevent  the  simple  man,  whose  rule  of 
life  is  God's  word,  from  acting  in  all 
circumstances,  whether  ordinary  or  ex- 
traordinary, with  such  prudence,  and 
discretion,  and  judgment,  that  he  shall 
make  good,  to  the  very  letter,  the  asser- 
tion, that  "  the  entrance  of  God's  words 
giveth  light,  it  giveth  understanding  to 
the  simple?" 

Now  it  is  not  possible  to  gather  into  a 
single  discourse  the  varied  reasons  which 
might  be  given  for  the  fact  under  review. 
But  the  causes  already  adduced  will 
serve,  at  least,  to  show  that  the  fact  is  by 
no  means  unaccountable  ;  but  that,  on  the 
contrary,  the  connexion  is  so  necessary 
between  spiritual  improvement  and  intel- 
lectual, that  amongst  the  accompaniments 
of  a  renewed  heart  we  may  justly  reckon 
a  clearer  head. 

We  desire,  in  conclusion,  to  press  upon 
you  once  more  the  worth  of  the  Bible, 
and  then  to  wind  up  our  subject  with  a 
word  of  exhortation. 

Of  all  the  boons  which  God  has  be- 
stowed on  this  apostate  and  orphaned 
creation,  we  are  bound  to  say  that  the 
Bible  is  the  noblest  and  most  precious. 
We  bring  not  into  comparison  with  this 
illustrious  donation  the  glorious  sun- 
light, nor  the  rich  sustenance  which  is 
poured  forth  from  the  storehouses  of  the 
earth,  nor  that  existence  itself  which 
allows  us,  though  dust,  to  soar  into  com- 
panionship with  angels.  The  Bible  is 
the  developement  of  man's  immortality, 
the  guide  which  informs  him  how  he 
may  move  oflF  triumphantly  from  a  con- 
tracted and  temporary  scene,  and  grasp 
destinies  of  unbounded  splendour,  eter- 
nity his  lifetime  and  infinity  his  home. 
It  is  the  record  which  tells  us  that  this 
rebellious  section  of  God's  unlimited 
empire  is  not  excluded  from  our  Maker's 
compassions  ;  but  that  the  creatures  who 
move  upon  its  surface,  though  they  have 
basely  sepulchred  in  sinfulness  and  cor- 
ruption the  magnificence  of  their  nature, 
are  yet  so  dear  in  their  ruin  to  Him  who 
first  formed  them,  that  he  hath  bowed 


THE  POWER  OF  RELIGION  ON  THE  HUMAN  INTELLECT. 


37 


down  the  heavens  in  order  to  open  their  ' 
graves.  Oh !  j'ou  have  only  to  think 
what  a  change  would  pass  on  the  aspect  of 
our  race,  if  the  Bible  were  suddenly  with- 
drawn, and  all  remembrance  of  it  swept 
away,  and  you  arrive  at  some  faint  notion 
of  the  worth  of  the  volume.  Take  from 
Christendom  the  Bible,  and  you  have 
taken  the  moral  chart  by  which  alone  its 
population  can  be  guided.  Ignorant  of 
the  nature  of  God,  and  only  guessing  at 
their  own  immortality,  the  tens  of  thou- 
sands would  be  as  mariners,  tossed  on 
a  wide  ocean,  without  a  pole-star,  and 
without  a  compass.  The  blue  lights  of 
the  storm-fiend  would  burn  ever  in  the 
shrouds  ;  and  when  the  tornado  of  death 
rushed  across  the  waters,  there  would  be 
heard  nothing  but  the  shriek  of  the  terri- 
fied, and  the  groan  of  the  despairing.  It 
were  to  mantle  the  earth  with  a  more  than 
Egyptian  darkness  ;  it  were  to  dry  up  the 
fountains  of  human  happiness ;  it  were  to 
take  the  tides  from  our  waters,  and  leave 
them  stagnant,  and  the  stars  from  our 
heavens,  and  leave  them  in  sackcloth, 
and  the  verdure  from  our  valleys,  and 
leave  them  in  barrenness  ;  it  were  to  make 
the  present  all  recklessness,  and  the 
future  all  hopelessness,  the  maniac's 
revelry  and  then  the  fiend's  imprison- 
ment, if  you  could  annihilate  that  precious 
volume  which  tells  us  of  God  and  of 
Christ,  and  unveils  immortality,  and  in- 
structs in  duty,  and  woos  to  glory.  Such 
is  the  Bible.  Prize  ye  it,  and  study  it 
more  and  more.  Prize  it,  as  ye  are  im- 
mortal beings — for  it  guides  to  the  new 
Jerusalem.  Prize  it,  as  ye  are  intellect- 
ual beings — for  it  "  giveth  understanding 
to  the  simple." 

We  have  now  only  space  for  a  brief 
Avord  of  exhortation,  and  we  ask  for  it 
your  closest  attention.  A  minister,  if  he 
would  be  faithful  to  his  calling,  must 
mark  the  signs  of  the  times,  and  endea- 
vour so  to  shape  his  addresses  that  they 
may  meet,  and  expose  the  prominent 
errors.  Now  we  think  that,  in  our  own 
day,  there  is  a  strong  disposition  to  put 
aside  the  Bible,  and  to  seek  out  other 
agency  in  accomplishing  results  which 
God   hath  appointed   it  to    effect.     We 


fear,  for  example,  that  the  intellectual 
benefits  of  scriptural  knowledge  are  well- 
nigh  entirely  overlooked  ;  and  that,  in  the 
efforts  to  raise  the  standard  of  mind,  there 
is  little  or  no  recognition  of  the  mighty 
principle  that  the  Bible  outweighs  ten 
thousand  Encyclopaedias.  And  we  are 
fearful  on  your  account,  lest  something 
of  this  national  substitution  of  human 
literature  for  divine  should  gain  footing 
in  your  households.  We  fear  lest,  in  the 
business  of  education,  you  should  sepa- 
rate broadly  that  teaching  which  has  to 
do  with  the  salvation  of  the  soul  from 
that  which  has  to  do  with  the  improve- 
ment of  the  mind.  We  refer  to  this  point, 
because  we  think  ourselves  bound,  by 
the  vows  of  our  calling,  to  take  every 
opportunity  of  stating  the  duties  which 
devolve  on  you  as  parents  or  guardians. 
There  is  a  sense  in  which  it  may  be 
affirmed  that  souls,  those  mysterious  and 
imperishable  things,  are  given  into  the 
custody  of  every  father  of  a  family.  And 
we  are  persuaded  that  if  there  be  one 
thing  on  this  earth  which,  more  than 
another,  draws  the  sorrowing  regards  of 
the  world  of  spirits,  it  must  be  the  system 
of  education  pursued  by  the  generality 
of  parents.  The  entering  a  room  grace- 
fully is  a  vast  deal  more  attended  to  than 
the  entering  into  heaven ;  and  you  would 
conclude  that  the  grand  thing  for  which 
God  had  sent  the  child  into  the  world 
was  that  it  might  catch  the  Italian  acfi^nt, 
and  be  quite  at  home  in  every  note  of  the 
gamut.  Christianity,  indeed,  is  not  at 
variance  with  the  elegancies  of  life  :  she 
can  use  them  as  her  handmaids,  and  give 
them  a  beauty  of  which,  out  of  her  ser- 
vice, they  are  utterly  destitute.  We 
wage  no  war,  therefore,  with  accomplish- 
ments, any  more  than  with  the  solid 
acquirements  of  a  liberal  education.  We 
are  only  anxious  to  press  on  you  the  ne- 
cessity that  ye  make  religion  the  basis 
of  your  system.  We  admit,  in  all  its 
breadth,  the  truth  of  the  saying,  that 
knowledge  is  power.  It  is  power — ay, 
a  fatal  power,  and  a  perilous.  Neither 
the  might  of  armies,  nor  the  scheming 
of  politicians,  avails  any  thing  against 
this  power.  The  schoolmaster,  as  we 
D 


38 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


have  already  hinted,  is  the  grand  engine 
for  revolutionizing  a  world.  Let  know- 
ledge be  generally  diffused,  and  the  fear 
of  God  be  kept  in  the  back  ground,  and 
you  have  done  the  same  for  a  country  as 
if  you  had  laid  the  gunpowder  under  its 
very  institution ;  there  needs  only  the 
igniting  of  a  match,  and  the  land  shall  be 
strewed  with  the  fragments  of  all  that  is 
glorious  and  venerable.  But,  neverthe- 
less, we  would  not  have  knowledge 
chained  up  in  the  college  and  monastery, 
because  its  arm  is  endowed  with  such 
sinew  and  nerve.  We  would  not  put  forth 
a  finger  to  uphold  a  system  which  we  be- 
lieved based  on  the  ignorance  of  a  popu- 
lation. We  only  desire  to  see  knowledge 
of  God  advance  as  the  vanguard  of  the 
host  of  information.  We  are  sure  that 
an  intellectual  must  be  a  mighty  pea- 
santry. But  we  are  equally  sure  that  an 
intellectual,  and  a  godless,  will  demon- 
strate their  might,  by  the  ease  with  which 
they  crush  whatever  most  adorns  and 
elevates  a  kingdom.  And  in  speaking  to 
you  individually  of  your  duties  as  parents, 
we  would  bring  into  the  family  circle  the 
principles  thus  announced  as  applicable 
to  the  national.  We  want  not  to  set 
bounds  to  the  amount  of  knowledge 
which  you  strive  to  impart.  But  never 
let  this  remembrance  be  swept  from  your 
minds,  that,  to  give  a  child  knowledge 
without  endeavouring,  at  the  same  time, 
to  a^d  to  knowledge  godliness,  is  to  do 
yourbest  to  throw  the  momentum  of  the 
giant  into  the  arm  of  the  idiot ;  to  con- 
struct a  machinery  which  may  help  to 
move  a  world,  and  to  leave  out  the  spring 
which  would  insure  its  moving  it  only 
towards  God.  We  would  have  you  shun, 
even  as  you  would  the  tampering  with 
an  immortality  deposited  in  your  keeping, 
the  imitating  what  goes  on  in  a  thousand 
of  the  households  of  a  professedly  Chris- 
tian neighbourhood, — the  children  can  pro- 
nounce well,  and  they  can  step  well,  and 
they  can  play  well ;  the  mother  proudly 
exhibits  the  specimens  of  proficiency  in 
painting,  and  the  father  dwells,  with  an 
air  of  delight,  on  the  progress  made  in 
Virgil  and  Homer — but  if  you  inquire 
how  far  these  parents  are  providing  for 


[  their  own  in  the  things  of  eternity,  why, 
the  children  have  perhaps  learned  the 
Church  Catechism,  and  they  read  a  chap- 
I  ter  occasionally  on  a  Sunday  afternoon 
And  that  ye  may  avoid  the  mistake  into 
j  which,  as  we  think,  the  temper  of  the 
j  times  is  but  too  likely  to  lead  you,  we 
I  would  have  you  learn,  from  the  subject 
which  has  now  been  discussed,  that,  in 
educating  your  children  for  the  next  life, 
you  best  educate  them  for  the  present. 
W^e  give  it  you,  as  a  truth,  made  known 
to  us  by  God,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
demonstrable  by  reason,  that,  in  going 
through  the  courses  of  Bible  instruction, 
there  is  better  mental  discipline,  whether 
for  a  child  or  an  adult,  than  in  any  of  the 
cleverly  devised  methods  for  opening  and 
strengthening  the  faculties.  We  say  not 
that  the  study  of  Scripture  should  exclude 
other  studies,  or  be  substituted  for  them.' 
Natural  philosophy  is  not  to  be  learned 
from  Scripture,  nor  general  history  ;  and 
we  would  not  have  such  matters  neglect- 
ed. But  we  say  that  scriptural  study 
should  be,  at  once,  the  groundwork  and 
companion  of  every  other ;  and  that  the 
mind  will  advance,  with  the  firmest  and 
most  dominant  step,  into  the  various 
departments  of  knowledge,  when  familiar- 
ized with  the  truths  of  revelation,  and  ac- 
customed to  walk  their  unlimited  spread- 
ings.  If  parents  had  no  higher  ambition 
than  to  make  their  children  intellectual, 
they  would  act  most  shrewdly  by  acting 
as  though  desirous  to  make  their  children 
religious.  It  is  thus  we  appl)'  our  sub- 
ject to  those  amongst  you  who  are  parents 
or  guardians.  But  it  applies  to  all.  We 
call  upon  you  all  to  observe  that,  in  place 
of  being  beneath  the  notice  of  the  intel- 
lectual, the  Bible  is  the  great  nourisher 
of  intellect.  We  require  of  you  to  bear 
away  to  your  homes,  as  an  undeniable 
fact,  that  to  care  for  the  soul  is  to  culti- 
vate the  mind.  We  will  not  yield  the 
culture  of  the  understanding  to  earthly 
husbandmen.  There  are  heavenly  minis- 
•  ters  who  water  it  with  a  choicer  dew, 
and  pour  on  it  the  beams  of  a  more  bril- 
liant sun,  and  prune  its  branches  with  a 
kinder  and  more  skilful  hand.  We  will 
not  give  up  reason  to  stand  always  as  a 


THE  POWER  OF  RELIGION  OF  THE  HUIVTAN  INTELLECT 


39 


priestess  at  the  altars  of  human  philoso- 
phy. She  halh  a  more  majestic  temple 
to  tread,  and  more  beauteous  robes  where- 
in to  walk,  and  incense  rarer  and  more 
fragrant  to  burn  in  g-olden  censers.  She 
does  well  when  exploring-  boldl)"^  God's 
visible  works.  She  does  better,  when 
she  meekly  submits  to  spiritual  teaching, 
and  sits,  as  a  child,  at  the  Saviour's  feet; 
for  then  shall  she  experience  tlie  truth, 
that  "  the  entrance  of  God's  words  giveth 
light  and  understanding."  And,  there- 
fore, be  ye  heedful — the  young  amongst 
you  more  especially — that  ye  be  not 
ashamed  of  piety  as  though  it  argued  a 
feeble  capacity.  Rather  be  assured,  for- 
asmuch as  revelation  is  the  great  strength- 
ener  of  reason,  that  the  march  of  mind 
which  leaves  the  Bible  in  the  rear,  is  an 
advance,  like  that  of  our  first  parents  in 
Paradise,  towards  knowledge,  but,  at  the 
same  time,  towards  death. 

ROUSSEAU    AND    LORD    BYRON. 
BY    DR.   CHALMERS. 

Thus  far  have  we  explained  the  doc- 
trine of  original  sin ;  a  doctrine  which 
affirms  that  there  is  an  original  proneness 
to  sin  in  all  men,  in  virtue  of  which  it  is 
that  all  men  are  sinners.  This  principle 
is  feebly  felt,  and  therefore  feebly  recog- 
nised by  many  eloquent  expounders  ;  who 
would  tolerate  impiety,  if  there  were  force 
enough  in  their  own  powerful  and  pathe- 
tic appeals,  to  school  away  selfishness, 
and  cruelty,  and  fraud ;  and  who  under- 
take to  tutor  the  species,  apart  from  what 
they  nauseate  as  Methodism.  We  have 
seen  how  bitterly  they  have  been  disap- 
pointed ;  and  how  they  have  poured  out 
this  disappointment  on  their  disciples. 
Rousseau  was  one  of  these  writers.  He 
may  be  said  to  have  abjured  Christianity ; 
but  from  the  bower  of  sensibility  and  ro- 
mance, he  sent  forth  those  appeals,  which 
were  to  recall  a  wandering  race  to  primi- 
tive innocence.  He  plied  all  Europe 
with  the  spells  of  a  most  passionate  and 
fascinating  eloquence ;  and  there  were  not 


wanting  those  who  worshipped  him  as 
an  idol  while  he  lived ;  and  after  his 
death  made  a  pilgrimage  to  his  tomb. 
They  thought  he  had  sown  the  seeds  ot 
a  great  moral  revolution ;  but  even  Rous- 
seau himself  lived  long  enough  to  mourn 
over  the  failure  of  his  own  schemes ;  and 
in  his  retirement  was  he  heard  to  curse 
the  humanity  he  had  so  idolized.  It  is 
striking  to  remark  how,  ere  he  closed  his 
career,  he  became  sick  of  a  world  he  had 
vainly  attempted  to  reform ;  and  renounc- 
ing the  brotherhood  of  his  species,  loudly 
proclaimed  that  the  race  was  incurably 
tainted  with  disease  ! 

What  Rousseau  was  in  prose.  Lord 
Byron  was  in  poetrJ^  Not  that  he  at- 
tempted to  reform  a  world,  of  which  he 
seldom  speaks  but  in  the  deep  derision 
of  a  heart  which  despaired  of  it ; — not  on 
account  of  its  ungodliness ;  for  it  is  not 
that  which  calls  forth  the  bitterness  of 
his  adjurations.  But  he  saw  that  "the 
whole  head  was  sick,  and  the  whole 
heart  faint;"  that  the  deadly  virus  had 
totally  pervaded  it ;  and  he  gave  back  to 
the  world,  from  his  own  breast,  a  reflected 
image  of  the  guilt  which  troubled  and 
deformed  it.  W^e  should  have  liked  to 
seen  him  led  to  the  source  of  this  moral 
disease ;  for  though  hid  under  a  veil  of 
apparent  mysticism,  it  would  seem  as 
if,  in  his  wild  and  frenzied  career,  his 
imagination  caught  a  glimpse  of  that, 
which  he  never  thoroughly  understood. 

"Our  life  is  a  false  nature  ;  'tis  not  in 

The  harmony  of  things  ;  this  hard  decree, 
This  uneradicable  taint  of  sin, 

This  boundless  upas,  this  all-blasting  tree 
Whose   root   is  earth ;   whose    leaves    and 
branches  be 
The  skies,  which  rain  their  plagues  on  men 
like  dew  ; — 
Disease,  death,  bondage ;  all  the  woes  we 
see. 
And  worse,  the  woes  we  see  not ;  which  thril 

through 
Th'  immedicable  soul,  with  heart-aches  eve 
new." 

CHILDE   HAROLD. 


SERMON  III. 

IMMORTALITY  OF  THE  SOUL. 
BY  THE    REV.  T.  CHALMERS,  D.D. 


"He  hath  abolished  death,  and  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the  gospel." 

—2  Tim.  i.  10. 


The  men  of  this  earth  carry  on  their 
designs  and  their  doings  just  as  if  on  earth 
they  were  to  live  for  ever.     Each  is  so 
intent  upon  his  own  earthly  objects  ;  every 
heart  is  so  occupied  with  its  own  earthly 
schemes  ;  every  countenance  speaks  such 
deep  and  over  anxiety  after  some  favourite 
yet  earthly  ambition  ;  each  individual  is 
so    decidedly   embarked,    with    all    his 
powers  of  attention  and  perseverance,  in 
some  earthly  undertaking,  that  surely  one 
would  think  that  can  be  naught  of  a  tri- 
fling or   temporary  nature  which  either 
creates   or   keeps   up   so   mighty   a   stir 
among  our  species.     And  yet  it  is  not  the 
less  true  that  all  the  busy  activities  of  all 
these  people  have  their  upshot  in  forget- 
ful ness.     It  is  not  the  greatness  or  the 
\  durability  of  the  object  which  has  called 
forth  the  effort  and  the  strenuousness  of 
men ;  it  is  the  folly  of  men  that  uges  them 
to  the  pursuit  of  paltry  and  evanescent 
objects — a    folly   which    overlooks    the 
arithmetic  of  our  little   years,  and   has 
invested  them  with  the  characters  of  eter- 
nitj' — a  folly  which  all  the  demonstrations 
of  experience  have  been  unable  to  rectif)% 
and  which,  after   the   mighty  sweep  of 
countless  generations  from  the  face  of  our 
world,  reigns  with    unquelled    strength 
over  the  human  heart,  and  finds  the  men 
of  the  present  day  as  unwise  and  as  infa- 
tuated  as   ever.      Death   is  a  theme  of 
mighty  import,  and  every  variety  of  elo- 
quence has  been  exhausted  on  the  magni- 
tude of  its  desolations.      There  is  not  a 
place  where  human  beings  congregate  to- 
40 


gether  that  does  not,  in  the  fleeting  his- 
tory of  its  inmates,  give  the  lesson  of 
their  mortality.  Is  it  a  house  1  Death 
enters  unceremoniously  there,  and,  with 
rude  hand,  tears  asunder  the  dearest  of 
our  sympathies.  Is  it  a  town?  Every 
year  death  breaks  up  its  families,  and  the 
society  of  our  early  days  is  fast  melting 
away  from  us.  Is  it  a  market  place  ? 
Though  at  the  end  of  twenty  years  I  see 
a  crowd  as  busy  and  as  numerous  as  be- 
fore, these  are  new  faces  which  meet  me, 
and  new  names  which  fall  upon  the  ear. 
Is  it  a  church?  The  aspect  of  t!ie  con- 
gregation is  changing  perpetually  ;  and  in 
a  little  time  another  people  will  enter 
these  walls,  and  another  minister  will 
speak  to  them.  Is  it  the  country  at 
large  1  On  every  side  we  see  a  shifting 
population ;  another  set  of  occupiers  to 
the  farms  ;  and  other  names  are  annexed 
to  the  properties. 

But  this  is  viewing  the  subject  at  a 
distance.  Every  assemblage  of  objects 
is  composed  of  individuals.  And  think 
of  the  numbers  that  must  have  suffered  to 
accomplish  the  change  which  I  have  now 
set  before  you.  Think  that  each  of  these 
individuals  carried  in  his  bosom  a  living 
principle,  and  that  principle  is  now  to  all 
appearance  extinguished — that  each  felt 
as  warmly  and  as  alive  to  the  world  as 
perhaps  any  who  now  hears  me,  and  that 
this  world  the  stern  necessity  of  death 
forced  them  to  abandon  for  ever — that 
each  was  as  feelingly  open  to  pain  and 
fear,  and  that  the  forebodings,  and  the 


IMMORTALITY  OF  THE  SOUL. 


41 


y^ 


reluctance,  and  the  agonies  of  death 
came  upon  all  of  them — that  each  had 
hopes,  and  plans,  and  wishes  to  accom- 
plish, but  that  death  forced  them  away, 
and  they  are  all  buried  in  forgetfulness 
along  with  them.  "  All  is  vanity,  saith 
the  preacher;"  and  it  is  death  which 
stamps  this  character  on  the  affairs  of  the 
world — it  throws  a  mockery  upon  all  that 
is  human — it  frustrates  the  wisest  plans, 
and  absolutely  converts  them  into  noth- 
ingness. All  the  ecstasies  of  pleasure,  all 
the  splendours  of  fame,  all  the  triumphs 
of  ambition,  all  the  joys  of  domestic  ten- 
derness, all  that  the  eye  can  look  upon,  or 
the  heart  aspire  after,  iMs,  this  is  their 
affecting  termination — death  absorbs  all, 
it  annihilates  all.  Our  fathers  who  strut- 
ted their  little  hour  on  this  very  theatre, 
were  as  active  and  noisy  as  we — the  loud 
laugh  of  festivity  was  heard  in  their 
dwellings ;  and  in  the  busy  occupations 
of  their  callings,  they  had  their  days  of 
labour  and  their  nights  of  painful  anxiety  ; 
the  world  carried  on  it  the  same  face  of 
activity  as  now — and  where  are  the  men 
who  kept  it  up  in  their  successive  gene- 
rations %  They  are  where  we  shall  soon 
follow  them  ;  they  have  gone  to  sleep — 
but  it  is  the  sleep  of  death — their  bed  is  a 
coffin  in  which  they  are  mouldering — the 
garment  which  they  have  thrown  aside  is 
their  body,  which  served  them  through 
life,  but  is  now  lying  in  loose  and  scat- 
tered fragments  in  the  little  earth  that  they 
claim. 

And  it  does  aggravate  our  hopelessness 
of  escape  from  death,  when  we  look  to 
the  wide  extent  and  universality  of  its 
ravages.  We  see  no  exception — it  scat- 
ters its  desolations  with  unsparing  regu- 
larity among  all  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  Adam.  It  perhaps  adds  to  our  despair 
when  we  see  it  extending  to  the  lower 
animals,  or  behold  the  lovely  forms  of  the 
vegetable  creation  dissolving  into  no- 
thing. It  carries  to  our  observation  all  the 
immutability  of  a  general  law ;  we  can 
look  for  no  mitigation  of  the  incorrigible 
distemper ;  we  cannot  reverse  the  process 
of  nature,  nor  bid  her  mighty  elements  to 
retire.  Is  there  no  power,  then,  superior 
to  nature,  and  which  can  control  if?  To 
us  a  law  of  the  universe  carries  the  idea 

Vol.  I.— 6 


of  some  fixed  and  unalterable  necessity 
along  with  it,  and  of  none  more  strict, 
more  unfailing,  and  more  widely  exten- 
sive in  its  operation  than  the  law  of  death. 
In  the  wide  circuit  of  things  does  there 
exist  no  high  authority  that  can  abolish 
this  law  ■? — no  power  that  can  overthrow 
death,  that  can  grapple  with  this  mighty 
conqueror  and  break  his  tyranny  to  pieces  % 
We  never  saw  that  being,  but  the  records 
of  past  ages  have  come  down  to  us,  and 
we  there  read  of  the  extraordinary  visiter 
who  lighted  on  these  realms  where  death 
had  reigned  so  long  in  all  the  triumphs 
of  extended  empire.  Wonderful  enter- 
prise !  He  came  to  destroy  death.  Vast 
undertaking  !  He  came  to  depose  nature 
from  this  conceived  immutability ;  and  a 
law  which  embraced  within  its  wide 
grasp  all  who  live  and  move  on  the  face 
of  the  world,  he  came  to  overturn ;  and 
he  soon  gave  token  of  a  power  commen- 
surate to  the  mighty  undertaking.  That 
nature,  to  whose  operations  we  are  so  apt 
to  ascribe  some  stubborn  and  invincible 
necessity,  gave  way  at  his  coming;  she 
felt  his  authority  through  all  her  ele- 
ments, and  she  obeyed  it.  Wonderful 
period  ! — when  the  constancy  of  nature 
was  broken  in  upon  by  him  who  esta- 
blished it — when  the  Deity  vindicated  his 
honour,  and  the  miracles  of  a  single  age, 
committed  to  authentic  history,  gave  evi- 
dence to  all  futurity  that  there  is  a  power 
above  nature  and  beyond  it.  What  more 
unchanging  than  the  aspect  of  the  starry 
heavens — and  in  what  quarter  of  her  do- 
minions does  nature  maintain  a  more  silent 
and  solemn  inflexibility,  than  in  the  orbs 
which  roll  around  us  ?  Yet,  at  the  com- 
ing of  that  mighty  Saviour,  these  heavens 
broke  silence — music  was  heard  from 
their  canopy,  and  it  came  from  a  congre- 
gation of  living  voices,  which  sung  the 
praises  of  God,  and  made  them  fall  in 
articulate  language  on  human  ears.  After 
this,  who  can  call  nature  unalterable? 
Jesus  Christ  hath  abolished  death,  he  has 
made  perpetual  invasion  upon  nature's 
constancy,  and  she  never  in  a  single  in- 
stance resisted  the  word  of  his  power. 
"  What  manner  of  man  is  this  V  said  his 
disciples,  "even  the  winds  and  the  sea 
obey  him  !"  Philosophers  love  to  expa- 
d2 


V 


42 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


tiate,  and  they  tell  us  of  the  laws  of  the 
animal  and  the  vegetable  kingdom.  These 
laws  may  prove  an  impassable  barrier  to 
us,  but  in  the  hand  of  the  omnipotent 
Saviour  they  were  nothing — he  reversed 
or  supported  them  at  pleasure  ;  he  blasted 
the  fig  tree  by  a  single  word  ;  and  what 
to  us  was  the  basis  of  high  anticipation, 
he  made  man  the  subject  of  his  miracles. 
He  restored  sight  to  the  blind,  he  restored 
speech  to  the  dumb,  he  restored  motion 
to  the  palsied,  and  to  crown  his  triumph 
over  nature  and  her  processes,  he  restored 
life  to  the  dead, — he  laid  down  his  own 
life,  and  took  it  up  again.  The  disciples 
gave  up  all  for  lost  when  they  saw  the 
champion  of  their  hopes  made  the  victim 
of  the  very  mortality  which  he  promised 
to  destroy.  It  was  like  the  contest  and 
victory  of  nature — but  it  was  only  to  make 
his  triumph  the  more  complete.  He 
entered — 

"  That  undiscover'd  country  from  whose  bourn 
No  traveller  e'er  returns" 

But  he  did.  He  brolie  asunder  the 
mighty  barriers  of  the  grave  ;  he  entered 
and  he  reanimated  that  body  which  ex- 
pired on  the  cross,  and  by  that  most  strik- 
ing of  all  testimonies  he  has  given  us  to 
know  that  he  hath  fought  against  the  law 
of  death,  and  hath  carried  it. 

But  man  not  only  wants  power  to 
achieve  his  own  immortality,  he  also 
wants  light  to  discover  it.  That  such, 
in  spite  of  every  appalling  exhibition  to 
the  contrary,  is  really  to  be  the  ultimate 
state  of  man,  is  not  brought  to  light  by 
reason.  The  text  indeed  says  as  much, 
in  saying  that  "  it  is  brought  to  light  by 
the  gospel."  It  represents  the  great  truth 
as  groped  by  nature,  and  only  made  clear 
by  revelation  ;  it  seems  to  cast  discredit 
on  all  the  arguments  of  science,  in  behalf 
of  a  future  state ;  and  just  for  want  of  a 
sufficient  basis  in  the  evidence  of  philoso- 
phy, on  which  to  rear  this  noble  antici- 
pation, it  would  rest  and  establish  it 
wholly  on  the  evidence  of  faith. 

In  the  further  prosecution  of  this  dis- 
course, let  me 

I.  Advert  to  what  may  he  called  the  phy- 
sical state ;  and 

II.  To  the  moral  state  of  the  mind ;  and 


under  this  head  let  me  endeavour  to  contrast 
the  insufficiency  of  the  light  of  nature  ivith 
the  sufficiency  and  fulness  of  the  light  of  the 
gospel. 

First,  Then,  in  regard  to  the  physical 
state  of  the  mind.  An  argument  for  its 
immortality  has  been  drawn  from  the  con- 
sideration of  what  we  should  term  the 
physics  of  the  mind,  i.  e.  from  the  consi- 
deration of  its  properties  when  it  is  re- 
garded as  having  a  separate  or  substan- 
tive being  of  its  own.  For  example — it 
has  been  said  the  spirit  is  not  matter,  and 
therefore  must  be  imperishable.  We  con- 
fess that  we  see  not  the  force  of  this  rea- 
soning. We  are  not  sure  of  the  premises, 
and  neither  do  we  apprehend  how  the 
conclusion  flows  from  them.  We  think 
ourselves  familiar  with  the  subtleties  and 
scholastics  that  have  been  uttered  upon 
this  subject — they  are  to  us  far  from  satis- 
factory ;  nor  are  we  persuaded  of  it  by  evi- 
dence on  which  we  rest  our  belief  in  any 
coming  event,  or  coming  state,  of  the 
futurity  that  lies  before  us.  We  cannot 
have  the  force  of  practical  evidence  on 
those  abstract  and  metaphysical  generali- 
ties which  are  employed  to  demonstrate 
the  endurance,  or  rather  the  indestructi- 
bleness,  of  the  thinking  principle,  so  as 
to  be  persuaded  that  it  shall  indeed  sur- 
vive the  dissolution  of  the  body,  and  sliall 
separately  maintain  its  consciousness  and 
powers  on  the  other  side  of  the  grave. 
Now,  in  the  recorded  fact  of  our  Sa- 
viour's resurrection,  we  see  what  we 
might  call  a  more  popular,  as  well  as  a 
more  substantial  and  convincing  argu- 
ment, for  the  soul's  immortality,  than  any 
thing  furnished  by  the  speculations  we 
have  now  referred  to.  To  us  the  one  ap- 
pears as  much  superior  to  the  other  as 
history  is  more  solid  than  hypothesis,  or 
as  experience  is  of  a  texture  more  firm 
than  imagination,  or  as  the  philosophy  of 
our  modern  Bacon  is  of  a  surer  and  juster 
character  than  the  philosophy  of  the  old 
schoolmen.  Now,  it  is  on  the  fact  of  his 
own  resurrection  that  Christ  rests  the 
hope  and  the  promise  of  resurrection  to 
all  of  us,  "  If  he  be  not  risen  from  the 
dead,"  saith  one  of  the  apostles,  "  we  are 
of  all  men  the  most  miserable."  It  is  to 
this  fact  that  he  appeals  for  the  foundation 


IMMORTALITY  OF  TPIE  SOUL. 


43 


and  the  hope  of  immortality.  To  every 
cavil  and  to  every  difficulty  he  opposes 
this  as  a  sufficient  argument — that  Chritst 
has  risen.  This  was  Paul's  argument,  and 
it  has  descended  by  inheritance  to  us. 
We  hav(^  received  the  testimony — we 
have  access  to  the  documents — we  can 
take  a  view  of  the  unexampled  evidence 
which  has  been  carried  down  to  us  in  the 
vehicles  of  history  ;  and  in  opposition  to 
all  which  fancy  or  speculation  can  muster 
against  us,  we  can  appeal  to  the  fact.  It 
is  not  a  doctrine  excogitated  by  the  inge-  , 
nuities  of  human  reasoning — it  is  a  doc- 
trine submitted  to  the  observation  of  the 
human  senses.  It  is  not  an  untried  experi- 
ment; while  Jesus  Christ  lived  on  our 
earth  he  made  it  repeatedly,  and  with 
uniform  success,  upon  others  ;  and  in  giv- 
ing up  his  body  to  the  cross  he  made  it 
upon  himself.  One  who  could  carry  an 
experiment  such  as  this  to  a  successful  ter- 
mination, has  a  claim  to  be  listened  to ; 
and  he  tells  us,  by  the  mouth  of  an  apos- 
tle, that  the  fact  of  himself  having  risen 
bears  most  decidedly  upon  the  doctrine 
that  we  shall  rise  also  ;  "  for  if  we  believe 
that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even  so 
they  who  sleep  in  Jesus  shall  God  bring 
with  him." 

Let  it  be  remembered,  before  we  con- 
clude this  head  of  discourse,  that  the  word 
which  is  rendered  "  aLolisked,"  signifies 
also  "  made  of  none  effect.''''  "  He  hath 
abolished  death,  or  made  death  of  none 
effect."  The  latter  interpretation  of  the 
word  is  certainly  more  applicable  to  our 
first  or  temporal  death.  He  has  not  abo- 
lished temporal  death ;  it  still  reigns  with 
unmitigated  violence,  and  sweeps  off  each 
successive  generation  with  as  great  sure- 
ness  and  rapidity  as  ever.  This  part  of 
the  sentence  is  not  abolished,  but  it  is 
rendered  ineffectual.  Death  still  lays  us 
in  the  grave,  but  it  cannot  chain  us  there 
to  everlasting  forgetfulness ;  it  puts  its 
cold  hand  on  every  one  of  us,  but  a  power 
higher  than  death  will  lift  it  off,  and  these 
forms  be  again  reanimated  with  all  the 
warmth  of  life  and  of  sentiment.  The 
churchyard  has  been  called  the  land  of 
silence — and  silent  it  is  indeed  to  them 
who  occupy  it — the  Sabbath-bell  is  no 
longer  heard,  nor  yet  the  tread  of  the 


living  population  above  them  ;  but  though 
remote  from  the  hearing  of  every  earthly 
sound,  yet  shall  the  sound  of  the  last 
trumpet  enter  the  loneliness  of  their  dwell- 
ing, and  be  heard  through  death's  remotest 
caverns.  When  we  open  the  sepul- 
chres of  the  men  of  other  times,  the  frag- 
ments, the  skeletons,  and  the  mouldering 
of  bones,  form  indeed  a  humiliating  spec- 
tacle ;  but  the  working  of  the  same  power 
wliich  raised  Jesus  from  the  dead  shall 
raise  corruption  to  a  glorious  form,  and 
invest  it  in  all  the  blush  and  vigour  of 
immortality.  "  So  is  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead;  it  is  sown  in  corruption,  it  is 
raised  in  incorruption ;  it  is  sown  in  dis- 
honour, it  is  raised  in  glory  ;  it  is  sown  in 
weakness,  it  is  raised  in  pow-er  ;  it  is  sown 
a  natural  body,  it  is  raised  a  spiritual 
body.  For  this  corruptible  must  put  on 
incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put  on 
immortality.  So  when  this  corruptible 
shall  have  put  on  incorruption,  and  tliis 
mortal  shall  have  put  on  immortality, 
then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  saying 
that  is  written,  death  is  swallowed  up  in 
victory." 

There  is  much  need  that  we  be  habitu- 
ally reminded  of  these  things,  for  in  truth 
we  live  in  almost  constant  forgetfulness 
of  them.  The  region  of  sense  and  the 
region  of  spirituality  are  so  unlike  the  one 
to  the  other,  that  there  is  positively 
nothing  in  our  experience  of  the  former 
which  can  at  all  familiarize  our  minds  to 
the  conception  of  the  latter.  And  then, 
as  if  to  obstruct  the  flight  of  our  imagina- 
tions onward  to  eternity,  there  is  such  a 
dark  and  cloudy  interceptment  that  hangs 
upon  the  very  entrance  of  it;  ere  we  can 
realize  that  distant  world  of  souls,  we 
must  press  our  way  beyond  the  curtain  of 
the  grave — we  must  scale  the  awful  bar- 
ricado  which  separates  the  visible  from  the 
invisible — we  must  make  our  escape  from 
all  the  close,  and  warm,  and  besetting 
urgencies,  which  in  the  land  of  human 
beings  are  ever  plying  us  with  constant 
and  powerful  solicitations,  and  force  our 
spirits  across  the  boundaries  of  sense  to 
that  mysterious  scene  where  cold,  and 
meagre,  and  evanescent  spirits  dwell  to- 
gether in  some  unknown  and  incompre- 
hensible mode  of  existence. 


44 


THE  BPUTISH  PULPIT. 


We  know  not  if  there  be  any  other  tribe 
of  beings  in  the  universe  who  have  such 
a  task  to  perform.  Angels  have  no  death 
to  undergo — there  is  no  such  affair  of  un- 
natural violence  between  them  and  their 
final  destiny — it  is  for  man,  and  for  aught 
that  appears,  it  is  for  man  alone  to  fetch, 
from  the  other  side  of  a  material  panorama 
that  hems  and  encloses  him,  the  great  and 
abiding  realities  with  which  he  has  ever- 
lastingly to  do — it  is  for  him,  so  locked 
in  an  imprisonment  of  clay,  and  with  no 
other  available  medium  than  the  eye  and 
the  ear,  it  is  for  him  to  light  up  in  his  bo- 
som a  lively  and  realizing  sense  of  the 
things  which  "  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard" — it  is  for  man,  and  perhaps  for 
man  alone,  to  travel  in  thought  over  the 
ruins  of  a  mighty  desolation,  and  looking 
to  the  wreck  of  the  present  world  by 
which  he  is  encompassed,  to  conceive 
that  future  world  in  which  he  is  to  expa- 
tiate for  ever.  But  harder  achievement 
perhaps  than  any,  it  is  for  man  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  faith,  to  bear  that  most  appalling 
of  all  contemplations,  the  decay  and  the 
dissolution  of  himself — to  think  of  the 
time  when  his  now  animated  framework, 
every  part  of  which  is  so  sensitive  and  so 
dear  to  him,  shall  fall  to  pieces — when 
the  vital  warmth  by  which  at  present  it 
is  so  thoroughly  pervaded,  shall  take  its 
final  departure,  and  leave  to  coldness  and 
abandonment  all  that  is  visible  and  lovely 
of  the  present  structure — when  these 
^  limbs  with  which  he  now  steps  so  firmly, 
and  that  countenance  out  of  which  he 
now  looks  so  gracefully,  and  that  tongue 
with  which  he  now  speaks  so  eloquently, 
and  that  whole  body,  for  the  interests  and 
preservation  of  which  he  now  labours  so 
assiduously,  as  if  it  were  indeed  immor- 
tal— when  all  these  shall  be  reduced  to 
one  mass  of  putrefaction,  and  shall  crum- 
ble, like  the  coffin  which  encloses  him, 
into  dust. 

Why,  my  friends,  to  beings  constituted 
as  we  are,  there  is  something  so  foreign 
and  unnatural  in  death,  that  we  are  not  to 
wonder  if  it  scare  away  the  mind  frgm 
those  scenes  of  existence  to  which  it  is 
the  stepping-stone.  Angels  are  not  so 
circumstanced — there  is  no  screen  of  dark- 
ness like  this  interposed  between  them 


and  any  portion  of  their  futurity,  however 
distant;  and  it  appears  only  of  man,  that 
it  is  for  him  to  drive  a  breach  across  that 
barrier  which  looks  so  impregnable  ;  and 
so  to  surmount  the  power  of  vision  as  to 
carry  his  aspirings  over  the  summit  of  all 
that  vision  has  made  known  to  him. 

Before  I  proceed  to  our  next  argument 
for  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  let  me 
only  remark,  as  a  strong  practical  proof 
of  the  necessity  of  something  higher  and 
more  influential  than  the  mere  power  of 
reasoning  upon  the  subject,  how  strong!!/ 
wedded  we  are  to  the  things  of  sense  and  rf 
time,  in  spite  of  every  demonstration,  how- 
ever affecting,  that  is  given  of  their  vaiiity.  I 
It  is  wonderful,  it  is  passing  wonderful,  ' 
that  we  should  abide  in  such  an  abstract 
state  of  insensibility,  and  that  in  the  face 
of  all  experience,  and,  I  may  add,  of  all 
arithmetic.  For  the  average  of  human 
life  is  numerically  known  ;  and  should 
there  be  an  overweening  confidence  to 
carry  our  hopes  beyond  this  average,  the 
maxinnim  of  human  life  is  numerically 
known ;  and  to  balance  the  uncertainty 
whether  our  days  on  earth  may  not  great- 
ly exceed  the  average,  there  is  an  equal 
uncertainty  whether  they  may  not  greatly 
fall  short  of  it.  There  is  no  point  from 
its  origin  downwards  at  which  death  may 
not  lay  his  arrest  on  the  current  of  human 
existence ;  and,  as  if  the  whole  domain  of 
society  were  his  own,  does  he  go  forth  at 
large  from  one  extreme  to  the  other  of  it; 
nor  is  there  a  single  portion  of  the  terri- 
tory on  which,  with  free  and  unfaltering 
footstep,  he  may  not  enter.  In  the  church- 
yard we  see  graves  of  every  dimension. 
This  land  of  silence  is  far  more  densely 
peopled  by  young  than  by  old — proving 
that  through  all  departments  of  life,  whe- 
ther of  age,  or  of  youth,  or  of  infancy,  the 
arrows  of  this  mighty  destroyer  flee  at 
random.  Parents  have  oftener  to  weep 
over  their  children's  tomb,  than  children 
have  to  carry  their  parents  to  that  place 
where  lies  the  mouldering  heap  of  the 
generations  that  have  already  gone  by. 
So  that  we  have  the  clearest  light  both  of 
arithmetic  and  experience  on  the  subject; 
and  one  would  think  it  superfluous  to 
hold  any  parley  with  the  understanding 
on  a  topic  on  which  the  proof  is  so  over- 


IMMORTALITY  OF  THE  SOUL. 


45 


powering.  Why,  it  may  be  thought, 
should  we  be  so  anxious  for  urging  a 
truth  which  may  safely  be  left  to  its  own 
evidence,  or  take  occasion  strenuously 
and  repeatedly  to  affirm  what  none  is  able 
to  deny  1  And  this  is  just  the  marvellous 
anomaly  of  our  nature  which  it  is  so 
difficult  to  explain.  In  the  face  of  all  this 
evidence,  and  in  utter  opposition  to  the 
judgment  extracted  thereby,  there  is  an 
obstinate  practical  delusion  that  resides 
most  constantly  within  the  heart,  and 
rules  most  imperiously  over  the  judg- 
ments of  the  vast  majority  of  our  species. 
\  It  is  not  that  we  are  incapable  of  all  in- 
fluence from  futurity — for  it  is  the  future 
gain  of  the  present  adventure,  or  the  fu- 
ture issue  of  the  present  arrangement,  or 
the  future  result  of  the  present  contrivance, 
that  sets  almost  the  whole  of  human  ac- 
tivity a  going.  But  it  is  the  future  death, 
and  the  future  condition  on  the  other  side 
of  it,  to  which  we  are  so  strangely  insen- 
sible. We  are  all  in  the  glow,  and  the 
bustle,  and  eagerness  of  most  intense  ex- 
pectation, about  the  events  that  lie  in  the 
intermediate  distance  between  us  and 
death,  and  as  blind  to  the  certainty  of  the 
death  itself,  as  if  this  distance  stretched 
indefinitely  onward  in  the  region  of  anti- 
cipation before  us,  or  as  if  it  were  indeed 
an  eternity.  There  is  a  deep  sleep  into 
vv^hich  our  world  has  been  lulled,  as  if  by 
all  the  powers  of  fascination,  from  which 
it  should  seem  impossible  to  awaken  us. 
Nor  do  we  now  expect  of  any  utterance 
of  the  brevity  of  time  that  it  will  awaken 
you.  For  this  purpose  there  must  be  the 
putting  forth  of  a  force  that  is  supernatu- 
ral ;  and  the  most  experimental  demonstra- 
tion that  we  know  of  this  necessity,  is 
the  torpor  of  the  human  soul  about  death, 
and  the  temerity  wherewith  it  stands  its 
ground  amidst  pathetic  and  plain  exhibi- 
tions of  it.  We  are  never  more  assured 
of  man,  that  he  is  wholly  sold  over  to  the 
captivity  of  this  world,  than  in  witness- 
ing the  strong  adherence  of  his  heart  to 
it  under  the  most  touching  experience  of 
its  vanity — than  in  perceiving  how  un- 
emptied  he  is  of  all  his  earthliness,  whe- 
ther he  goes  from  business  to  burials,  or 
back  again  from  burials  to  business — than 
in  observing  how,  after  having  buried  his 


neighbour  in  the  dust,  he  remains  buried, 
as  it  were,  in  the  concerns  of  the  world, 
and  will  betake  himself  again  with  an 
eagerness  as  intense  and  unbroken  to  its 
concerns  and  companies  as  before.  We 
affirm  that,  of  the  spell  which  binds  him 
to  earth,  no  power  within  the  compass  of 
nature  is  able  to  disenchant  him  ;  that  ar- 
gument will  not ;  that  instances  of  mor- 
tality in  his  own  dwelling  will  not ;  that 
sermons  will  not;  and  the  evident  ap- 
proach of  the  last  messenger  to  his  own 
person  will  not :  and  it  is  indeed  a  most 
affecting  spectacle  to  behold,  with  the 
warnings  and  the  symbols  of  a  dissolution 
which  so  speedily  awaits  him,  that  he 
just  hugs  more  closely  to  his  heart  when 
on  the  eve  of  being  taken  away  from  hia 
treasures  for  ever.  Give  me  then  a  man 
who  is  actually  alive  to  the  realities  of 
faith  ;  and  the  inference  from  all  is,  that 
another  power  than  that  of  the  influence 
of  nature  over  the  feelings  of  nature 
must  have  been  put  forth  to  awaken  him. 
There  is  not,  within  the  compass  of  all 
that  is  visible,  any  cause  conpetent  to  the 
production  of  such  an  effect  on  the  human 
spirit.  The  power  which  awakens  him 
to  a  sense  of  spiritual  things  cometh  from 
a  spiritual  Creator.  There  is  naught  in 
the  world  that  is  present,  which  can  bring 
a  human  soul  under  the  dominion  of  the 
world  that  is  to  come.  And  although  one 
would  have  thought  that  the  follies  and 
fluctuations  of  time  would  have  been  suffi- 
cient to  wean  men  from  a  portion  so  evan- 
escent and  unsatisfying,  and  to  point  them 
to  the  things  of  eternity,  yet  it  would  ap- 
pear not;  the  loss  and  desolation  which 
attach  to  the  life  of  sense,  and  the  cer- 
tainty of  all  it  can  command  being  speedily 
and  totally  swept  away,  these  will  not  of 
themselves  germinate  within  the  man  the 
life  of  faith.  This  wondrous  phenome- 
non of  our  nature  convinces  me  of  the 
doctrine  of  regeneration — that  there  is  no 
power  short  of  this  which  can  spiritualize 
us — that  ere  our  affections  can  be  set  on 
things  that  are  above,  an  influence  from 
above  must  descend  upon  us — and  tha* 
before  we  become  alive  to  the  delights 
and  glories  of  the  upper  sanctuary,  there 
must  come  down  from  that  sanctuary  the 
light  and  ;he  power  of  a  special  revelation. 


40 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


A  far  more  satisfactory  arsfument  than 
that  which  is  founded  upon  the  reasoninors 
of  philosophy,  for  this  doctrine  is  to  be 
found  in  the  fact  of  the  resurrection  of 
Christ.  To  satisfy  yourselves  upon  ra- 
tional grounds  as  to  the  immortality  of 
the  soul,  we  would  say,  study  the  histo- 
rical evidence  for  the  truth  of  this  fact. 
The  physical  argument  of  nature  for  the 
doctrine  is  grounded  on  certain  obscure 
reasonings  about  the  properties  and  inde- 
structibleness  of  the  mind  ;  the  physical 
argument  of  Christianity  again  is  grounded 
on  the  truth,  the  historically  established 
truth,  that  Christ  has  actually  risen  ;  on 
the  credit  of  this  specimen,  and  with  all 
the  authority  that  is  given  by  a  miracle 
so  stupendous,  rests  the  doctrine  of  the 
general  resurrection.  The  moral  argu- 
ment again  of  nature  for  the  soul's  im- 
mortality is  furnished  by  the  sense  which 
is  in  all  spirits  of  God's  justice,  and  of 
his  yet  unsettled  controversy  with  sin. 
In  the  moral  argument  of  Christianity 
again  the  doctrine  is  revealed  in  connex- 
ion with  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement; 
it  rises  every  day  in  strength  and  in  as- 
surance in  the  experience  of  the  believer, 
who  feels  in  himself  what  nature  never 
feels — a  growing  meetness  of  spirit  and 
character,  which  forms  at  once  the  prepa- 
ration and  the  earnest  of  the  inheritance 
which  awaits  him.  In  order  to  get  at  the 
physical  argument  of  Christianity,  you 
have  to  study  the  historical  evidence  for 
the  truth  of  Christianity,  considered  as  a 
religion  of  facts.  In  point  of  fact,  how- 
ever, this  rational  conviction  will  do  very 
little  in  the  way  of  bringing  you  under 
the  power  of  things  unseen  and  things 
eternal.  I  believe  we  are  never  effectu- 
ally brought  under  this  power  but  by  the 
study  of  the  moral  argument ;  and  this 
moral  argument  can  only  be  drawn  from 
the  internal  evidence  of  Christianity  in 
opposition  to  the  external  evidence.  The 
moral  argument  never  can  be  appreciated 
adequately,  but  by  those  on  whom  the  in- 
ternal evidence  of  Christianity  has  pro- 
duced its  right  impressions.  But  before 
we  proceed  to  consider  strictly  this  argu- 
ment, let  us  attend  to  how  it  really  stands 
in  the  theology  of  nature — for  natural 
theology  also  lays  claim  to  moral  argu- 


ments. These  have  been  drawn  bj'  phi- 
losophers from  the  moral  state  of  the 
mind,  and  more  especially  from  the  pro- 
gressive expansion  which  thej'  affirm  to 
belong  to  it.  Still  we  fear  that,  in  re- 
spect of  this  argument,  there  is  no  expe- 
rience to  support  it.  There  is  a  beauty 
we  do  confess  in  many  of  their  represen- 
tations. But  beauty  is  only  for  them  that 
sit  at  ease.  It  is  a  cruel  mockery  for  the 
man  who  is  stretched  on  the  bed  of  death, 
and  has  in  his  view  the  dark  ocean  of 
annihilation  and  despair.  Yes,  we  have 
heard  them  talk,  and  talk  eloquently  too, 
of  the  high  and  triumphant  progression 
of  the  good  man — of  his  virtues  and  of  his 
prospects — and  of  his  death  being  a  gen- 
tle transition  to  a  better  world — of  its  be- 
ing the  goal  where  he  reaps  the  honoura- 
ble reward  that  is  due  to  his  character — 
as  being  little  more  than  a  step  that  leads 
him  to  a  blessed  immortality.  Ay,  this 
is  all  very  fine,  but  it  is  the  fineness  of 
poetry.  Where  is  the  evidence  that  it  is 
real  1  We  see  it  not.  Why  so  cruel  an 
interruption  to  the  progress  1 — why  cross 
this  awful  and  mysterious  death  ] — why 
is  the  good  man  not  suffered  to  carry  on  in 
his  triumphant  progress! — and  why  comes 
this  dark  and  unintelligible  event  to  be 
interposed  between  him  and  the  full  ac- 
complishment of  his  destiny  1  You  may 
choose  to  call  it  a  step,  but  there  is  no 
virtue  in  a  name  to  quell  our  suspicions 
— it  bears  in  every  circumstance  all  the 
marks  of  a  termination.  We  see  their 
fortitude  giving  way  to  the  power  of  dis- 
ease— we  see  them  withering  into  feeble- 
ness, and,  instead  of  what  has  been  called 
the  dignity  of  man,  we  see  the  weakness 
and  the  fretful ness  of  age — we  see  the 
body  bending  to  the  dust — we  see  it  ex- 
tended in  all  the  agony  of  helplessness 
and  pain,  and  yet  we  must  call  this  a  tri- 
umphant procession  to  eternity  !  We  ob- 
serve the  emission  of  the  last  breath,  but 
whether  the  spirit  is  extinct,  or  has  fled 
to  another  region,  nature  tells  us  not. 
We  call  upon  the  philosopher  to  reveal 
the  mystery  of  death — we  ask  why  the 
good  man  has  such  an  ordeal  to  undergo? 
— why,  like  the  angels,  does  he  not  flou- 
rish in  perpetual  vigour  1 — and  how  shall 
we  explain  that  universal  allotment,  with 


IMMORTALlTTt  OP    IHE  SOUL. 


47 


all  Its  afFeclliig  accompaniments  of  re- 
morse, and  agony,  and  despair]  Death, 
my  friends,  gives  the  lie  to  all  such  spe- 
culations of  all  such  moralists ;  but  it  only 
gives  evidence  and  consistency  to  the 
statements  of  the  gospel.  The  doctrines 
of  the  New  Testament  will  bear  to  be 
confronted  with  the  lessons  of  experience. 
They  attempt  no  relaxment,  and  no  pal- 
liation— they  announce  the  truth  in  all  its 
severity;  nor  do  they  attempt  to  strew 
flowers  around  the  sepulchre,  or  throw  a 
deceitful  perfume  into  the  rottenness  of 
the  grave.  Were  a  physician  to  take  up 
my  case,  and  speak  lightly  of  my  ailment, 
while  I  knew  that  a  consuming  disease 
was  lurking  and  making  progress  within 
me,  I  should  have  no  confidence  in  him 
or  in  his  remedies.  I  should  like  him  to 
see  the  malady  in  its  full  extent,  that  the 
medicine  applied  may  be  such  as  to  meet 
and  to  combat  with  it.  Now,  Christ,  the 
\  physician  of  souls,  has  taken  up  our  dis- 
ease in  all  its  magnitude.  There  is  no 
covering  or  concealment  thrown  over  it. 
Their  account  of  death  accords  with  our 
experience  of  it.  What  they  tell  us  of 
death  is  just  what  we  feel  it  to  be.  Not 
that  thing  of  triumph,  to  those  void  of 
Christianity  and  beyond  the  circle  of  its 
influence,  that  nature  says,  but  a  thing  of 
distress,  and  horror,  and  unnatural  vio- 
lence. He  who  is  weak  enough  to  be 
carried  away  b}'^  the  false  and  flimsy  re- 
presentations of  sentimentalism,  must  be 
led  to  believe  that  each  man  who  dies  is 
only  sinking  gradually  to  repose,  or  wing- 
ing his  way  to  an  ethereal  world.  But 
the  Bible  talks  to  us  of  the  sting,  and 
pangs,  and  terrors  of  death  ;  and  what  we 
feel  of  the  shrinking  of  nature,  proves 
that  it  has  experience  upon  its  side.  And 
those  passages  are  particularly  deserving 
our  attention  in  which  death  is  spoken  of 
in  its  moral  and  spiritual  bearings.  Death, 
as  it  appears  to  the  eye  of  the  senses,  is 
but  the  extinction  of  the  life  that  we  now 
live  in  the  world  ;  but  that  death  which 
is  revealed  to  us  in  the  gospel  is  the  effect 
and  consequence  of  sin — sin  is  the  root 
of  the  mischief,  and  it  is  a  mischief  which 
Scripture  represents  as  stretching  in  mag- 
nitude and  duration  far  beyond  the  ken  of 
the  senses.     Had  we  no  other  ken  than 


the  senses,  we  should  conceive  death  to 
be  utter  annihilation.  But  distinct  from 
the  death  of  the  body,  there  is  what  may 
be  called  the  death  of  the  soul, — not  a 
death  which  consists  in  the  extinction  of 
its  consciousness,  for  the  consciousness  of 
guilt  will  keep  by  it  forever — not  a  death 
which  implies  the  cessation  of  feeling,  for 
that  feeling  will  continue  to  the  last,though 
the  feeling  of  intensest  suffering — not  a 
death  by  which  all  sense  of  God  will  be 
expunged,  for  the  sense  of  God's  offended 
countenance  will  prey  upon  it  and  agonize 
it  through  all  eternity.  He  who  under- 
goes this  second — this  spiritual  death 
does  not  thereby  cease  to  have  life,  but 
he  ceases  to  have  the  favour  of  God, 
which  is  better  than  life — he  lives,  it  is- 
true,  but  it  is  the  life  of  an  exile  from 
hope  and  from  happiness — he  lives,  but 
it  is  in  a  state  of  hopeless  distance  from 
the  fountain  of  living  waters.  God  is  at 
enmity  towards  him,  and  in  his  own  hear* 
there  is  enmity  towards  God.  This,  a* 
least,  is  the  death  of  all  enjoyment ;  it  is 
the  death  of  every  thing  which  belongs 
to  a  right  moral  state  of  existence.  In 
this  sense  verily  the  soul  is  dead,  though 
alive,  most  perfectly  alive,  to  the  corro 
sions  of  the  worm  that  never  dies ; — in 
this  sense  there  has  been  a  quenching  of 
its  life,  though  all  awake  to  the  scorch 
ings  of  that  fire  which  is  never  quenched 
Temporal  death  in  such  a  case  is  only  the 
portal  to  sorer  calamities.  All  who  sin 
shall  die — but  this  is  not  the  conclusion 
of  the  sentence — but  all  who  die  in  sir 
shall  live  in  torment.  Now  it  promise 
well  for  our  Saviour's  treatment  of  thi" 
sore  malady,  that  he  hath,  as  it  were 
placed  himself  at  the  source  of  the  mis 
chief,  and  then  made  head  against  it.  H 
hath  combated  the  radical  force  and  viru 
lence  of  the  disease — he  hath  probed  it  t« 
the  bottom,  and  has  grappled  with  sin  ir 
its  origin  and  in  its  principle — he  ha' 
taken  it  away ;  for,  by  the  sacrifice  of 
himself  upon  the  accursed  tree,  he  ha^ 
expiated  its  guilt,  and  by  the  cperatiop 
of  the  Spirit  in  the  heart  of  the  helievei 
he  is  rooting  out  its  existence.  Had  h' 
only  put  together  the  fragments  of  my 
body,  and  recalled  the  soul  to  its  former 
tenement  he  should  have  done  nothing — 


48 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


sin,  both  in  its  power  and  condemnation, 
would  have  claimed  me  as  its  own,  and 
in  appalling  banishment  from  God  it  should 
have  stepped  in  with  an  immortality,  but 
an  immortality  of  despair.  But  the  au- 
thor of  the  gospel  has  swept  oft'  the  whole 
tribe  of  combatants,  and  has  made  a  deci- 
sive charge  at  the  very  heart  and  princi- 
ple of  the  disease. 

To  estimate  aright  the  new  moral  ex- 
istence into  which  Christ  ushers  every 
sinner  who  receives  him,  we  have  only 
to  reflect  for  a  moment  on  that  state  of 
distance  and  alienation  from  which  He 
emancipates  him.  Formerly  the  man 
was  either  immersed  in  deepest  oblivion 
and  unconcern,  in  reference  to  that  Be- 
ing who  made  all  and  who  upholds  all, 
or,  if  his  conscience  be  at  all  awake  to  a 
true  sense  of  the  holiness  of  the  law,  he 
must  view  the  lawgiver  with  feelings  of 
dread,  and  discouragement,  and  jealousy. 
There  is  a  wide  field  of  alienation  be- 
tween him  and  his  Maker,  and  the  fear- 
ful apprehensions  of  God's  displeasure 
towards  him  engender  in  him  back  again 
additional  dislike  towards  God.  There 
is  no  community  of  aff'ection  or  fondness 
between  them ;  and  pierced  as  he  is  b}''  a 
conviction  of  guilt  which  he  cannot  es-_ 
cape  from,  he  imagines  a  scowl  on  the 
aspect  of  the  Divinity — an  awful  barrier 
of  separation  by  which  he  is  hopelessly 
and  irrecoverably  exiled  from  the  sacred 
presence  of  the  Eternal.  His  Spirit  is 
not  at  ease — he  is  glad  to  find  relief,  in 
the  day-dreams  of  a  busy  world,  from 
those  solemn  realities,  the  thought  of 
which  so  often  disquiets  him;  it  seeks  an 
opiate  in  the  things  of  sense  and  of  time, 
against  the  disturbance  which  it  finds  in 
the  things  of  eternity;  and  so  cradled  is 
he  in  this  profoundest  lethargy,  that 
while  alive  unto  the  world,  he  is  dead 
unto  God. 

We  cannot  imagine  a  greater  revolution 
in  the  heart  than  that  which  is  produced 
upon  this  distrust  or  apathy  being  done 
away.  When,  instead  of  viewing  God 
with  fear,  or  shrinking  from  the  thought 
of  him,  the  sinner  can  calmly  gaze  on  his 
reconciled  countenance,  and  be  assured  of 
the  complacency  and  good  will  that  are 
graven  thereupon.  Now,  a  simple  faith 
in  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel  is  com- 


petent to  awaken  this.  It  loosens  the 
spirit's  bondage  by  transforming  the  as- 
pect of  the  divinity  from  the  face  of  an 
enemy  to  that  of  a  friend — it  changes  the 
sinner's  hatred  into  love ;  and  this  affec- 
tion, from  the  central,  the  commanding 
place,  which  it  occupies,  subordinates  the 
whole  man,  and  so  utterly  changes  his 
moral  system,  as  to  make  a  new  creature 
of  him.  The  faith  of  the  gospel  is  some- 
thing more  than  the  formation  of  a  new 
habit — it  is  the  germ  of  a  new  heart,  and 
so  of  a  new  character.  The  believer's 
sensibilities  are  now  awakened  to  objects 
to  which  before  he  was  morally  dead.  In 
other  words,  he  now  becomes  alive  to 
other  objects,  he  expatiates  on  a  new 
theatre  of  contemplation,  and  he  rejoices 
in  other  scenes  and  in  other  prospects 
than  before ;  he  has  lost  his  relish  for 
what  he  formerly  delighted  in,  and  he 
now  delights  in  what  he  formerly  had  no 
delight;  if  he  is  not  ushered  into  life  for 
the  first  time,  he  is  at  least  ushered  into 
a  new  state  of  things — he  undergoes  pre- 
ferment from  the  animal  to  the  spiritual 
life;  and  this  life,  with  the  immortality 
for  which  it  is  a  preparation,  is  not  only 
made  clear  by  the  gospel,  but  faith  in  the 
gospel  may  be  said  to  have  created  it. 

Now  all  this,  is  the  doing  of  the  Sa- 
viour. He  has  fully  exposed  the  disease, 
and  he  has  brought  to  it  a  radical  cure. 
I  cannot  trust  the  physician  who  dwells 
upon  the  surface  of  my  disease,  and 
throws  over  it  the  disguise  of  false  co- 
louring. I  have  more  confidence  to  put 
in  him,  who,  like  Christ,  the  physician 
of  my  soul,  has  looked  the  malady  fairly 
in  the  face — has  taken  it  up  in  all  its  ex- 
tent and  in  all  its  soreness — has  resolved 
it  into  its  original  principles — has  probed 
it  to  the  very  bottom,  and  has  set  himself 
forward  to  combat  with  the  radical  ele- 
ments of  the  disease.  This  is  what  our 
Saviour  has  done  with  death — he  hath 
bereaved  it  of  its  sting — he  has  taken  a 
full  survey  of  the  corruption,  and  met  it 
in  every  one  quarter  where  its  malignity 
appeared.  It  was  sin  which  caused  the 
disease,  and  he  hath  extricated  it — he 
hath  put  it  away — he  hath  expiated  the 
sentence — and  the  believer,  rejoicing  in 
the  sense  that  all  is  clear  with  God,  serves 
him  without  feai,  in  righteousness  and 


IMMORTALITV  OF  THE  SOUL. 


49 


holiness,  all  the  days  of  his  life.  The 
sentence  is  no  longer  against  us  ;  we  be- 
hold the  Saviour,  and  the  sentence  upon 
himself — "  he  bore  our  iniquities  in  his 
own  body  on  the  tree" — "  he  who  knew 
no  sin  became  sin  for  us,  that  we  might 
be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
him."  The  sentence  is  no  longer  in  force 
against  us,  as  the  Saviour  has  cancelled 
it.  He  has  done  more  than  this — he  has 
not  only  cancelled  the  guilt  of  sin,  he  has 
destroyed  its  power — he  reigns  in  the 
heart  of  the  believer — he  sweeps  it  of  all 
its  corruptions — he  takes  it  up  as  it  is — 
he  makes  it  such  as  it  should  be — he 
brings  the  whole  man  under  a  thorough 
process  of  sanctification,  so  that  while  he 
lives,  he  adds  one  Christian  grace  unto 
another — when  he  dies,  he  rejoices  in 
hope  of  the  coming  glory — when  he  stands 
at  the  bar  of  judgment,  he  is  presented 
holy  and  unblamable  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  his  Saviour.  In  the  whole  of 
his  treatment,  I  see  the  skill,  and  intelli- 
gence, and  supesior  conduct  of  a  physi- 
cian, who  is  up  to  the  disease,  and  knows 
where  the  force  of  its  malignity  lies — 
who  has  a  thorough  insight  into  the  pro- 
perties of  the  mischief,  and  has  reached 
forth  an  adequate  remedy  to  counteract  it 
— who  to  abolish  death,  has  directed  the 
strength  of  his  attack  against  sin,  which 
is  its  origin — who  has  averted  the  con- 
demnation of  sin,  by  an  expiatory  sacri- 
fice— and  who  has  destroyed  its  power 
and  influence  by  the  operations  of  that 
mighty  Spirit,  whereby  he  can  break 
down  the  corruptions  of  the  human  heart, 
and  subdue  it  unto  himself. 

This  is  no  matter  of  mere  idle  declama- 
tion; there  is  many  a  minister  of  Christ 
who  could  give  you  experience  for  it. 
He  can  take  you  to  the  house  of  mourn- 
ing, to  the  chamber  of  the  dying  man. 
He  can  draw  aside  the  curtain  which 
covers  the  last  hours  of  the  good  man's 
existence,  and  show  you  how  a  good  man 
can  die.  He  can  ask  you  to  bend  your 
ear,  and  catch  the  last  faltering  accents 
of  praise  and  piety.  What  meaneth  that 
joy  in  the  midst  of  suffering — that  hope 
in  the  midstof  approaching  dissolution — 
that  elevation  lu  the  midst  of  cruelest 
agonies?     It  is  not  his  own  merit  that 

Vol.  I.— 7 


sustains  him,  it  is  the  merit  of  the  exalted 
Saviour.  It  is  not  a  sense  of  his  own 
righteousness  that  gives  peace  to  his  con- 
science, it  is  the  righteousness  of  Christ; 
it  is  a  hope  of  being  found  in  him,  and  a 
sense  of  the  forgiveness  which  he  has  re- 
ceived through  his  hand.  In  a  word,  it 
is  Christ  who  resolves  the  mystery ;  it  is 
his  presence  that  pours  tranquillity  and 
joy  among  such  scenes  of  distress;  it  is 
he  who  dispenses  fortitude  to  the  dying 
man ;  and  while  despair  sits  on  every 
countenance,  and  relations  are  weeping 
around  him,  he  enables  him  to  leave  them 
all  with  this  exulting  testimony,  "  O 
death,  where  is  thy  sting !  O  grave, 
where  is  thy  victory  !" 

While  we  hold  out  this  triumphant 
prospect  to  those  who  entertain  the  over- 
tures of  reconciliation,  we  would  urge  all, 
even  those  who  have  not  yet  been  visited 
with  a  spirit  of  concern  and  inquiry,  to 
bestow  one  single  thought  on  the  great 
practical  importance  of  the  subject.  The 
very  sound  of  such  words  as  life  and  death, 
judgment  and  immortality,  should  reduce 
you  to  sacred  ness — should  set  you  to  the 
work  of  serious  reflection  on  this  subject. 
We  have  the  vantage  ground  of  your  own 
experience  on  which  to  stand  while  we 
endeavour  thus  to  urge  you.  For  your 
experience  at  least  tells  you  thus  much — 
that  the  time  that  is  past,  when  you  look 
back  to  it,  appears  as  if  it  were  nothing; 
and  you  may  believe  from  this,  that  the 
time  which  is  to  come,  will  come  as 
quickly,  and  appear  as  little,  and  as  un- 
worthy to  be  suffered  to  tempt  you  away 
from  eternity  by  its  pleasures,  which  are 
but  for  a  season,  as  the  period  of  your  life 
that  is  already  gone.  The  very  moment 
of  your  final  farewell,  if  you  are  not  pre- 
viously cut  short  by  death,  which  is  a 
very  possible  thing,  that  moment  will 
come,  and  old  age  will  come,  and  the  last 
sickness  will  come,  and  the  dying  bed 
will  come,  and  the  last  look  you  shall 
ever  cast  upon  your  relations  will  come, 
and  the  agony  of  the  parting  breath  will 
come,  and  the  time  that  you  will  be 
stretched  a  lifeless  corpse  before  the  eyes 
of  your  weeping  relations  will  come,  and 
the  coffin  that  is  to  enclose  you  will  come, 
and  that  hour  when  the  company  assem- 


50 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


bles  to  carry  you  to  the  gliurchyarcl  will 
come,  and  that  mpmentwhen  you  are  put 
into  the  grave  will  come,  and  the  throw- 
ing in  of  the  earth  upon  it,  all — all  will 
come  on  every  living  creature  who  now 
hears  me.  And  in  a  few  little  years  the 
minister  who  now  addresses  you,  and 
each  one  who  now  listens,  will  be  carried 
to  their  long  home:  now  all  this  will 
come.  Yes,  and  the  day  of  reckon- 
ing will  come ;  and  the  appearance  of 
the  Son  of  God  in  heaven,  and  his 
holy  angels  around  him  will  come ;  and 
the  opening  of  the  books  will  come ;  and 
the  appearance  of  everyone  of  you  before 
the  judgment-seat  will  come;  and  the 
solemn  passing  of  the  sentence  which  is 
to  fix  you  for  eternity  will  come;  and  if 
you  refuse  to  be  reconciled  to  God  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  now  that  he  is  beseech- 
ing you  to  repent,  and  if  you  refuse  to 
turn  from  the  evil  of  your  ways,  and  to 
do  and  to  be  what  your  Saviour  requires 
you  to  be  and  to  do,  I  must  tell  you  what 
the  sentence  is,  "Depart  from  me,  ye 
cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for 
the  devil  and  his  anirels." 


THE    PUIiFIT   Giii:jX.ERV. 

NO.    I. 
THE  REV.  THOMAS  CHALMERS,  D.D. 

P'-ofessor  of  Divinity  in  the   University  of 
EdinbuTsh. 


"  A  warrior  in  the  Christian  field 
Who  never  saw  the  sword  he  could  not  wield." 

COWPER. 


This  celebrated  ornament  of  the  church 
and  of  letters  is  a  native  of  the  county  of 
Fife,  Scotland,  where  his  ancestors  have 
long  been  distinguished  and  respected  as 
substantial  agriculturists.  After  receiv- 
ing a  grammatical  education  in  the  coun- 
try, he  removed  to  the  college  of  Edin- 
burgh, where  he  was  marked  as  a  diligent 
student ;  but  did  not  evince  any  extraor- 
dinary vigour  of  intellect.  Though  des- 
tined for  the  ministerial  office,  he  rather 
preferred  the  lectures  of  Professor  Robi- 
son,  who  filled  the  mathematical  chair,  to 
those  of  Dr.  Hunter,  who  presided  over 


the  divinity  class.  Mr.  Chalmers,  how- 
ever, did  not  neglect  the  peculiar  studies 
more  immediately  requisite  to  qualify 
him  for  the  important  and  varied  duties 
of  the  pastoral  care.  In  due  course  he 
was  licensed  as  a  probationary  preacher, 
and  after  serving  a  short  time  as  an  assist- 
ant, he  obtained  a  presentation  to  the 
living  of  Kilmany,  over  which  cure  he 
was  regularly  placed  in  1802.  This  is  a 
considerable  port  town  on  the  northern 
shore  of  the  Frith  of  Forth  ;  which,  from 
its  situation,  afforded  ample  scope  for 
ministerial  diligence.  Mr.  Chalmers 
spent  some  years  here,  without  attracting 
any  particular  notice  beyond  the  bounds 
of  his  parish,  or  producing  any  visible 
reformation  in  it  upon  the  principles  and 
manners  of  the  people.  His  studies  in 
fact  were  more  directed  to  political  econo- 
my than  to  practical  theology  ;  as  his  first 
literary  performance  evinced.  It  will 
seem  extraordinary  to  most  persons,  that 
a  man  of  learning,  regularly  educated  for 
the  ministry,  and  holding  a  benefice 
in  such  a  country  as  Scotland,  should 
have  the  spirit  of  religion  to  acquire, 
after  exercising  the  teacher's  office  in  a 
large  parish  for  some  years.  The  case 
however,  though  truly  lamentable,  is  by 
no  means  singular.  During  a  course  ot 
study  on  several  branches  of  theology, 
connected  with  certain  articles  which  he 
had  engaged  to  write  for  an  Encyclopae- 
dia projected  by  Dr.  Brewster,  he  began 
to  suspect  the  correctness  of  his  former 
views  of  the  Christian  religion.  In  fol- 
lowing up  this  doubt,  he  soon  discovered 
the  reason  why  his  preaching  against 
vice  had  been  so  ineflicacious.  At  Kil- 
many he  laboured  for  more  than  twelve 
years,  and  after  his  removal  to  Glasgow, 
where  he  had  been  invited  to  take  charge 
of  the  Zion  church,  he  published  an  ad- 
dress to  his  former  parishioners,  in  which 
he  gave  an  account  of  the  great  change 
that  occurred  in  his  ministerial  conduct 
while  resident. among  them.  After  min- 
istering at  the  Zion  church  about  three 
years,  Dr.  Chalmers  was  transferred  to 
the  more  extensive  charge  of  St.  John's 
parish,  in  Glasgow,  where  he  continued 
to  labour  with  the  most  beneficial  effect 
for  several  years,  until  he  accepted  the 


IMMORTALITY  OF  THE  SOUL. 


51 


chair  of  moral  philosophy  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  St.  Andrew's,  from  whence  he 
was  removed  in  1828  to  the  professorship 
of  divinity  at  Edinburgh. 

The  popularity  of  this  eminent  divine 
is  not  an  ephemeral  admiration,  gained 
by  the  art  of  an  insinuating  address,  or 
the  glare  of  a  specious  eloquence.  His 
appearance  in  the  pulpit  is  rather  repul- 
sive than  inviting.  The  inflexibility  of 
his  features — his  small  pale  eyes  nearly 
half  closed — his  tone,  at  the  commence- 
ment, low,  and  almost  drawling — his 
utterance,  naturally  rough,  made  much 
more  so  by  his  broad  Scotch  accent — his 
gesture,  though  earnest,  not  remarkably 
expressive — his  action,  often  inelegant 
and  unappropriate,  may  almost  prejudice 
a  stranger  against  him.  But  he  must  be 
a  very  superficial  observer,  a  very  care- 
less and  insensible  hearer,  whose  atten- 
tion is  not  soon  arrested  and  fixed.  The 
eye  kindling  iijto  unusual  brilliancy — the 
countenance  beaming  with  intelligence — 
the  whole  man  labouring  to  give  utterance 
to  mighty  conceptions : — all  force  the 
hearer  to  confess  the  preacher's  power, 
and  to  feel  that  he  is  in  the  presence  of  a 
master-spirit  of  the  age. 

The  forte  of  Dr.  Chalmers  is  generally 
thought  to  be  in  his  might}'  power  for 
illustrating  the  external  and  internal  evi- 
dences of  Christianity,  and  the  identity 
of  the  whole  system  with  the  principles 
of  sound  philosophy.  From  the  pulpit 
and  through  the  press  he  has  proved,  most 
clearly  and  triumphantly,  that  all  which 
is  sound  and  true  in  philosophy  leads  to 
religion ;  that  all  which  has  a  contrary 
tendency  is,  by  the  showing  of  philoso- 
phy herself,  false  and  hollow. 

Having  placed  a  portrait  of  Dr.  Chal- 
mers in  our  group  at  the  commencement 
of  this  volume,  and  associated  him  with 
the  late  Rev.  Robert  Hall,  we  will  close 
this  sketch  by  an  article  from  the 
"  Church  of  Ireland  Magazine,"  in  which 
these  two  eminent  men  are  placed  in  juxta- 
position, written,  it  has  been  thought,  by 
the  present  bishop  of  Calcutta. 

"To  COMPARE  Mr.  Ham,  with  ano- 
ther   SPLENDID    GENIUS  OF    OUR   AGE,  Dr. 

Chalmers,  is  a  difficult,  and  perhaps  an 
invidious  task.     They  are  both   highly 


gifted  and  most  powerful  men,  raised  up 
and  qualified  for  great  service  to  the 
church  of  Christ;  but  they  are  very  dif- 
ferent in  their  style  and  character  of  mind. 
As  to  the  use  of  the  English  language 
and  purity  of  composition,  Mr.  Hall,  the 
most  elegant  writer  of  his  day,  stands 
confessedly  vastly  superior  to  Dr.  Chal- 
mers, whose  corruptions,  neglects,  inven- 
tions, and  bad  taste,  make  his  finest  dis- 
courses at  times  unintelligible.  But  this 
is  an  introductory  and  very  inferior  point 
As  to  power  of  mind,  I  should  think  Dr. 
Chalmers  the  more  daring  and  vigorous, 
and  Mr.  Hall  the  more  delicate  and  acute 
reasoner.  Dr.  Chalmers  is  bold ;  Mr. 
Hall  beautiful.  Dr.  Chalmers  seizes 
one  idea,  which  he  expands  by  amplifi- 
cation and  reiteration  through  a  discourse; 
Mr.  Hall  combines  and  works  up  a 
variety  of  arguments  in  support  of  his 
topic;  never  loses  sight  of  his  point; 
touches  every  subject  briefly,  and  with 
exquisite  taste ;  and  leaves  an  impression 
upon  the  mind  m'ore  soft,  more  pleasing, 
but  perhaps  not  much  less  powerful,  than 
his  great  contemporary.  Dr.  Chalmers 
gives  only  one  or  two  projecting  truths, 
and  leaves  his  subject  confessedly  incom- 
plete :  his  sermons  are  composed  of  many 
separate  thoughts  slightly  linked  to  one 
another ;  and  like  the  reaches  in  the  ma- 
jestic course  of  the  Rhine,  which  succeed 
each  other  by  breaks,  and  expand  upon 
the  eye  with  extraordinary  beauty  when 
you  enter  them,  but  are  succeeded  by  a 
narrow  flow  of  the  stream  at  each  inter- 
val, his  sermons  are  a  succession  of  bold 
and  magnificent  truths  wrought  out  with 
strength,  and  then  left  by  the  preacher, 
that  he  may  press  on  to  the  next  mighty 
idea.  Mr.  Hall's  sermons  are  a  beautiful 
whole ;  less  daring  in  the  general  parts, 
but  more  closely  connected ;  coming  on 
the  mind  with  greater  conviction,  and 
expanding  his  one  important  subject  at 
once  before  the  view ;  as  the  wide  and 
fair  lakes  of  Switzerland  spread  their 
varied,  and  complete,  and  connected  beau 
ties  before  the  eye  of  the  spectator.  Dr. 
Chalmers,  in  short,  is  more  impassioned, 
Mr.  Hall  more  sublime  ;  the  one  declaims, 
the  other  argues;  the  first  storms  the 
mind,  the  second  charms  it  and  unfolds  all 


62 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


its  sympathies.  Dr.  Chalmers  is  adapted 
for  the  popular  ear :  his  bold  and  reite- 
rated statements,  his  overwhelming  tide 
of  words,  his  projecting  and  striking 
imagery,  his  small  number  of  distinct 
thoughts  enforced  in  various  different 
forms  ;  all  make  him  the  preacher  for  the 
crowded  popular  auditory.  Mr.  Hall  is 
the  preacher  for  the  scholar,  the  student, 
the  metaphysician,  the  man  of  elegant 
education,  the  fastidious  proud  despiser 
of  spiritual  religion,  the  pretender  to  a 
philosophy  not  thoroughly  fathomed.  His 
master-mind,  his  acute  insight  into  the 
very  inmost  soul,  his  candour  towards 
his  opponents,  his  infinite  reverence  for 
Holy  Scripture,  his  cautious  conclusive 
argumentation,  his  delicate  and  sublime 
bursts  of  imagery,  his  superiority  to  party 
feelings  and  interests,  ensure  the  atten- 
tion, and  fix  the  conviction,  of  every  com- 
petent and  unprejudiced  hearer. 

"  As  to  USEFULNESS,  the  palm  must  be 
conceded,  for  the  present  age,  to  Dr. 
Chalmers :  he  is  more  bold,  more  deci- 
sive, more  capable  of  frequent  effort,  more 
ready  to  commit  his  unfinished  composi- 
tions to  the  press,  more  negligent  of  the 


minuter  graces  which  fetter  Mr.  Hall, 
and  limit  his  efforts,  and  have  left  him, 
after  fifty  years  of  public  life,  the  author 
of  far  fewer  works,  and  those  works  of 
less  extent  and  less  general  importance, 
than  Dr.  Chalmers  has  produced  in  one 
fourth  portion  of  that  time. 

In  THE  NEXT  AGE,  it  is  possible  Mr. 
Hall's  publications  may  fetch  up  the  way 
he  appears  to  have  lost  in  the  present. 
All  his  practical  writings  will  live,  and 
exercise  a  powerful  sway  over  the  public 
mind,  when  many  of  Dr.  Chalmers's  may 
have  done  their  work  and  been  forgotten. 
Had  Mr.  Hall  more  of  the  bold  and  intre- 
pid character  of  Dr.  Chalmers  ;  would  he 
write  with  less  anxiety  and  refinement ; 
would  he  devote  himself  to  the  prosecu 
tion  of  some  great  national  topic,  touching 
the  interests  of  morals  and  religion; 
would  he  disregard  more  his  own  feel- 
ings, in  order  to  do  good  in  a  transitory 
world  ;  there  is  nothing  which  he  might 
not  be  capable  of  eSecting,  under  God's 
blessing :  for  no  man  of  the  present  age 
has  gained  the  ear,  and  fixed  the  love 
and  admiration  of  his  countrymen  more 
than  Robert  Hall." 


SERMON    IV. 

(GLORYING    IN    THE    GOSPEL    OF    CHRIST. 
BY  THE  REV.  ROBERT  NEWTON. 


[am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ;  Jo   tt  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one 
that  believeth." — Rom.  i.  16. 


Man  is  a  creature  of  passion,  as  well 
as  of  reason ;  and  although  we  readily 
admit  that  the  latter  is  far  superior  to  the 
former,  and  that  it  gives  a  distinctive 
peculiarity  to  our  species,  yet,  still  the 
movements  and  sensibilities  of  our  spe- 
cies which  come  under  the  general  de- 
scription of  passion,  form  a  very  essen- 
tial and  a  very  important  part  of  our 
nature. 

It  is,  however,  my  friends,  a  fact  no 
less  evident  than  it  is  lamentable,  that 
human  passions  are  awfully  perverted 
and  depraved  by  sin, — that  they  have 
taken  a  wrong  direction,  and  are  too 
generally  exercised  in  direct  opposition 
to  their  original  design.  This  remark 
will  hold  good  in  its  application  to  the 
general  passion  of  shame  of  which  the 
apostle  speaks.  This  is  a  passion  which 
^  was  originally  designed  by  the  Author 
of  our  being  to  act  the  part  of  a  sentinel, 
CO  give  a  sensible  and  salutary  check 
and  alarm,  in  case  of  any  approach  to- 
wards the  precincts  ot  folly  or  of  crime. 
But  so  totally  is  this  principle  blinded 
and  perverted,  that  we  too  frequently  see 
human  beings  glorying  in  that  of  which 
they  ought  to  be  ashamed,  and  we  see 
them  ashamed  of  that  in  which  they  ought 
to  glory  ;  we  see  them  pursuing  unblush- 
ingly  the  paths  of  folly  and  of  sin ;  whilst 
they  are  ashamed  of  the  way  of  holiness, 
of  Christ,  and  of  the  gospel.  Where, 
however,  converting  grace  takes  place, 
a  beneficial  change  is  produced, — a 
change  so  real,  so  deep,  so  extensive, 
that  old  things  are  done  away,  and  all 
things  become  new.  One  part  of  the 
change  effected  by  the  power  of  convert- 


ing grace  consists  in  rectifying  every 
thing  that  is  wrong  in  our  passions,  giving 
them  the  proper  direction,  and  bringing 
them  under  the  controlling  influence  of 
truth  and  of  religion. 

Behold,  in  the  particular  case  of  the 
great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  these  ob- 
servations are  exemplified.  You  are 
aware  there  was  a  period  in  his  history 
when  he  courageously  contended  for  his 
own  imaginary  excellencies,  and  for  the 
abrogated  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the 
Mosaic  economy,  while  he  was  at  the 
same  time  ashamed  of  Christ  and  of  his 
gospel.  Actuated  by  a  zeal  at  once  the 
most  intolerant  and  the  most  blind,  he 
haled  to  prison  all  he  could  find  who 
called  on  the  name  of  Jesus ;  not  being 
ashamed  to  consent — indeed  he  did  con- 
sent— to  the  death  of  the  first  Christian 
martyr ;  nor  did  he  blush  to  witness  that 
horrid  deed. 

But  see  what  a  complete  reverse  ot 
character  converting  grace  effected, — 
what  a  mighty  moral  revolution  in  all  his 
thinkings,  and  feelings,  and  sayings,  and 
doings.  The  recollection  of  his  former 
prejudices,  and  errors,  and  cruelties 
covers  him  with  confusion ;  he  blushes 
with  shame  at  the  remembrance  of  them ; 
and  although  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  had 
forgiven  him,  he  never  could  forgive 
himself.  But  no  longer  is  he  ashamed 
of  Christ,  and  of  the  gospel : — "  What 
things,"  says  he,  "  were  gain  to  me, 
those  I  countdfl  loss  for  Christ.  Yea, 
doubtless,  and  I  count  all  things  but  loss 
for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  ot 
Christ  Jesus,  my  Lord."  Not  only  do 
we  now  behold  the  Jew  become  a  Chris- 
E  2  53 


54 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


tian,  but  we  behold  the  persecutor  become 
an  apostle,  and  avowing  himself  the  will- 
ing and  courageous  advocate  of  that  faith 
which  he  had  formerly  madly  destroyed. 
"  So,  as  much  as  in  me  is,"  he  says,  "  1 
am  ready  to  preach  the  gospel  to  you  that 
are  at  Rome  also ;"  I  have  preached  it 
in  other  places — I  have  preached  it "  from 
Jerusalem  round  about  to  Illyricum  ;"  and 
now  I  long  to  bear  the  same  testimony 
for  my  divine  Master  in  the  imperial 
city.  "  For  I  am  not  ashamed" — I  was 
once,  but  I  am  not  now — "  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  for  it  is 
tlie  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every 
one  that  believeth." 

Let  us  mark  the  nature  and  the  ground 
of  this  avowal, — the  profession  which  the 
apostle  makes, — and  the  reason  for  it 
which  he  assigns. 

I.  The  nature  and  the  ground  of 
THIS  AVOWAL.  He  profcsses  himself  "  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel." 

What  is  the  gospel  1  The  gospel  is 
good  news,  glad  tidings.  It  was  an- 
nounced by  the  angel  who  proclaimed 
the  Saviour's  advent,  "  Behold,  I  bring 
you  glad  tidings  of  great  joy."  The 
gospel  announces  the  best  tidings  that 
ever  were  published,  the  best  news  to 
which  mortals  ever  listened, — news  of 
sah 


Christ  the  Lord, — light  for  those  that  are 
in  darkness — pardon  for  those  that  are 
guilty — mercy  for  those  that  are  misera- 
ble— liberty  for  those  that  are  hound — 
salvation  for  those  that  are  lost — life  for 
tliose  that  are  dead.  The  gospel  com- 
prehends the  whole  scheme  of  redemp- 
tion— consisting,  indeed,  of  doctrines, 
and  of  precepts,  and  of  promises,  and  of 
threatenings,  and  of  ordinances,  which 
we  are  not  about  to  detail  this  evening. 
But  we  call  the  gospel  a  system,  because 
it  consists  of  various  parts ;  and  yet,  all 
its  parts  may  be  resolved  into  the  one 
grand  doctrine  of  redemption  and  salva- 
tion by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "  God 
was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto 
himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses 
unto  them."  This  is  the  record, — yes, 
and  of  all  that  is  recorded  this  is  the 
sum, — "  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal 
life,  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son;"  and 


"  he  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life."  And 
although  this  dispensation  of  truth,  of 
grace,  and  of  salvation,  was  somewhat 
obscurely  unfolded  under  earlier  dispen- 
sations of  the  church,  it  is  now  made  fully 
manifest  by  the  appearing  of  our  Saviour, 
Christ,  who  hath  "  abolished  death,  and 
brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  by 
the  gospel." 

Now,  if  we  do  not  greatly  mistake  the 
apostle  in  the  very  frequent  use  he  makes, 
of  the  term  "  gospel,"  he  directly  and 
immediately  means  by  it,  the  doctrine  of 
salvation  by  a  crucified  Jesus.  We  give 
you  our  reasons  for  this. 

When  addressing  the  Corinthian 
church,  the  apostle  explains  the  sense  in 
which  he  uses  this  passage.  "  More- 
over, brethren,  I  declare  unto  you  the 
gospel  which  I  preached  unto  you,  which 
also  ye  have  received,  and  wherein  ye 
stand  ;  by  which  also  ye  are  saved,  if  ye 
keep  in  memory  what  I  preached  unto 
you,  unless  ye  have  believed  in  vain. 
For  I  delivered  unto  you  first  of  all  that 
which  I  also  received,  how  that  Christ 
died  for  our  sins,  according  to  the  Scrip- 
tures." Now,  that  was  the  very  essence 
of  the  gospel  in  the  apostolical  sense  o: 
that  expression — "  Christ  died  for  our 
sins  according  to  the  Scriptures."     Had 


vation,  tidings  of  a  Saviour  who  i^  lie  used  the  term  in  the  vague  and  gene. 


ral  sense  in  which  it  is  employed  by 
some, — had  he  intended  nothing  more  by 
"  the  gospel,"  than  the  unity  of  the 
divine  nature,  the  doctrine  of  divine  pro- 
vidence, the  immutable  and  everlasting 
distinctions  between  right  and  wrong, 
between  vice  and  virtue, — the  doctrine 
of  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  the  great 
and  golden  rule  of  equity — "  As  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye 
also  to  them  likewise  ;" — had  the  apos- 
tle meant  nothing  more  than  these  things 
by  "  the  gospel,"  he  would  never  have 
dreamed  of  saying  he  was  not  ashamed 
of  them. 

It  was  not  at  these  things  that  the  lite- 
rati of  the  day  scoffed  and  derided  ;  no, 
no, — it  was  at  Christ  crucified, — that  doc- 
trine so  revolting  to  the  pride  of  our 
fallen  nature.  Christ  crucified  was  to 
the  Jews  a  stumbling-block ;  and  foolish- 
ness to  the  pride  of  tlie  haughty  Greek. 


GLORYING  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST. 


55 


Aye,  and  to  this  very  hour  the  Christian 
preacher  may  discourse  on  the  doctrine 
of  Deity, — he  may  preach  on  the  doc- 
trine of  eternal  providence, — he  may 
preach  on  the  soul's  immortality,  and 
man's  moral  accountability  to  the  .God 
that  made  him, — he  may  lecture  as  long 
as  he  pleases  on  the  golden  rule  to  which 
we  have  already  adverted,  and  men  will 
approve  of  this ;  infidels  and  semi-infi- 
dels will  signify  their  approbation  :  but 
the  moment  he  begins  to  speak  about  the 
doctrine  of  salvation  by  the  atoning  sa- 
crifice of  Jesus,  then  they  begin  to  scoff, 
and  to  sneer,  and  to  deride  this  as  the 
foolishness  of  folly.  I  say,  therefore,  had 
Ihe  apostle  merely  referred  to  these 
things,  he  had  never  dreamed  of  saying, 
"  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel :"  but, 
by  "  the  gospel,"  he  referred  to  the  great 
doctrines  of  the  cross ;  and  in  reference  to 
them  he  says,  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ." 

And,  besides  this,  he  adds,  in  imme- 
diate connexion  with  the  text,  "  For, 
therein" — Wherein  1  In  this  gospel, — 
"  For  therein,"  in  this  gospel,  "  is  the 
righteousness  of  God  revealed  from  faith 
to  faith,"  By  "  the  righteousness  of 
God  "  he  does  not  mean  the  essential 
rectitude  of  the  divine  nature,  but  he 
means,  God's  method  of  constituting  a 
sinner  righteous  in  his  sight,  which  is 
only  through  faith  in  the  merits  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Now  this  gospel,  this  good  news,  is 
emphatically  the  good  neivs  of  Christ. 
Those  who  published  the  good  news 
were  careful  to  inform  those  to  whom 
they  addressed  it,  that  it  did  not  originate 
with  themselves,  that  they  had  received 
of  the  Lord  that  which  they  declared  to 
the  people.  Not  only  as  a  Divine  Person 
had  the  scheme  its  origination  in  tlie 
inmost  mind  of  God  our  Saviour,  but  by 
him,  as  the  great  Mediator  between  God 
and  man,  it  has  been  revealed.  That 
expression  in  the  epistle  to  the  He- 
brews is  true  to  a  much  wider  extent  than 
is  generally  understood^  Speaking  of 
the  gospel,  he  says,  "  Which  at  first  be- 
gan to  be  spoken  by  the  Lord,  and  was 
confirmed  unto  us  by  them  that  heard 
him."     Now,  it  did  not  first  begin  to  be 


spoken  by  the  Lord  when  he  exercised 
his  personal  ministry  in  our  world,  but 
in  his  appropriate  character  as  the  mes- 
senger of  the  covenant,  the  angel  of  Je- 
hovah; all  those  rays  of  light,  those 
beams  and  tints  of  mercy,  that  illumined 
the  early  dispensations,  came  from  Christ, 
the  star  of  Jacob;  yes,  just  as  certainly 
as  the  bright  effulgence  of  evangelical 
light  and  truth  with  which  we  are  sur- 
rounded, bursts  from  Christ,  the  glorious 
Sun  of  Righteousness.  And,  in  addition 
to  this  early  manifestation  of  this  good 
news,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  in  the  exer- 
cise of  his  ministry,  he  published  it  as  his. 
own,  and  delivered  it  in  his  own  name, 
and  by  his  own  right  and  authority ;  ha 
has  also  signed  it  with  his  own  hand,  and, 
sealed  it  with  his  own  seal ;  and  he  has 
authenticated  his  signature  and  his  seal 
with  signs  and  wonders,  and  divers  mira- 
cles, and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  God. 

My  friends,  the  gospel  is  divine,  it  is 
from  heaven,  and  not  of  men ;  Jesus 
Christ  is  its  author.  And  it  is  not  only 
the  good  news  of  Christ  coming  from 
him,  but  it  is  the  good  news  concerning 
him  ;  for  this  gospel  is  the  good  news  ot 
Christ  concerning  his  person,  his  works, 
his  atoning  acts,  his  saving  benefits,  his 
kingdom,  his  glory.  Take  these  things 
out  of  the  gospel,  and  what  have  you  left 
behind  1  Examine  those  different  editions 
of  the  gospel,  if  I  may  so  express  myself, 
which  have  been  put  forth  at  diflerent 
periods  of  time,  and  under  different  dis- 
pensations of  the  church,  and  you  will 
find  they  are  full  of  Christ.  That  first 
edition  in  the  patriarchal  age,  though 
certainly  somewhat  obscure,  contained 
many  promises  of  a  deliverer,  who  was 
to  suffer  that  he  might  save  ;  that  great 
deliverer  was  Christ,  the  promised  seed 
that  was  to  bruise  the  serpent's  head  ;  and 
the  patriarchs  saw  these  promises  obscure- 
ly, as  it  were,  and  were  persuaded  of  their 
truth ;  they  embraced  them,  died  in  faith 
in  the  promised  Messiah  who  was  to 
come,  and  anticipated  by  faith  the  bene- 
fits of  his  death. 

If  you  examine  that  edition  of  the 
gospel  contained  in  the  writings  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets,  you  will  find  mucb 


56 


TILE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


concerning  the  illustrious  personage  who 
was  to  appear  in  our  world,  who  was  to 
establish  a  kingdom,  who  was  to  extend 
his  conquests  and  his  triumphs,  and  whose 
kingdom  was  to  have  no  end.  Then  this 
illustrious  person  was  to  suffer  in  order 
that  he  might  reign.  And  who  was  this 
but  the  Lord  Christ,  to  whom  all  the  pro- 
phets bare  witness  1 

And  if  you  examine  that  splendid  and 
imposing  edition  of  the  gospel  contained 
in  the  Mosaic  ritual,  there  is  much  gos- 
pel there.  What  find  you  there  1  You 
find  types  and  shadows,  and  signs,,  and 
symbols,  and  figurative  representations. 
Of  all  these  types,  Jesus  Christ  was  the 
great  antitype — of  these  shadows  he  was 
the  substance — of  these  symbols  Christ 
was  the  thing  signified. 

And  then,  if  you  examine  the  last  and 
perfect  edition  of  the  gospel  contained  in 
the  narrative  of  the  evangelists,  what  find 
you  ]  You  find  a  most  interesting  history 
— a  history  of  Christ — his  birth,  his  life, 
his  teaching,  his  ministry,  his  death,  his 
resurrection,  his  exaltation  to  his  king- 
dom. You  find  doctrmes — the  doctrines 
of  Christ ;  you  find  precepts — the  pre- 
cepts of  Christ;  you  find  the  promises 
— the  promises  of  Christ ;  and  you  find 
tlie  ordinances — the  ordinances  of  Christ ; 
every  thing  in  the  gospel  is  full  of  Christ. 
Christ  is  also  the  end  of  the  gospel. 
Every  thing  in  the  gospel  is  designed  to 
conduct  men  to  Christ,  that  they  may 
know  and  love  him,  and  believe  in  him, 
and  resemble  him,  and  love  to  honour 
him.  Remember  the  record  given  of  that 
extraordinary  star  which  arrested  the 
attention  of  the  wise  men  in  the  east,  and 
which  they  followed  till  it  conducted 
them  to  the  very  spot  where  Jesus  Christ 
was.  Every  thing  in  the  gospel  is  to  act 
the  part  of  that  star.  If  we  fix  our  eye  on 
it,  it  will  conduct  us  to  Christ,  that  we 
may  know  him  and  love  him.  What  is 
the  gospel  without  Christ  1  A  cloud 
without  water ;  a  shadow  without  a  sub- 
stance ;  a  body  without  a  spirit. 

Now,  says  the  apostle,  "  of  this  gospel 
of  Christ  I  am  not  ashamed  ;" — I  am  not 
confused  ;  it  does  not  make  me  blush  ;  I 
am  not  discouraged  by  any  thing  in  the 
gospel. 


Let  us  ask  four  questions  here. 
Of  what  is  this  spoken  ?     Of  the  gospel 
of  Christ.     As  though  the   apostle  had 
said,  I  am  not  ashamed  of  its  doctrines. 
Are  they  not  all  wise  1     Are  they  not  all 
important  ■?   Are  they  not  all  instructive  1 
Are  they  not  all  of  infinite  concern  to 
every  human  being.     What  is  there  in 
the  gospel  of  Christ  to  make  a  wise  man 
blush  ■?     The  more  carefully  and  prayer- 
fully you  examine  them,  the  more  you  see 
their  excellence  and  feel  their  importance. 
As  though  the  apostle  had  said,  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  precepts  of  the   gospel. 
Are  they  not  all  holy,  and  just,  and  good, 
and  benevolent]     What  is  there  in  any 
precept  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
which  a  good  man  can  be  ashamed  1     I 
am  not  ashamed  of  the  threatenings  of 
the  gospel.     Though   some  have  repre- 
sented them  as  harsh  and  severe,  they  are 
all  righteous,  and  they  are  all  holy  ;  they 
are  all  intended  and  directed  against  sin, 
and  are  all  calculated  to  promote  holiness 
and  happiness.    They  are,  therefore,  only 
modifications  of  the  goodness  and  love  of 
their  great  Author.    I  am  not  ashamed  of 
the  promises  of  the  gospel ;  they  contain 
the  very  things  we  want.     Are  they  not 
rich  ■?  Are  they  not  admirable  and  various? 
Are  they  not  sure  and  certain  1 — are  they 
not  "  yea  and  amen"  in  Christ  Jesus  I 
What  is  there  in  the  privileges  and  pro- 
mises of  the  gospel  to  make  a  Christian 
blush  ■?     I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  gospel.     It  is  true,  the)^  are 
few  in  number,  and  very  simple  in  their 
nature  ;   but  they  are  highly  significant ; 
they  are  full  of  meaning,  and  are  effica- 
cious  whenever   they  are  properly  dis- 
pensed and  advocated. 

I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  as  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  its  divine  Author. 
Though  meanly  born  in  Bethlehem — 
though  for  him  there  was  no  room  in  the 
inn — though  born  in  a  stable,  and  laid 
in  a  manger — though  the  reputed  son  of  a 
carpenter — though  when  he  came  forth 
from  obscurity,  and  entered  on  his  public 
ministry,  he  had  not  where  to  lay  his 
head — though  he  was  persecuted,  though 
he  was  crucified,  though  he  suffered  and 
died — though  all  this  was  true,  yet  he 
rose  triumphant  as  a  God,  and  by  his 


GLORYING  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST. 


57 


resurrection  from  the  dead  was  declared 
to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power,  accord- 
ing to  the  Spirit  of  holiness.  He  is,  there- 
fore, the  Prince  of  Life,  the  Conqueror  of 
Death,  the  Lord  of  Glory,  the  Captain  of 
our  salvation ;  and  I  am,  therefore,  not 
ashamed  of  him. 

'i<B</  ivhom  is  this  spoken  ?  "  I  am 
not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ." 
And  who  am  I?  Is  this  the  language  of 
some  individual  whose  early  prejudices, 
and  biases,  and  impressions,  were  all  in 
favour  of  the  gospel  1  And  is  he  so  com- 
pletely fettered  by  these  prejudices  of 
education  and  habit,  that  he  is  absolutely 
incompetent  fairly  and  dispassionately  to 
examine  this  gospel  1  Nay,  my  friends, 
you  know  the  reverse  of  this  was  the  fact ; 
you  know  that  all  this  man's  prejudices, 
and  early  habits,  and  impressions  were 
directly  and  violently  opposed  to  the  gos- 
pel, that  he  was  "  exceedingly  mad 
against  this  way,"  and  that  he  was  preju- 
diced, and  so  full  of  blind,  intolerant  zeal, 
that,  when  he  was  persecuting  the  friends 
of  the  gospel,  he  thought  he  was  "  doing 
God  service."  And  yet,  such  is  the  con- 
viction that  he  has  of  the  divinity  and 
efficacy  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  that 
all  his  prejudices  and  early  impressions 
were  entirely  destroyed ;  and  he  avows 
himself  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel — "  I 
am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ." 

Who  am  I?  Is  this  the  language  of 
some  individual,  with  a  warm  heart, 
indeed,  but  with  a  very  weak  head — a 
man  of  a  very  slender  understanding — a 
man  capable  of  being  carried  away  by 
strong  impulses — who  can  examine  no- 
thing, but  is  ready  to  believe  every  thing 
— a  man  without  any  learning  or  science  ] 
Is  it  so  1  We  know,  my  friends,  that  just 
the  contrary  to  this  is  the  fact.  It  is  this 
man,  emphatically  the  great — the  great 
apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  a  most  extraordi- 
nary man ; — perhaps  he  was  one  of  the 
greatest  of  all  the  great  men  that  the 
great  God  ever  made.  How  lofty  his 
powers  of  intellect! — how  keen,  how 
penetrating,  how  comprehensive  !  What 
a  mind  he  had  !  And  then  his  learning, 
too, — how  various  and  profound  ! — how 
far  beyond  his  contemporaries  !  And  yet 
this  man,  with  all  these  natural  talents. 

Vol.  I.— 8 


so  various,  so  powerful, — with  all  his 
acquired  abilities,  and  learning,  and  supe- 
rior talents, — this  man,  so  signally  and 
pre-eminently  qualified  to  examine  any 
thing  in  order  to  ascertain  its  merits  or 
derrierits, — this  great  man,  with  these 
great  powers,  here  avows  that  he  is  "  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ!"  And 
who  art  thou  that  art  arrogating  to  thyselt 
lights  superior  to  St.  Paul,  and  art  affect- 
ing to  find  things  in  the  gospel  which 
make  thee  blush?  Blush,  indeed,  for 
thyself;  and,  if  thou  canst  not  do  this, 
others  will  blush  for  thee.  Hide  thy 
diminished  head  in  the  dust !  What ! 
thou  affecting  to  be  ashamed  of  the  gospel, 
and  such  a  man  as  St.  Paul  not  ashamed 
of  it !  It  would  be  a  good  reason  for  thee, 
were  no  other  to  be  found,  rather  to  glory, 
because  St.  Paul  gloried  in  this  gospel. 
.  Let  us  ask  a  third  question.  To  whom 
was  this  spoken?  To  whom  was  this  pro- 
fession made  ]  To  some  rude,  and  remote, 
and  barbarous,  and  savage,  horde  1 — to 
men  without  any  kind  of  cultivation,  or 
science,  who  were  absolutely  incompetent 
to  examine  into  that  concerning  which 
this  man  avows  he  is  not  ashamed  1  Is 
it  so  1  No,  my  friends  ;  this  proposition 
was  addressed  to  those  who  dwelt  in  the 
imperial  city  :  this  avowal  was  made  to 
the  Romans,  the  inhabitants  of  the  capital 
city  of  the  M'orld, — Rome,  the  seat  of  uni- 
versal empire,  the  residence  of  statesmen, 
and  poets,  and  artists,  and  historians, 
and  philosophers — the  seat  of  science  and 
literature,  where  lived  men  the  splendour 
of  whose  genius  shed  a  lustre  on  the 
imperial  city  that  commanded  the  admi- 
ration of  the  world. 

Here  is  a  sort  of  implication  here,  as  if 
some  one  had  said,  St.  Paul  has  gone 
round  about,  from  Jerusalem  to  Illyricum, 
talking  about  Christ  crucified  ;  but  when 
he  is  at  Rome,  he  will  change  his  voice  ; 
he  will  blush  to  talk  about  the  cross  of 
Christ  then  ;  he  will  blush  to  talk  about 
the  cross  of  Christ  among  philosophers 
and  sages.  He  will  then  begin  to  say 
fine  things  about  the  Supreme  Being. 
He  will  begin  to  harangue  them  on  eternal 
providence,  on  the  immortality  of  the  soul ; 
but  not  a  word  will  he  say  about  the 
cross  of. Jesus  Christ. — Do  they  say  so? 


58 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


He  will  prove  the  contrary.  I  will  let 
every  one  know,  as  though  St.  Paul  said, 
when  I  get  to  Rome,  that  I  will  avow  him 
there:  I  will  not  blush  to  talk  about  him 
there  :  I  will  take  my  stand  ;  and,  stand- 
ing side  by  side  with  the  philosophers 
and  the  sages,  I  will  announce  something 
that  is  of  infinitely  more  importance  than 
any  thing  they  ever  conceived.  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel,  though  in  the 
service  of  the  gospel  I  endure  toil,  and 
insult,  and  obloquy :  I  am  not  ashamed 
of  the  gospel,  though  in  my  attempts  to 
propagate  it,  I  may  be  in  perils  often,  "  in 
perils  of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in 
perils  by  mine  own  countrymen,  in  perils 
by  the  heathen,  in  perils  in  the  city,  in 
perils'  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  in  the 
sea,  in  perils  among  false  brethren  :"  still 
I  am  not  ashamed. 

"  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel." 
Some  who  hear  me  may  understand  the 
philosophy  of  language ;  and  they  know 
that,  in  this  peculiar  form  of  speech,  there 
is  great  emphasis,  great  meaning,  more 
than  appears  on  the  face  of  it.  "  I  am 
not  ashamed  of  the  gospel."  It  is  equal 
to  the  most  courageous  and  triumphant 
avowal  of  the  gospel :  as  though  he  said. 
So  far  am  I  from  being  ashamed  of  the 
gospel,  that  I  make  my  boast  of  the  gos- 
pel ;  so  far  am  I  from  being  dishonoured 
by  the  gospel,  that  the  gospel  is  to  me 
my  greatest  glory,  my  honour,  my  crown. 
As  though  he  had  said,  I  despise  every 
thing  in  comparison  with  the  gospel. 
Had  he  learning]  Yes,  he  had,  and  knew 
its  worth.  I  despise  all  my  learning,  in 
comparison  with  the  gospel.  Had  he 
science'?  Yes,  he  had,  and  knew  its 
use.  I  despise  all  my  science,  in  com- 
parison of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Had  he 
talents  ■?  Yes,  and  of  a  very  high  order. 
I  despise  all  my  talents,  in  comparison 
with  the  gospel.  I  will  bring  all  my  ho- 
nours to  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  say, 
"  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory,  save  in 
the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  I 
am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  when  I  am 
at  liberty — I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gos- 
pel when  I  am  in  bonds — I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel  when  I  am  among 
its  friends — I  blush  not  to  acknowledge  it 
among  its  foes  : — I  am  not  ashamed  of  the 


gospel  while  I  have  life — I  will  not  be 
ashamed  of  it  when  I  die. 

Now,  for  a  profession  like  this,  such  a 
man  must  have  had  some  good  reason  to 
assign,  something  to  justify  the  profes- 
sion. What  was  it  1  Does  he  say,  "  I 
am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ" 
because  it  is  true  ■?  Had  it  been  false,  he 
would  have  blushed  to  own  it.  Does  he 
say,  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  ot 
Christ,"  not  only  because  it  is  true,  but 
because  it  is  important?  Had  it  been  a 
frivolous  thing,  he  would  have  been 
ashamed  to  go  about  proclaiming  it.  Does 
he  say,  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gos- 
pel," because  it  is  Christ's  gospel  ?  On 
the  admission  that  the  gospel  comes  from 
Christ,  it  follows  that  we  have  no  more 
reason  to  be  ashamed  of  the  gospel,  than 
of  Christ,  its  author;  it  follows  that 
whatever  comes  from  him  must  be 
worthy  of  him.  Another  reason,  how- 
ever, is  assigned  :  "I  am  not  ashamed  of 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  ybr  it  is  the  p.wer  cf 
God  unto  salvation,  to  every  one  that  he- 
lievcth.^^  Not  only  in  point  of  theory  is 
it  worthy  the  approbation  of  every  well- 
constituted  mind ;  but,  in  point  fc^  fact, 
brought  to  the  testof  experience,  it  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one 
that  believeth  :  a  good  reason  this. 

In  this  general  view,  there  are  two  or 
three  things  to  be  noticed. 

The  first  is,  the  divine  energy  of  the 
gospel :  "  the  power  of  God."  What  is 
this  power  1  There  was,  you  are  aware, 
a  marvellous  power,  whicli  marked  the 
first  promulgation  of  the  gospel :  the  men 
who  announced  the  good  news  were  ena- 
bled to  authenticate  the  tidings  they 
published,  by  performing  many  illustrious 
miracles.  Now  there  seemed  a  peculiar 
fitness  in  this,  under  the  then  existing 
circumstances.  It  is  very  true  that,  when 
they  preached  the  gospel  to  their  coun- 
trymen, the  Jews,  they  had  the  Jewish 
Scriptures  to  appeal  to,  and  they  reasoned 
out  of  the  Scriptures,  proving  from  them 
that  Jesus  was  Christ.  But  what  could 
they  do  when  they  went  among  Greeks 
and  Romans  1  There  were  no  Jewish 
Scriptures  to  which  they  could  appeal, 
then  :  and,  therefore,  it  seemed  peculiarly 
fit,  the  great  Author  of  the  gospel  should 


GLORYING  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST. 


59 


accredit  these  men,  by  investing  them 
with  extraordinary  powers,  enablino-  thorn 
to  work  miracles  in  confirmation  of  the 
message.  They  preached  the  gospel ;  and 
then  they  proved  that  the  message  they 
delivered  was  from  God,  by  healing  the 
sick,  cleansing  the  leper,  giving  sight  to 
the  blind,  raising  the  dead — performing 
all  these  miracles  and  mighty  deeds,  on 
purpose  to  authenticate  their  message. 

You  are  aware  that  many  expositors, 
and  many  Christian  preachers,  have  thus 
interpreted  the  energy  of  which  the  apostle 
here  speaks.  However,  with  all  deference 
to  very  high  names,  I  beg  to  state  that  I 

v^  do  not  think  that  the  apostle  here  princi- 
pally,if  at  all,  refers  to  miraculous  powers. 
The  apostle  is  here  speaking  of  a  power 
that  was  universal  among  all  believers — 
a  power  that  reaches  "  to  every  one  that 
believeth."  But  there  is  no  evidence  that 
the  power  to  work  miracles  was  given  to 
every  believer  in  the  primitive  church. 
There  were  some  churches,  which  were 
highly  distinguished  in  this  way — the 
church  of  Corinth,  for  example;  but  it 
does  not  appear  that  all  had  this  power; 
all  did  not  heal  the  sick,  all  did  not  raise 
the  dead.  The  apostle  is  here  speaking 
of  a  power  that  is   universal    as   faith  ; 

\  every  believer  was  under  the  influence  of 
this  power,  but  every  believer  had  not 
the  power  to  work  miracles :  the  apostle, 
therefore,  does  not  refer  to  this.  Besides, 
he  is  speaking  of  a  power  connected  with 
salvation ;  and  I  confess  I  do  not  see  the 
connexion  between  the  power  to  work 
miracles  and  the  conversion  of  a  man's 
soul.  I  think  the  two  things  are  essen- 
tially distinct ;  and  I  think  there  may  be 
the  one  where  the  other  is  not.  Read  St. 
Paul's  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  and  see 
how  I  am  there  borne  out  in  this  remark. 
How  many  had  the  one  who  M'ere  sadly 
deficient  in  the  other  !  And  does  not  the 
apostle  suppose — and,  under  the  influence 
of  plenary  inspiration,  he  could  not  have 
supposed  a  thing  that  could  not  have 
happened — he  supposed  that  a  man  may 
have  the  power  to  work  miracles,  and  even 
to  remove  mountains,  though  his  heart 
may  be  destitute  of  vital  piety  :  whereas, 
he  is  here  speaking  of  a  power  that  is 
"  unto  salvation.*' 


There  are  two  senses  in  which  the  gos- 
pel is  the  power  of  God,  independently 
of  the  power  to  work  miracles.  The  gos- 
pel, as  a  system  of  divine  truth,  is  the  most 
powerful  thing  the  world  ever  saw.  How 
powerful  in  its  authority !  It  comes 
clothed  in  the  authority  of  Him  whose 
will  is  law,  and  whose  power  is  absolute. 
How  powerful  again  in  its  evidence ! 
Is  it  not  attested  by  all  the  evidence  of 
which,  from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  it 
is  capable  ?  How  powerful  in  its  mo- 
tives !  Oh,  how  stirring  are  the  motives 
of  the  gospel !  How  powerful  in  its 
influence  !  What  powerful  representa- 
tions does  it  present  before  us  of  the  evil 
of  sin — that  odious  and  abominable  thing 
which  a  holy  God  hateth  !  How  power- 
ful, again,  in  its  representations  of  the 
beauty  of  holiness  !  How  lovely,  and 
attractive,  and  powerful,  and  moving,  in 
its  displays  of  the  mercy  of  God,  of  the 
love  of  Christ,  of  the  joy  of  religion, — of 
the  felicities  of  heaven, — of  the  torments 
of  hell !  How  does  it  address  those  two 
great  movers  of  the  human  mind  and  cha- 
racter— hope,  and  fear  ! — fear  of  the  evil 
we  have  to  experience — hope  of  the  good 
we  have  to  receive.  It  connects  eternity 
with  time, — it  is  a  powerful  hammer  to 
break  the  rocky  heart  in  pieces — it  is  a 
powerful  fire  to  penetrate  into  the  inmost 
recesses  of  the  human  mind. 

There  is,  however,  a  still  higher  sense 
in  which  the  gospel  is  the  power  of  God. 
I  know  the  gospel  is  truth — and,  there- 
fore, it  is  powerful ;  simple  truth — and, 
therefore,  more  powerful ;  divine  truth — 
and,  therefore,  most  powerful  of  all  truth. 
And  we  must  take  care  we  do  not  attri- 
bute too  much  to  the  mere  letter  of  the 
gospel,  to  the  mere  sentiments  and  ideas 
of  the  gospel.  The  gospel  is  the  power  of 
God,  because  it  is  the  ordinary  instru>nent 
whereby  the  energy  of  God,  the  Holy  Ghost, 
is  communicated  to  the  hearts  of  men.  The 
gospel  is  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit, 
and  the  Spirit  is  a  dispensation  of  power; 
and,  where  the  gospel  is  faithfully 
preached,  the  Spirit  of  power  is  present ; 
so  that  while  the  word  of  the  gospel  falls 
on  the  ear,  and  the  ideas  of  the  gospel 
are  communicated  to  the  understanding, 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  touches  the 


60 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


heart  and  the  conscience,  and  the  gospel 
comes  "  not  in  word  only,"  though  it 
does  come  in  word,  "but  also  in  power, 
and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  much 
assurance." 

Take  into  consideration  the/our  follow- 
ing circumstances,  and  try  to  ascertain  the 
greatness  of  that  power  that  marked  the 
first  propagation  of  the  gospel. 

In  the  first  place,  the poiverful,  combined, 
and  universal  opposition  which  it  had  to 
contend  with.  Every  thing  rose  in  oppo- 
sition against  the  gospel ;  all  the  preju- 
dices of  the  people,  all  the  bad  passions 
of  the  people,  all  the  institutions  of  the 
people,  the  craft  of  the  people  being  in 
danger — yea,  and  the  civil  arm,  too,  lifted 
up,  and  the  whole  world  in  arms  against 
the  gospel. 

Then,  again,  the  feeble,  and  slender,  and 
(humanly  speaking)  incompetent  instru- 
ments employed.  What,  was  a  considerable 
army  sent  forth  in  full  equipment,  with 
fire  and  sword,  to  dragoon  the  nations  into 
a  profession  of  Christian  faith  1  No,  my 
friends,  the  weapons  of  their  warfare  were 
not  carnal.  There  is  no  way  by  which 
coercion  can  travel  and  arrive  at  a  man's 
mind ;  mental  error  cannot  be  cut  to 
pieces  by  the  sword.  These  men  went 
forth — twelve  simple,  artless  men — pen- 
nyless  and  powerless  ;  with  nothing  but 
simple  truth  to  publish,  and  in  that  name 
to  conquer  the  world  ;  the  world  being  up 
ill  arms  against  them  wherever  they  go, 
and  yet  the  world  conquered  by  them  ! 

Think,  in  the  next  place,  what  the  gos- 
pel had  to  do.  It  had  to  produce  a  moral 
renovation ;  it  had  to  illuminate  the 
mind,  to  sanctify  the  heart,  to  regulate 
the  life,  to  make  all  things  new.  I  do 
not  wonder,  then,  that  these  were  said  to 
be  men  who  "  turned  the  world  upside 
down."  Yes,  indeed ;  but  the  moral 
world  was  wrong  side  up.  And  yet  it 
triumphed. 

Think  of  the  extent  of  the  triumph.  To 
such  an  extent  did  they  carry  the  gospel 
that  the  language  which  the  Psalmist 
uttered,  in  reference  to  the  heavenly 
bodies,  was  applied  to  the  extensive  con- 
quests of  these  men  by  the  gospel : 
"  Their  line  is  gone  through  all  the  earth, 
and  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world." 


Think,  then,  of  this  universal  opposi- 
tion— think  of  the  feeble  instruments  em- 
ployed— think  of  what  the  gospel  had  to 
do,  and  the  wide  extent  to  which  it 
travelled  and  triumphed,  and  say,  was 
not  this  the  power  of  God]  On  what 
other  principle  can  you  possibly  account 
for  the  fact,  that  the  gospel,  under  such 
circumstances,  did  thus  triumph  1 

Ah,  my  friends  !  and  the  gospel  is  still 
the  power  of  God.  I  confess  to  you  all, 
that  if  I  did  not  believe  the  gospel  still  to 
be  the  power  of  God,  I  should  utterly 
despair  of  any  such  effects.  One  man 
cannot  change  the  heart  of  another.  Not 
the  language  employed — not  the  ideas 
communicated  ;  oh,  no  !  there  must  be  an 
energy  divine ;  the  power  of  the  Lord 
must  be  present,  and  that  power  must 
apply  the  truth ;  and,  therefore,  we  see 
the  power  of  God  still  manifested.  Take 
an  instance  now. 

On  Sabbath  evening  last  but  one,  in 
the  town  of  Devonport,  a  poor,  besotted, 
careless  old  man — an  old  man-of-war's 
man,  I  believe — came  into  the  chapel, 
and  those  who  knew  him  best,  believed  he 
had  never  spent  five  minutes  in  his  life  in 
thinking,  "  What  am  1 1  Whither  am  1 
going?  Is  there  another  world  ?  Have 
I  a  soul  as  well  as  a  body  1"  He  saw  a 
large  crowd,  and  he  thought  he  would 
try  to  get  in.  He  succeeded  in  the  at- 
tempt ;  and  it  pleased  the  Lord,  though 
the  preacher  drew  the  bow  at  a  venture, 
to  direct  an  arrow  that  hit,  and  an  arrow 
that  pierced  that  old  sailor's  inmost  soul, 
and  to  stick  fast  there  ;  he  was  judged  ot 
all — he  was  condemned  of  all ;  the  tears 
began  to  gush  from  those  eyes  that  had 
scarcely  ever  wept  before,  and  he  began 
to  sigh.  As  he  returned  home,  he  wept, 
and  said  to  a  person,  "  I  cannot  rest  till 
God  has  mercy  on  me ;  my  conscience 
condemns  me:  I  am  guilty;  I  am  pe- 
rishing; what  shall  I  do  V  And  the  per- 
son told  me,  the  following  evening,  that 
he  was  still  pleading  with  the  Lord,  de- 
termined not  to  rest  till  he  found  redemp- 
tion in  the  blood  of  Christ.  Now,  I  ask 
you,  what  was  that  but  the  power  of  God  ? 

Take  another  instance  illustrative  of  the 
power  of  the  gospel. 

Here  is  a  Pharisee  (the  Pharisees  were 


GLORYING  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST. 


61 


not  peculiar  to  the  Jews  of  old   time  ; 
there  are  Pharisees  under  the  Christian 
name  and   garb,  who  think   themselves 
righteous  and  despise  others,)  here  is  an 
old  man,  now,  grey  in  his  Pharisaism  ; 
and,  in  the  pride  of  his  heart,  he  has  been 
saying,  many  years,  "  Stand  by,  for  I  am 
holier  than  thou."     Many  a  time  he  has 
affected  to  thank  his  Maker  that  he  was 
not  as  other  men — no  drunkard,  no  pro- 
fane swearer,  no  Sabbath-breaker.    Many 
a  time  has  he  said,   "  All  these  things 
have  I  kept  from  my  youth  up."   He  has 
erected  for  himself,  by  his  own  skill,  and 
by  the  might   of  his  own  arm,   a  lofty 
superstructure  of  self-righteousness,  and 
thinks  the  materials  of  it  very  sound,  and 
considers  himself  perfectly  secure  in  it. 
Even  this  is  brought  into  contact  with 
the  gospel ;    and  what  is  the  gospel  in 
such  a  case  1     It  is  a  conductor  to  convey 
the   lightning,   not    from    it,   but  to  it. 
Struck  by  the  lightning  of  heaven,  the 
power  of  God,  this  superstructure  of  self- 
righteousness  is  shivered  to  atoms,  and 
all  the  props,  and  pillars,  and  depend- 
encies  of   the   Pharisee   are    broken   to 
pieces ;  and  there  you  behold  him  on  his 
knees,  with  uplifted  hands  and  contrite 
heart,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  saying, 
"  God    be   merciful   to   me   a   sinner !" 
What  is  this  ?    This  is  the  power  of  God. 
The  gospel  has  not  lost  its  power ;  the 
gospel  is  still  accompanied  by  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Spirit.  Here  lies  our  strength 
— here  lies  our  hope.      The  gospel  is 
powerful  to  wound,  and  it  is  powerful  to 
heal ;  it  is  powerful  to  pull  down,  and  it 
is   powerful  to  build  up   again ;    it    is 
powerful  to  kill  a  man's  self-confidence, 
and  it  will  save  "  with  all  the  power  of 
an  endless  life."      And,  therefore,  the 
apostle  speakfe   of  the  saving  efficacy  of 
this  gospel :  "  it  is  the  power  of  God  to 
salvation."    The  salvation  of  the  gospel 
is  a  salvation  from  sin.     Man  has  sinned 
— all  have  sinned  ;  and,  because  all  have 
sinned,  all  are  guilty ;  and,  because  all 
are  guilty,  all  are  obnoxious  to  punish- 
ment.    But  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Saviour ; 
he  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners ; 
to  save  sinners  he  lived,  to  save  sinners 
he  died,  to  save  sinners  he  rose  from  the 
dead,  to  save  sinners  he  took  human  na- 


ture up  to  the  right  hand  of  tlie  Majesty 
on  high,  where  "  he  ever  liveth  to  make 
intercession  for  the  transgressors ;"  and 
"  he  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost 
all  that  come  unto  God  by  him."  He 
saves  from  sin,  from  the  guilt  and  power 
of  sin,  from  the  pollution  of  sin,  and  from 
the  penalty  due  to  sin. 

Now,  the  gospel  not  only  unfolds  this 
salvation  in  all  its  length,  and  breadth, 
and  fulness,  and  glory,  but  it  becomes 
the  instrument  of  communicating  the  sal- 
vation it  has  to  unfold.  Look  at  the  man 
who  is  saved  by  the  gospel ;  his  mind  is 
enlightened,  his  will  is  subdued,  his 
conscience  is  washed  from  guilt,  his 
affections  are  sanctified,  his  life  is  formed 
according  to  the  precepts  of  the  gospel ; 
he  becomes,  not  physically,  but  spiritually 
and  morally,  a  new  creature.  He  is  saved 
from  darkness  to  light;  he  is  saved 
from  bondage  to  glorious  liberty ;  he  is 
saved  from  sin  to  holiness ;  he  is  saved 
from  misery  to  happiness ;  he  is  saved 
from  death  to  life.  Look  at  this  man,  and 
see  the  happy  change  that  has  taken 
place,  and  ask  by  what  this  is  produced"? 
By  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Shall  we,  then, 
be  ashamed  of  it] — of  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  that  saves  men — that  makes  men 
wise,  and  happy,  and  holy  in  themselves 
— the  gospel  of  Christ,  by  the  power  and 
influence  of  which  vice  is  subdued,  so 
that  he  who  was  a  drunkard  is  become 
sober,  and  he  who  was  a  swearer  fears  an 
oath,  and  he  who  was  dissolute  becomes 
chaste  \  And  by  what  means  was  this 
effected  1     By  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

The  gospel  of  Christ  has  done  more  to 
make  men  holy  and  happy  in  a  few  weeks 
or  months  than  all  the  boasted  systems 
of  philosophy  and  science  put  forth  by 
the  sages  of  Greece  and  Rome  could  ef- 
fect in  ages.  They  could  not  bring  the 
inhabitants  of  an  obscure  village  to  live 
according  to  their  views  of  moral  science. 
But  oh,  what  does  the  gospel  accom 
plish !  I  do  not  wonder  that  not  a  man 
durst  accept  the  challenge  of  St.  Paul : — 
"  Where  is  the  wise  1  Where  is  the 
scribe  ?  Where  is  the  disputer  of  this 
world  ■?"  Ah,  where  are  you  now  %  \  ou 
laughed  at  me  and  the  gospel — you 
thought  I  was  a  foolish  man,  and  had  no- 
F 


62 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


ihin^  but  the  foolishness  of  folly  to  pro- 
claim !  But  where  are  the  elements  with 
which  you  were  to  renovate  mankind  ^ 
Where  are  the  victories  you  have  won  1 
Where  are  the  trophies  of  your  triumphs  1 
If  you  have  conquered  to  this  extent,  point 
us  to  the  countries — tell  us  where  the 
countries  are.  Not  a  man  of  them  has  a 
word  to  say.  But  St.  Paul  could  point 
to  many  nations  which  had  been  subdued 
by  the  gospel  to  the  obedience  of  the 
faith. 

Let  it  be  observed,  however,  that  this 
gospel  is  the  power  of  God  to  every  one 
that  believeth — not  to  every  one  that  kear^ 
etk  ;  it  is  one  thing  to  hear  the  gospel,  and 
it  is  another  thing  to  believe  the  gospel 
so  as  to  be  saved  by  it.  On  this  point, 
our  individual,  personal  salvation,  hangs 
— "  to  every  one  that  believeth" — be- 
lieveth what  1  To  every  •  one  that  be- 
lieveth the  gospel  to  be  of  Christ,  to  be 
what  it  professes  to  be — and  who  gives 
full  credence  to  the  testimony  that  "  this 
is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all 
acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus  came  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners ;"  and  that 
there  is  no  other  name  given  amongst  men 
whereby  they  may  be  saved. 

I  know  that  some  people,  very  incau- 
tiously, as  it  seems  to  me,  undervalue 
this  ;  and  I  have  heard  persons  say  it  is 
nothing  to  believe  this.  We  know  it  is 
something.  A  man  may  be  saved  from 
infidelity  who  believes  the  gospel  to  be 
true,  and  who  believes  Jesus  to  be  the 
Son  of  God.  Still  there  are  those  who 
tell  us  that  they  believe  the  gospel  is  of 
divine  origin,  and  yet  are  not  saved  ;  the 
credence  which  they  attach  to  testimony 
does  not  exert  any  influence  on  their 
hearts  or  conduct ;  they  are  living  "  with- 
out God  in  the  world  ;"  their  faith  does 
not  come  up  to  the  apostolic  standard. 
What  believing  in  order  to  be  saved  is, 
we  are  told  by  St.  Paul  in  another  pldfce, 
when  he  says,  "  With  the  heart  man  be- 
lieveth unto  righteousness."  He  does 
not  say  with  the  head  merely,  or  with  the 
understanding  ;  I  know  the  understanding 
will  perceive  that  I  am  a  sinner,  and  that 
Christ  is  the  Saviour;  but  I  must  not 
stop  here  ;  if  I  do,  I  stop  short  of  salva- 
(Toii      There  must  be  the  dedication  of 


the  heart  to  Christ;  there  must  be  the 
submission  of  the  will  to  Christ — the  close 
determination  of  the  will ;  and  there  must 
be  the  embracing  of  the  Saviour  with  all 
the  affections  of  the  heart.  Thus  man, 
believing  with  the  heart  unto  righteous- 
ness, confession  is  made  with  the  tongue 
unto  salvation  :  and,  my  fellow-sinner,  if 
thou  "  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be 
saved  :"  according  to  thy  faith  it  shall  be 
done  unto  thee — in  every  step  of  thy  reli- 
gious progress,  and  in  the  way  of  spiritual 
attainment,  it  shall  be  done  according  to 
thy  faith.  Thus  believing  becomes  a 
settled  habit;  and  thus  the  Christian  lives 
by  faith,  and  is  saved  by  faith. 

Observe  the  impartiality  of  this — "  7b 
every  one  that  believeth  ;  to  the  Jew  first, 
and  also  to  the  Greek ;"  for  "  unto  the 
Gentiles  also  hath  God  granted  repent- 
ance unto  life."  "  To  every  one  that 
believeth,"  without  respect  to  condition — 
whether  they  are  high  or  low,  whether 
th'ey  are  rich  or  poor,  noble  or  ignoble. 
There  is  not  one  salvation  for  a  rich  man, 
and  another  for  a  poor  man :  no,  it  must 
be  by  faith,  simple  faith  in  Christ  Jesus. 
"  To  every  one  that  believeth,"  without 
respect  to  colour ;  for  souls  have  no  dis- 
criminating hues ;  God  has  made  and 
redeemed  by  his  blood  all  nations  that 
dwell  on  the  face  of  the  earth ;  to  every 
one,  therefore,  from  the  fair  European  to 
Afric's  sable  son,  it  will  apply  ;  from  the 
everlasting  snow  and  frost  and  ice  of 
Greenland  and  Lapland,to  the  paradisaical 
islands  that  lie  on  the  bosom  of  the  South- 
ern Ocean.  The  gospel,  being  a  universal 
remedy,  will  operate  in  every  tempera- 
ture, from  the  frigid  to  the  torrid  zone ; 
and,  wherever  it  is  truly  received,  it 
works  effectually  in  them  that  believe. 
"  To  every  one  that  believeth,"  without 
regard  to  circumstances;  for  in  Jesus 
Christ  there  is  neither  Greek  nor  Jew, 
circumcision,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bond 
nor  free ;  but  Christ  is  all,  and  in  all." 

"  To  every  one  that  believeth" — with- 
out regard  to  language  or  tongue.  The 
period  shall  come  when  the  gospel  shall 
be  published,  and  when  the  gospel  shall 
be  embraced  by  all  the  languages  of  this 


GLORYING  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST. 


63 


babbling  world  1  What  a  miracle  was 
that  which  took  place  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost— when  the  apostles  of  our  Lord  in 
a  single  moment  received  the  knowledge 
of  languages  they  had  never  studied  in 
the  ordinary  way;  and  received  the  power 
to  give  utterance  to  their  sentiments  most 
correctly  and  fluently — which  was  a 
greater  miracle  still ;  so  that  these  Par- 
thians,  and  Medes,  and  Elamites,  the 
dwellers  in  Mesopotamia  and  in  Judea, 
Cretes  and  Arabians,  and  others  which 
are  mentioned,  all  heard  the  apostles 
speak  every  man  in  the  language  wherein 
he  was  born — that  is,  the  language  spoken 
in  the  country  of  their  birth — the  wonder- 
ful works  of  God.  Think  you  that  this 
was  not  designed  by  Providence  to  be  a 
sort  of  earnest  and  specimen  of  what  will 
assuredly  take  place  when,  by  means  of 
Bible  institutions  and  missionary  efforts, 
the  languages  of  the  world  shall  have  the 
word  of  God  rendered  into  them  (and  into 
a  large  portion  has  it  already  been  ren- 
dered) and  the  word  of  God  preached  in 
those  languages — so  that  not  only  Euro- 
pean and  American,  but  Asiatic  and  Afri- 
can, and  those  that  dwell  in  the  remote 
islands  of  the  sea,  shall  hear  Christ  and 
the  apostles,  and  Moses  and  the  prophets, 
declare  the  wonderful  works  of  God  in 
the  redemption  and  salvation  of  men. 

Now,  see  how  all  this  bears  on  the  pro- 
fession made  by  the  apostle  :  "  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ;  for  it  is 
the  power  of  God  to  salvation  to  every  one 
that  believeth,"  Had  it  been  a  power- 
less thing,  the  apostle  would  have  blushed 
to  have  been  identified  with  it;  had  it 
been  powerful  to  destroy,  and  not  to  save, 
he  would  have  been  ashamed  to  own  it; 
had  it  been  designed  for  the  benefit  of  a 
few  individuals,  the  apostle  would  never 
have  laboured  for  its  propagation.  But, 
when  he  says  it  is  the  power  of  God,  not 
to  destroy,  but  to  save — when  he  says, 
"  It  is  the  power  of  God  to  every  one  that 
believeth,"  good  reason  had  he  to  say — 
good  reason  have  we  also  to  say,  "  I  am 
not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ." 

Let  us  learn  from  this  subject  the  evil  of 
religious  cowardice,  and  take  care  to  avoid 
it.  If  the  apostle  had  been  a  coward,  the 
avowal  in  the  text  would  never  have  been 


made ;  had  he  been  a  coward  in  the  ser- 
vice of  his  Master,  the  declaration  of  the 
text  had  never  been  recorded ;  had  himselt 
and  his  colleagues  been  cowards,  they 
had  not  gone  on  in  the  face  of  opposition, 
and  insult,  and  danger,  and  death ;  but, 
when  persecution  arose,  every  one  of  them 
could  say,  "  None  of  these  things  move 
me,  neither  count  I  my  life  dear  unto 
myself,  so  that  I  might  finish  my  course 
with  joy,  and  the  ministry  which  I  have 
received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the 
gospel  of  the  grace  of  God."  I  know  but 
one  instance  in  which  Paul  was  nearly  ^ 
overcome  ;  and  that  was  when  his  courage 
and  his  heroism  were  nearly  overpowered 
by  the  sympathy  and  tenderness  of  his 
friends,  recorded  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles. The  servant  of  the  Lord  had 
preached,  and  Jesus  had  blessed  his 
preaching;  he  had  given  his  servant 
seals  to  his  ministry,  and  they  were  his 
spiritual  children.  Ah,  but  he  must  leave 
them !  The  parting  work  was  hard 
work,  and  their  tears  -all  but  overcame 
the  apostle.  And  what  said  he  ?  "  What 
mean  ye  to  weep,  and  to  break  mine 
heart ■?"  I  can  face  danger;  I  can  look 
my  enemies  in  the  face  ;  I  hesitate  not  to 
declare  the  gospel,  though  stripes  and 
imprisonments  await  me  ;  I  can  go  to  the 
stake  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel ;  I  can 
endure  all  this ;  but  these  tears  overcome 
me  I  "  Whatf  mean  ye  to  weep,  and  to 
break  mine  heart?"  No  ;  he  remembered 
whose  servant  he  was ;  he  remembered 
the  high  office  he  sustained ;  and,  sum- 
moning up  all  his  courage,  rising  above 
the  tenderness  of  friendship,  he  exclaimed, 
"  I  am  ready  to  go  bound  to  Jerusalem,  and 
to  die  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  !" 

But  who  are  the  men  who  are  ashamed 
of  the  gospel  ?  Certainly  there  is  no  being 
in  heaven  who  is  ashamed  of  the  gospel ; 
angels  are  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel ; 
"  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory 
that  should  follow,"  were  the  things  which 
"  the  angels  desired  to  look  into."  The 
redeemed  of  Adam's  race  that  are  hal- 
lowed and  made  meet  for  heaven,  and 
who  have  obtained  admission  there — they 
are  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel ;  they  are 
attributing  to  the  gosp'^'  the  glory  of  con 
ducting  them  to  that '  '.©issed  inheritance 


64 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


of  light  and  love.  Where,  then,  do  we 
find  those  who  are  ashamed  of  the  gospel  1 
Do  you  think  any  of  the  beings  in  the  in- 
fernal world  would  be  ashamed  of  it  could 
it  be  preached  to  them  as  the  instrument 
of  salvation'?  Would  not  every  eye 
glisten,  and  every  countenance  beam  with 
attention  ?  Ah  !  but  their  doom  is  sealed  ! 
Their  harvest  is  past ! — Their  summer  is 
ended  ! — They  cannot  be  saved  ! 

Where,  then,  do  we  find  those  who  are 
ashamed  of  the  gospel]  Why,  if  they 
can  be  found  any  where,  they  must  be 
found  on  earth ;  they  are  nowhere  else. 
Can  we  find  any  among  the  truly  wise, 
the  truly  good,  the  truly  useful,  the  truly 
holy  1  I  know  no  such  person.  Who 
are  the  men  that  are  ashamed  of  the  gos- 
pel ]  Why  the  men  who  ought  to  be 
ashamed  of  themselves  !  What!  ashamed 
of  the  system  of  divine  truth — a  system 
that  is  full  of  goodness,  and  benevolence, 
and  holiness — a  system  so  worthy  of  God, 
so  adapted  to  the  circumstances  of  men ! 
Ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ! — No, 
no !  Let  the  proud,  haughty  infidel  be 
ashamed  of  his  gloomy  and  degraded 
system,  (if  system  it  may  be  called,)  a 
system  which  degrades  man  into  a  kind 
of  rational  animal,  making  him  the  inha- 
bitant of  a  body  which,  when  it  has 
answered  its  purpose,  for  any  thing  he 
can  tell  to  the  contrary,  must  be  laid  in 
darkness  and  in  death,  qjid  man  must 
cease  to  be.  Is  this  the  dignity  of  human 
nature  1  What  was  the  case  with  respect 
to  one  of  those  blood-stained  infidels  in 
this  metropolis,  eight  or  ten  years  ago  1 
At  the  fatal  spot,  just  before  the  men 
were  sent  out  of  time  into  eternity,  with 
a  levity  and  impiety  that  outraged  all 
decency,  he  exclaimed  at  the  last  mo- 
ment, "  We  shall  soon  learn  the  secret." 
To  learn  the  secret — but  to  learn  it  when 
it  is  too  late !  "  0  my  soul,  come  not 
thou  into  their  secret ;  unto  their  assem- 
bly, mine  honour,  be  not  thou  united  !" 
Ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ! — Let 
the  wicked  profligate  blush  at  his  deeds 
of  darkness  that  will  not  bear  the  light, 
and  which  he  will  not  bring  to  the  light, 
lest  they  be  made  manifest;  but  never 
let  the  Christian  blush  to  own  the  holy 
gospel.  Ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ! 


— Where  is  the  philosopher  that  is 
ashamed  of  the  God  of  nature]  And 
shall  you  and  I,  then,  be  ashamed  of  the 
God  of  grace  1  Ashamed  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ! — Where  is  the  Jew  that  is 
ashamed  of  Moses  1  And  shall  the 
Christian  and  the  Christian  minister  be 
ashamed  of  Christ?  God  forbid! 
Ashamed  of  Christ! — No,  no!  let  me  be 
ashamed  of  myself,  (much  reason  have  I 
for  that),  but  never  let  me  be  ashamed  ot 
Christ !  Ashamed  of  the  gospel !  no : 
let  me  be  ashamed  of  the  world,  but 
never,  never  let  me  be  ashamed  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ! 

Learn,  my  friends,  the  necessity  of  con- 
sistency in  your  religious  pnfession.  See 
the  consistency  of  this  profession  of  the 
text :  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ;  it  is  the  power  of  God  to 
salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth." 
How  do  you  sustain  and  justify  that  pro- 
fession ]  Is  there  harmony  between  your 
profession  and  your  actions  ]  Do  you 
who  say  you  are  not  ashamed  of  the  gos- 
pel realize  its  efficacy  1  Can  you  assign 
this  as  the  reason  why  you  are  not  ashamed 
of  it — because  it  has  saved  you  from  sin, 
saved  you  from  all  unchristian  tempers, 
dispositions,  and  desires  ?  Are  you 
ashamed,  my  dear  friends  ?  In  vain  do 
you  say  you  are  not  ashamed  of  the  gos-\ 
pel,  unless  you  have  this  reason  to  give — 
"  it  is  the  power  of  God  to  salvation." 
Have  you  so  believed  as  to  be  saved  ] 
Have  not  some  Christian  professors  need 
to  be  admonished  here.  There  is  a  want 
of  harmony  between  the  words  of  the  lips, 
and  the  works  of  the  lives  1  You  are  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel,  and  yet  live  in  op- 
position to  the  gospel ;  not  ashamed  of 
the  gospel,  and  yet  violating  the  precepts 
of  the  gospel.  Not  ashamed  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ !  But  the  gospel  of  Christ 
is  ashamed  of  you.  Not  ashamed  of  the 
ministers  and  friends  of  the  gospel ;  but 
the  ministers  and  friends  of  the  gospel  are 
ashamed  of  you  !  Not  ashamed  to  con- 
fess Christ  crucified  before  men  ;  but, 
unless  you  are  speedily  changed,  and 
saved  by  the  gospel — of  you — yes,  of  you, 
will  Jesus  Christ  be  ashamed  before  his 
Father  and  his  holy  angels.  May  God 
give  you  repentance  unto  life ! 


GLORYING  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST. 


65 


As  the  g'ospel  of  Christ  is  the  power  of 
God  to  salvation  to  them  that  believe,  let 
those  who  have  through  grace  believed,  and 
have  realized  the  saving  power  of  his  gospel, 
zealouslij  and praclically  acknowled ge  their 
obligation  to  make  it  known  to  others.  It  is 
our  mercy  that  we  have  the  gospel.  How 
great  a  blessing  is  it !  How  rich  a  trea- 
sure is  it !  And  what  has  it  not  done  for 
us  !  How  it  has  blessed  us,  and  saved 
us  !  But  we  have  it  not  for  ourselves 
merely — not  for  our  personal  benefit  ex- 
clusively :  we  have  it  for  others,  to  bless 
others  as  Avell  as  ourselves.  There  is  a 
sense  in  w^hich  every  Christian  minister, 
and  every  Christian  believer,  as  well  as 
St.  Paul,  is  a  trustee  allowed  of  God  to 
be  put  in  trust  of  the  gospel,  intrusted 
with  the  gospel  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  have  it  not.  Therefore,  you  are  the 
debtors ;  and  in  debt  you  remain  till  you 
impart  to  them  the  gospel  of  God.  Can 
it  be  that  we  feel  this  power,  enjoy  this 
liberty,  participate  in  these  blessings  our- 
selves, and  be  unconcerned  for  those  who 
are  destitute  1 

Can  it  be  that  I  am  in  the  road  to  heaven, 
and  wish  to  travel  there  alone  1  Can  it 
be  that  I  am  saved  of  the  Lord  myself, 
and  have  no  concern  that  my  fellow-sin- 
ners should  be  saved  1  I  profess  to  j'ou 
I  see  not  how  it  can  be.  The  religion  of 
the  gospel  is  essentially  diffusive  in  its 
nature,  diffusive  as  the  breadth  of  the 
earth  ;  and,  in  proportion  as  our  hearts  are 
brought  under  its  influence,  however  con- 
tracted before,  they  are  now  expanded 
and  drawn  out ;  we  wish  our  fellow-men 
to  become  our  fellow-subjects  in  the  king- 
dom of  heaven ;  we  wish  them  all  to  be- 
come partakers  of  "  like  precious  faith 
with  us,"  and  to  be  "  fellow-heirs  of  the 
same  hope."  Our  gracious  Lord  says, 
"  Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give." 
Why,  we  have  given  something ;  how 
little  !  We  have  felt  something ;  but  how 
little  !  We  have  prayed  now  and  then  ; 
ah,  how  feeble  have  been  our  prayers  I 
How  little  has  been  done  by  the  profess- 
ing Christian  world  for  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  pagan !  Oh,  could  we  take 
our  post  of  observation  where  the  prophet 
stood — could  the  whole  length  and  breadth 
of  the  valley  of  dry  bones  come  within 

Vol.  L— 9 


the  range  of  our  mortal  vision — could  we 
see  the  dismal  spectres  of  superstition  flit- 
ting before  our  eyes — could  we  behold 
six  hundred  millions  of  our  fellow-beings 
in  the  lowest  moral  and  mental  prostra- 
tion, buried  in  ignorance,  inthralled  by 
superstition,  loaded  with  guilt,  polluted 
with  crime,  without  God,  without  com- 
fort, without  hope  !  Oh,  this  would  give 
intensity  to  our  feelings — this  would  give 
fervour  to  our  prayers — this  would  give 
vigour  to  our  exertions  ! — and  we  should 
be  ready  to  ask  ourselves  and  one  another. 
What  can  we  do  to  send  them  "  words 
whereby  they  may  be  saved  ■?"  What 
can  we  do  to  send  them  the  word,  "  the 
entry"  of  which  "  giveth  life]" 

As  the  gospel  is  identified  with  the 
power  of  God,  let  us  expect  our  efforts  for 
its  propagation  to  be  crowned  with  success. 
"  What  a  noise,"  said  a  person  the  other, 
day,  "  what  a  noise  they  make  about 
their  Bibles  and  Missions  ;  what  a  noise 
they  make  about  sending  their  Bibles  and 
their  missionaries  to  the  pagans :  and 
what  time  they  are  consuming,  and  what 
money  they  are  expending !  Ah,"  said 
he,  "  but  they  will  find  human  nature  to 
be  just  what  human  nature  always  has 
been,  and  will  leave  the  world  just  as  bad 
as  they  find  it."  And  if  I  had  the  same 
views  of  Christianity  which  he  enter- 
tained, I  suppose  I  should  sit  side  by  side 
with  him,  and  come  to  the  same  conclu- 
sion. But  I  fearlessly  assert  there  is  one 
single  word  in  my  text  which  lays  pros- 
trate every  thing  that  can  be  urged  against 
missionary  exertions, — urged  in  the  way  of 
objection,  by  cold  indifference,  by  freezing 
avarice,  by  chilling  doubt,  or  by  impious 
unbelief:  it  is  this  one  word — power — 
"  the  power  of  God."  Oh  !  talk  no  more 
about  the  power  of  prejudice, — talk  no 
more  about  the  power  of  ignorance, — talk 
no  more  about  the  power  of  superstition, 
and  passion,  and  caste  :  I  admit  these  are 
great  powers  ;  but  there  is  a  power  in  my 
text  infinitely  greater, — a  power  that  can 
triumph  over  all  the  powers  of  earth  and 
hell.  Here  is  a  power  that  can  overcome 
the  power  of  sin  ;  here  is  a  power  that  can 
subdue  the  power  of  passion ;  here  is  a 
power  that  can  break  the  power  of  preju- 
dice; and  here  is  a  power  that  can  snap 
f2 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


the  chains  of  oppression, — "  the  power  of  | 
God."     Let  this  simple  but  powerful  en-  j 
gine  be  applied,  and  what  shall  be  the  ' 
result]     It  will  pull  down  strongholds,, 
cast  down  imaginations,  and  every  high  j 
thing  that  exalteth  itself  against  the  knoAv- 
ledge  of  God,  and  will  bring  every  thought 
into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of  Christ. 
Yes,  let  this  engine  be  applied  to  the 
very  centre  of  idolatry  and  superstition, — 
let  its  props  and  its  supporting  pillars  be 
but  seized  by  the  grasp  of  truth,  and  they 
will  very  soon  rock  to  their  base,  and  tot- 
ter to  their  fall ;  their  whole  fabric  will  be 
broken,  and  the  dust  thereof  driven  before 
the  winds  of  heaven. 

And  what  then,  my  Christian  friends  ? 
Why,  then  shall  be  seen  rising  up  every 
where,  in  beautiful  proportion,  the  fair 
temple  of  truth, — a  temple  whose  porti- 
coes shall  stand  wide  open,  that  the  heavy 
laden  and  the  weary  may  have  free  access, 
and  there  find  repose, — a  temple  whose 
ministers  shall  say  to  every  inquiring 
soul,  "  Come  in,  come  in,  thou  blessed 
of  the  Lord :  wherefore  standest  thou 
without  ?" — a  temple  where  people  of 
every  colour,  and  of  every  language,  and 
of  every  clime,  shall  harmonize  and  com- 
mingle together  in  the  delightful  service 
of  Christian  worship,  adoring  and  bless- 
ing Him  who  is  the  Maker  and  the  Re- 
deemer of  them  all, — a  temple  Vv'hose 
altars  shall  flame  with  the  love  and  the 
gratitude  of  a  redeemed  and  renovated 
world  :  for  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  in 
every  place,  "  from  the  rising  of  the  sun, 
even  unto  the  going  down  of  the  same, 
my  name  shall  be  great  among  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  in  every  place  incense  shall  be 
oflfered  unto  my  name,  and  a  pure  offer- 
ing :  for  my  name  shall  be  great  among 
the  heathen,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 


Well,  now,  my  Christian  friends,  to 
contribute  in  any  way,  in  any  degree,  to 
realize  such  a  consummation — who  is  not 
solicitous  ■?  Ashamed  be  the  man,  who- 
ever he  is,  who  can  ever  think  on  this 
subject  without  emotion  !  For  such  an 
object  can  any  sacrifice  be  too  painful, 
can  any  labours  be  too  abundant?  My 
friends,  you  have  come  up  together  as  the 
friends  of  the  gospel,  as  the  friends  of 
Jesus,  as  the  friends  of  men.  You  are 
corne  here  to  contribute  in  aid  of  the  funds 
of  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society, — a 
society  that  already  employs  seme  two 
hundred  and  twenty  preaching  missiona- 
ries, or  thereabouts,  in  different  parts  of 
the  world, — a  society  that  has  already 
numbered  among  the  members  of  the 
Christian  church  some  forty-three  thou- 
sand persons,  gathered  into  the  fold  by 
the  zeal,  the  labours,  the  pra}'ers,  the 
faithful  preaching,  and  the  holy  living, 
by  God's  blessing,  of  these  ministers, — a 
society  that  has  schools  connected  Avith 
its  missions,  where  some  five-and-twenty 
thousand  are  instructed  in  the  momentous 
verities  of  our  common  Christianity. 
What  a  work  is  „this  ! — and  what  a  pro- 
minent place  are  you  taking,  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God,  in  this  great  work  of  evan- 
gelizing the  world  !  Many  voices  from 
many  hundred  tribes  are  saying,  "  Come 
over  and  help  us  :  give  us  of  your  oil,  for 
our  lamps  are  gone  out."  And  can  j'^oii 
refuse  ]  What !  have  you  oil,  and  will 
you  not  pour  a  portion  into  their  lamps, 
which  have  gone  out,  that  they  may  be 
kindled  afresh  1  Will  )four  lamps  burn 
less  brightly  ]  Oh,  no  !  The  more  you 
communicate,  the  more  you  shall  receive 
fresh  supplies  of  the  oil  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  your  lamps  will  burn  far  more 
brightly. 


SERMON  V. 

THE  ORIGIN,   UNIVERSALITY,  AND  CONSEQUENCES    OF  THE   APOSTACY 

OF  MAN. 

BY  THE  REV.  JAMES  PARSONS 


'  By  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin  ;  and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men,  for 
that  all  have  sinned." — Kom.  v.  12. 


How  vastly  important  is  it  that  we 
should  entertain  correct  views  with  re- 
gard to  the  position  and  the  character  of 
the  moral  world  !  Mistakes  with  regard 
to  the  construction  and  the  movement  of 
the  material  universe  may  sometimes, 
perhaps,  he  entertained  without  giving 
rise  to  any  considerable  injury  ;  but  mis- 
takes with  regard  to  the  moral  universe, 
either  in  its  attributes,  its  laws,  or  its 
responsibilities,  never  can  be  indulged 
without  producing  effects  which,  in  their 
consequences,  are  most  mischievous  and 
most  deadly.  To  these  perilous  mis- 
takes, it  must  be  observed,  man  in  all 
ages  is  prone  in  consequence  of  the  de- 
pravitj'  of  his  nature.  The  practice  has 
been  exemplified  in  past  ages,  and  it  is 
exemplified  now ;  and  were  there  no 
guidance,  no  influence  except  that  which 
arises  from  his  own  mind,  the  uniform 
and  unbroken  dominion  of  falsehood 
would  prevail,  attended  by  all  its  conse- 
quences of  unmitigated  misery  and  sor- 
row. 

The  value  of  the  record  of  divine  truth, 
my  Christian  brethren,  from  this  circum- 
stance, will  doubtless  appear  to  be  un- 
speakable and  infinite.  It  illustrates 
and  comprises  every  principle  respecting 
which  man  may  desire  to  be  informed, 
and  which  is  associated  with  the  preserva- 
tion of  his  interests  and  welfare.  Its  nar- 
ratives and  doctrines,  its  precepts  and  its 
promises,  its  threatenings  and  its  warn- 
ings, all  tend  to  our  ultimate  happiness 
as  the  subjects  of  the  moral  government 
of  God,  and  as  the  heirs  of  an  unchange- 


able retribution.  How  much  of  valuable 
revelation,  for  instance,  is  comprised  in 
the  words  which  have  been  selected  as 
the  text  I  What  important  intelligence 
does  it  comprise  as  to  the  various  phe- 
nomena which  we  observe  to  be  con- 
stantly taking  place  around  us,  with 
regard  to  the  government  of  the  Almighty 
and  the  everlasting  destinies  of  mankind  ! 
What  reflection  it  is  adapted  to  inspire — 
what  improvement  it  is  calculated  to  pro- 
duce !  If,  my  Christian  brethren,  on 
your  own  minds  the  facts  and  principles 
which  are  contained  in  the  announcement 
before  us,  along  with  those  other  state- 
ments to  which  they  refer,  produce  their 
due  impression,  it  is  unquestionable  that 
the  eternal  welfare  of  your  souls  will  be 
secured.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  these 
facts  and  these  principles  be  despised 
and  rejected,  it  is  as  unquestionable  that 
those  interests  will  be  in  danger — that 
you  will  be  abandoned  to  the  empire  of 
falsehood,  and  have  no  prospect  before 
you  except  that  of  agony  and  unmitigated 
horror,  from  which  there  is  no  possible 
redemption. 

From  these  views  let  us  now  proceed 
to  meditate  on  the  important  statement 
of  the  apostle  that,  "  by  one  man  sin  en- 
tered into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin, 
and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men,  for 
that  all  have  sinned." 

The  immediate  connexion  in  which  the 
text  appears  will  not  require  any  thing 
like  preliminary  explanation ;  we  there- 
fore proceed  to  observe  that  your  attention 
will  now  be  directed, 

67 


C8 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


I.  To  the  origin  and  diffusion  of  sin — 
"By  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world, 
and  death  by  sin,  and  so  death  passed 
upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have  simied.'''' 

II.  To  the  origin  and  diffusion  of  death, 
"As  by  one  mnn  sin  entered  into  the 
■world,  and  death  by  sin,  and  so  death 
passed  upon  all  men ;  for  that  all  have 
sinned."     And, 

III.  We  shall  mention  those  reflections 
by  which  our  views  of  the  combined  ori- 
gin and  diffusion  of  sin  and  death  may 
be  duly  and  savingly  sanctified. 

I.  We  have  from  these  words  to  notice 

THE  ORIGIN  AND  DIFFUSION  OF  SIN. 

1st.  As  to  the  origin  of  si  it. — "By  one 
man  sin  entered  into  the  world." 

Sin,  my  brethren,  you  are  aware,  ac- 
cording to  the  admirable  definition  of 
Scripture,  is  '■'■the  transgression  of  the  Iau\^^ 
The  law  is  that  rule  which  has  been  issued 
and  imposed  by  Almighty  God,  as  the 
supreme  and  sovereign  ruler  of  the  uni- 
verse, for  the  unqualified  and  perfect 
obedience  of  his  intelligent  and  immortal 
creatures,  whether  in  thought  or  action  ; 
and  any  want  of  conformity,  in  our  prac- 
tical deportment,  to  that  law,  either  in 
thought,  or  in  action,  is  truly  and  emphati- 
cally sin.  It  will,  of  course,  be  under- 
stood that  the  "  one  man"  by  whom  sin 
entered  into  the  world  was  Adam,  the 
first  parent  of  our  race.  His  history  is 
}j^-'  connected  with  the  important  and  moment- 
'  ous  fact  before  us,  and  is  given  to  us  in 
the  sacred  Scriptures  in  a  method  the 
most  succinct  and  clear.  He  was  em- 
phatically created,  as  we  are  informed, 
after  the  image  of  the  Almighty,  in  right- 
eousness and  true  holiness,  having  in  his 
nature  no  one  stain  of  impurity  to  mar 
the  dignity  and  grandeur  by  which  he 
had  been  invested.  In  that  state  he  was 
placed  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  a  fair,  em- 
balmed, and  lovely  spot,  which  had  been 
enriched,  by  the  grace  and  mercy  of 
Jehovah,  with  every  thing  that  could 
minister  to  delight  and  joy.  In  that  place 
of  residence  we  behold,  also,  a  test  of 
obedience,  by  which  might  be  ascertained 
and  discovered  the  relation  existing  be- 
tween the  creature  and  the  Creator.  We 
are  hence  informed  that,  "  The  Lord  God 
planted  a  garden  eastward  of  Eden ;  and 


there  he  put  the  man  he  had  formed. 
And  out  of  the  ground  made  the  Lord 
God  to  grow  every  tree  that  is  pleasant 
to  the  sight  and  good  for  food  ;  the  tree 
of  life  also  in  the  midst  of  the  garden, 
and  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil."  With  regard  to  the  latter  it  is 
said,  "  The  Lord  God  commanded  the 
man,  saying,  of  every  tree  of  the  garden 
thou  mayest  freely  eat :  but  of  the  tree  of 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  thou  shalt 
not  eat  of  it." 

Here,  you  will  observe,  then,  was  the 
law,  the  particular  commandment  of 
which  must  be  viewed  as  being  in  con- 
nexion with  an  important  general  design, 
showing  the  right  of  God  to  command — 
showing  the  obligation  of  man  to  obey — 
and  showing  also  the  responsibility  and 
the  final  account  which  man  must  render 
to  the  Almighty  for  his  conduct,  as  a  ruler 
and  as  a  judge.  Satan,  that  fallen  spirit, 
who  by  disobedience  had  been  hurled 
from  heaven  and  heavenly  glor)^,  animated 
by  malignant  hatred  to  God  and  to  holi- 
ness, we  are  informed,  became  the  tempter 
of  Adam  and  of  the  woman  \Ahom  God 
had  given  him  as  a  helpmeet,  that  he 
might  induce  them  to  disobey  the  law 
under  which  they  had  been  placed,  and 
thereby  introduce  transgression  and  sin. 
The  manner  in  which  the  enemy  assumed 
the  form  of  a  serpent  in  the  fell  attempt 
is  strikingly  recorded,  as  you  will  find 
by  referring  to  the  third  chapter  of  the 
book  of  Genesis,  "  Now  the  serpent  w^as 
more  subtle  than  any  beast  of  the  field 
which  the  Lord  God  had  made.  And  he 
said  unto  the  woman,  Yea,  hath  God  said, 
ye  shall  not  eat  of  every  tree  of  the  gar- 
den ■?  And  the  woman  said  unto  the  ser- 
pent. We  may  eat  of  the  fruit  of  the  trees 
of  the  garden  ;  but  of  the  tree  w  hich  is  in 
the  midst  of  the  garden,  God  hath  said. 
Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it,  neither  shall  ye 
touch  it,  lest  ye  die.  And  the  serpent 
said  unto  the  Avoman,  Ye  shall  not  surely 
die  :  for  God  doth  know,  that,  in  the  day 
ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes  shall  be 
opened ;  and  ye  shall  be  as  gods,  know- 
ing good  and  evil.  And  when  the  woman 
saw  that  the  tree  w^as  good  for  food,  and 
that  it  was  pleasant  to  the  eyes,  and  a 
tree  to  be  desired  to  make  one  wise,  she 


THE  APOSTACY  OF  MAN. 


69 


took  of  the  fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat ;  and 
gave  also  unto  her  husband  with  her,  and 
he  did  eat."  Here,  you  observe,  was  the 
entrance — here  was  the  first  act  of  trans- 
gression, an  event  which  in  its  mighty 
consequences  changed  the  path  of  nature, 
and  whose  mighty  consequences  also 
will  not  only  be  felt  throughout  the  whole 
duration  of  time,  but  also  throughout  the 
duration  of  eternity. 

That  in  the  transgression  of  our  first 
parents,  of  which  we  have  now  given  a 
brief  survey,  there  was  a  transgression 
of  vast  and  heinous  amount,  is  a  truth 
which  cannot  be  too  deeply  impressed 
upon  our  minds.  There  are  some  among 
the  false  friends  or  open  adversaries  of 
revelation,  who  have  been  inclined  to  treat 
it  with  carelessness  and  levity,  and  have 
sometimes  inquired — I  quote  their  own 
language — "  What  mighty  offence  could 
there  be  in  the  eating  of  an  apple]"  In 
answer  to  the  ignorant  skepticism  upon 
which  such  an  inquiry  is  founded,  and 
also  for  the  purpose  of  settling  in  your 
own  minds  those  views  which  ought  con- 
stantly to  be  impressed,  a  few  observa- 
tions must  be  made. 

Let  me  remind  you,  then,  as  we  have 
already  stated,  and  do  now  repeat,  that 
the  particular  command  of  the  Deity, 
with  regard  to  the  forbidden  fruit,  must 
be  viewed  as  being  in  connexion  with  an 
important  general  design ;  and  that  the 
regard  which  was  paid  by  man  to  that 
particular  commandment  was  a  kind  of 
pledge  with  respect  to  all  the  relations 
existing  between  the  creature  and  the 
Creator,  so  that  as  long  as  the  command- 
ment was  obeyed,  all  those  relations 
would  be  observed,  and  when  it  was 
broken,  then  all  those  relations  would  be 
violated.  Disobedience  could  not  but 
produce,  and  disobedience  did  produce, 
those  emotions  and  feelings,  which  in 
their  nature  were  thoroughly  corrupt. 
There  was,  for  instance,  unbelief — there 
was  ambition — there  was  sensuality — 
there  was  ingratitude.  Unbelief,  because 
they  denied  the  right  to  command  and  the 
penalty  that  existed — ambition,  because 
they  aspired  to  be  as  gods,  distinguish- 
ing between  good  and  evil — sensuality, 
because  they  wished  to  gratify  mere  ani- 


mal sensual  appetite,  because  they  saw 
that  "  the  tree  was  good  for  food,  and  that 
it  was  pleasant  to  the  eyes" — ingratitude., 
because  they  turned  against  that  mighty 
God  who  had  sustained  them,  and  who 
had  spread  around  them  every  enjoyment 
for  their  free  and  full  participation,  and  to 
whom  they  were  indebted  for  life,  and 
happiness,  and  all  these  things.  My 
Christian  brethren,  you  can  now  imagine 
one  peculiar  reason  for  their  rejection. 
Do  you  not  observe  that  the  carelessness 
and  the  levity  of  which  we  have  been 
speaking,  ought,  and  is  to  be,  condemned 
and  repudiated  with  horror]  The  guilt 
of  the  first  transgression  is  now  palpably 
apparent  before  us  in  all  its  horrible  enor- 
mity— a  transgression  which  overthrew 
and  betrayed  every  existing  relationship 
between  the  creature  and  the  Creator — 
a  transgression  which  hurled  a  foul  insult 
against  every  attribute  of  the  everlasting 
God.  What,  we  would  ask,  what  would 
have  been  the  consequence  had  vengeance 
been  fully  inflicted  ]  What  would  have 
been  the  consequence  had  the  Almighty 
consigned  the  transgressors  to  punish- 
ment without  one  solitary  hope  of  redemp- 
tion, and  beaten  down  to  primeval  nothing 
the  whole  of  the  globe  which  had  been 
thus  stained  and  polluted  ]  But  you  will 
observe, 

2d.  That  while  the  apostle  introduces 
one  fact  as  to  the  origin  of  sin,  another  is 
also  comprised  with  regard  to  its  diffusion, 
"all  have  sinned,"  all  men,  in  every 
country  and  in  every  age  of  the  world. 

It  is,  my  hearers,  of  inexpressible  im- 
portance that  we  should  admit  the  im- 
portant fact  involved  in  the  statement  of 
the  apostle,  and  also  affirmed  by  him 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  chapter,  and 
in  different  parts  of  his  writings,  that  ah 
men  are  sinners — sinners  in  consequence 
of  the  transgression  of  Adam.  The  trans- 
gression of  our  first  parent  did  not  end 
with  himself — it  was  not  merely  personal ; 
it  was  transferable  to  his  posterity,  and 
was  to  descend  like  an  heir-loom,  entailing 
misery  and  corruption,  to  remain  as  long 
as  the  world  should  last.  "  By  one  man's 
disobedience" — it  is  the  language  of  the 
same  writer — "many  were  made  sinners." 
As  it  is  impossible  that  an  evil  tree  should 


70 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


bring  forth  good  fruit,  so  it  was  impossi-    may  perchance  have  been  formed  by  leam^ 
ble,  when  the  nature  of  our  first  parent   ing,    by   institutions,    by   education,  by 


had  become  corrupted  by  those  evil  dis 
positions   which  he   acquired   in   conse^ 


example,  or  any  mode  of  testimony  or  in- 
terest whatever — yet  this  one  fact  remains 


quence  of  his  transgression,  that  one  of  invariably  and  unalterably  the  same,  that 
his  descendants  could  enter  into  the  world  man  everywhere  is  a  sinner.  Yes.  my 
except  as  being  a  partaker  of  corruption  brethren,  east,  west,  north,  south,  from 
also.     Each,   then,   of   the   children    of  [  the  tropics  to  the  poles,  ancient  and  mo- 


Adam  enters  the  world  with  a  polluted 
nature,  or  possessing  what  we  term  origi- 
nal sin. 

This  important  doctrine,  you  will  ob- 
serve, appears  to  be  indicated  in  one  of 
the  early  narratives  of  Scripture,  where 
Adam  is  said  to  have  begotten  a  son  "  in 
his  own  likeness,  after  his  own  image," 
apparently  in  contrast  to  the  fact  stated 
of  himself,  that  he  was  formed  "  after  the 
likeness  of  God,"  and  notifying  the  de- 
grading tendency  which  had  been  intro- 
duced  and  perpetuated   by  guilt.      The 
same  doctrine  has  been  affirmed  constantly 
in  various  parts  of  the  sacred  writings. 
If  I  speak  to-night  to  an  individual  who 
denies  the  fact  of  original  sin  existing  in 
human  nature,  let  me  remind  him  of  the 
following   statement.     There  is   the  in- 
quiry of  Job,  "  Who  can  bring  a  clean 
thing  out   of   an  unclean  1     Not  one." 
There  is  the  inquiry  of  Bildad,  "  How 
can  he  be  clean  that  is  born  of  a  woman  ]" 
There  is  the  confession  of  David,  "  Be- 
hold, I  was  shapen  in  iniquity;  and  in 
sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me."     There 
is  the  statement  of  Christ,  "  That  which 
is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh."     There  is 
the  asseveration  of  the  apostle,  "  The  old 
man  is  corrupt,  according  to  the  deceitful 
lusts."     Now,  that  original  sin,  whicli  is 
thus  distinctly  and  solemnly  mentioned 
to  us  in  the  inspired  writings  to  be  a  no- 
torious  fact,  always   produces   practical 
transgression.      Hence    it  is,    that    the 
children  of  the  first  man,  by  whom  sin 
entered  into  the  world,  alike  and  all  ex- 
emplify in  themselves  unbelief,  ambition, 
sensuality,  and  ingratitude,  with  all  their 
vile  brood  of  crimes,  and  exhibit  these  as 
having   the   uncontrolled  empire   of  the 
human  heart.     It  is  a  solemn  and  affect- 
ing consideration,  but  one  which  must  be 
thoroughly    and    distinctly   stated,   that 
whatever  modification  there  may   be  in 
human  character, — whatever  modification 


dern  times,  scenes  of  civilization  and 
philosophy,  scenes  of  ignorance  and  bar- 
barism, all  bear  but  one  stamp,  the  stamp 
of  moral  evil, — the  stamp  of  transgression 
against  God.  The  charges  of  Scripture 
upon  this  important  subject  are  without 
exception,  and  without  limit:  "./5//  flesh 
has  corrupted  his  way  upon  the  earth." 
"There  is  nn77e.  that  doeth  good,  no,  not 
one."  "  The  heart  of  the  sons  of  men 
is  fully  set  in  them  to  do  evil."  "  There 
is  none  that  understandeth,  there  is  none 
that  seeketh  after  Uod.  They  are  all 
gone  out  of  the  way.  they  are  together 
become  unprofitable.;  there  is  none  that 
doeth  good,  no,  not  one.  Their  throat  is 
an  open  sepulchre :  with  their  tongues 
they  have  used  deceit ;  the  poison  of  asps 
is  under  their  lips :  whose  mouth  is  full 
of  cursing  and  bitterness :  their  feet  are 
swift  to  shed  blood :  destruction  and 
misery  are  in  their  ways  :  and  the  way 
of  peace  have  they  not  known  :  there  is 
no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes.  Now 
we  know,  that  what  things  soever  the 
law  saith,  it  saith  to  them  who  are  under 
the  law  ;  that  every  mouth  may  be  stop- 
ped, and  all  the  world  may  become  guilty 
before  God." 

The  statements  and  quotations  which 
have  now  been  offered,  I  trust,  will  be 
considered  as  amply  satisfactory  to  verify 
the  application  of  the  text.  That  you, 
ray  hearers,  for  yourselves,  may  indi- 
vidually possess  a  conviction  of  the  fact, 
and  that  you  may  be  enabled  to  make  a 
full  application  of  the  fact  to  your  own 
interests,  and  to  your  own  circumstances, 
is  what  in  this  service  I  would  earn- 
estly aim  at,  and  what  I  do  most  anx- 
iously and  most  fervently  desire.  You 
yourselves,  without  exception,  are  the 
possessors  of  a  corrupted  nature.  You 
yourselves  have  indulged  in  many  a 
thought,  and  many  a  deed,  of  flagrant 
transgression   against  God.     You   your 


THE  APOSTACY  OF  MAN. 


71 


selves  have  spurnorl  alike  the  Almighty 
and  his  law  ;  and  while  you  depart  from 
him  you  are  given  up  and  abandoned  to 
the  domination  of  sin.  Think  not,  my 
friends,  to  lull  your  consciences  by  mak- 
ing statements  with  regard  to  imaginary 
excellences  ;  form  no  false  excuses.  The 
language  of  earnest  and  solemn  confession 
becomes  you,  "  unclean,  unclean  !"  "  Be- 
hold I  am  vile,  what  shall  I  answer  thee  ]" 
"  I  acknowledge  my  transgression,  and 
my  sin  is  ever  before  me."  "  Father,  I 
have  sinned  against  heaven  and  in  thy 
sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be 
called  thy  son,"  "  God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner."  Such  is  the  language  that 
becomes  you,  and  if  in  spirit  you  use  it 
not,  you  are  living  in  the  worst  state  of 
spiritual  captivity,  and  are  passing  for- 
ward to  the  consummation  of  remediless 
and  eternal  woe. 

As  we  have  now  endeavoured  to  ex- 
plain to  you  the  origin  and  diffusion  of 
sin,  by  the  structure  of  the  text  we  are 
called  to  consider — 

II    The  ORIGIN  AND  DIFFUSION  OF  DEATH. 

— "  As  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the 
world,  and  death  by  sin ;  and  so  death 
passed  upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have 
sinned.'^ 

1st.  With  regard  to  the  origin  nf  death, 
"  death  by  sin," 

Man,  you  are  aware,  was  purposely 
foimed  by  the  Almighty  with  a  suscepti- 
bility of  being  affected  by  the  prospect  of 
reward,  and  by  the  fear  of  punishment. 
Obedience  was  connected  with  the  one, 
and  disobedience  was  connected  with  the 
other;  and  thus  the  greatest  and  most 
powerful  of  all  possible  motives  was  put 
in  action  to  aspire  to  that  which  is  good, 
and  to  the  avoidance  of  that  which  is  evil. 
Now,  death  was  an  ordained  penalty,  or 
a  penalty  presented  to  us  as  the  result  of 
transgression.  When  Adam  was  placed 
in  the  garden  of  Eden,  he  was  informed 
tJiat  he  was  not  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  for- 
bidden fruit,  and  it  was  added,  "  For  in 
the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou 
shalt  surely  die."  And  when  he  stood 
as  a  transgressor  in  the  presence  of  God, 
whom  he  had  insulted,  he  was  thus  ad- 
dressed, "  Because  thou  hast  hearkened 
unto  the  voice  of  thy  wife,  and  hast  eaten 


of  the  tree  of  which  I  commanded  thee, 
saying,  Thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it;  cursed 
is  the  ground  for  thy  sake  :  in  sorrow 
shalt  thou  eat  of  it  all  the  days  of  thy 
life  :  thorns  also  and  thistles  shall  it  bring 
forth  to  thee  :  and  thou  shalt  eat  the  herb 
of  the  field.  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face 
shalt  thou  eat  bread,  till  thou  return  unto 
the  ground  :  for  out  of  it  wast  thou  taken  : 
for  dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou 
return."  There  was  the  entrance  of 
death.  "  The  Avages  of  sin  is  death." 
What,  my  friends,  is  the  proper  and 
natural  quality  so  comprehended  in  the 
sentence  of  death  announced  to,  and  in- 
flicted upon,  Adam,  as  the  result  and 
penalty  of  his  transgression  against  the 
law  1  That  corporeal  death  was  included, 
will  not  for  a  single  moment  be  denied  ; 
that  much  more  was  comprehended,  on 
evangelical  principles,  we  are  called 
thoroughly  and  solemnly  to  believe.  ^ 
Viewing  the  phrase,  to  die,  in  the  light 
thrown  upon  the  subject  by  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  gospel,  and  especially  by 
the  evangelical  blessings  with  which  the 
gospel  is  connected,  "justification  unto 
life — eternal  life" — it  is  to  be  regarded 
as  comprising,  and  our  first  parents  must 
therefore  be  regarded  as  knowing  it  to 
have  comprised,  all  that  is  comprehended 
in  spiritual  and  eternal  death  ; — that  is  to 
say,  the  debasement  of  human  nature  con- 
sequent upon  its  awful  alienation  from 
God — the  total  and  absolute  withdraw- 
ment  of  the  divine  friendship  and  favour — 
the  agitation  and  gloomy  terrors  of  the 
conscience  at  the  prospect  beyond  the 
grave — the  consummation  of  all  this  by 
the  entrance  of  the  immortal  soul  into  a 
state  of  changeless  retribution,  where  it 
is  to  suffer  the  vengeance  of  the  Almighty 
without  mitigation,  unchangeably,  and 
for  ever.  You  can  easily  imagine  what 
would  be  the  emotion  of  the  transgressors 
in  Eden,  when  they  first  awoke  from  the 
slumber  of  intoxication  to  the  full  con- 
sciousness of  the  change  which  had 
passed  upon  their  being.  The  voice  of 
thunder  yet  reverberating  its  peal,  "  Thou 
shalt  surely  die" — nature,  as  if  shudder- 
ing at  the  sentence,  heaving  around  them 
— the  atmosphere  becoming  thick,  and 
dull,  and  heavy,  charged  with  the  eler 


72 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


f 


ments  of  disease — their  own  bodies  para- 
lyzed and  enfeebled  with  the  infirmity 
and  corruption  that  was  to  usher  in  the 
awful  and  mysterious  consummation  of 
mortality,  and  their  souls  agitated  with 
the  prospect  of  eternal  woe,  when  they 
contemplated  the  coming  and  tremendous 
infliction  of  the  miseries  of  hell !  Oh, 
how  bitter  would  be  their  self-reproaches, 
how  bitter  their  groans,  how  bitter  their 
tears  I  Mournful,  mournful  indeed,  was 
the  day — mournful  to  them,  and  mourn- 
ful to  unborn  millions,  when  death  en- 
tered into  the  world  by  sin,  and  when 
first  was  heard  the  triumph  of  the  king 
of  terrors,  as  he  issued  from  the  dark 
abyss,  and  came  to  the  territories  of  earth, 
traversing  and  marching  over  them,  to 
claim  them  as  his  own.  It  is  a  tremen- 
dous fact,  that  we  should  never  forget, 
as  to  the  origin  of  death,  that  death  was 
by  sin. 

2dly.  There  is  a  corresponding  fact, 
you  will  observe  also  with  regard  to  the 
diffusion  of  death,  "  Death  passed  upon 
all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned." 

And  so  it  follows  in  a  subsequent  verse, 
"  Nevertheless,  death  reigned  from  Adam 
to  Moses,  even  over  them  that  had  not 
sinned  after  the  similitude  of  Adam's 
transgression,  who  is  the  figure  of  him 
that  was  to  come.  By  the  offence  of  one, 
judgment  came  upon  all  men  to  con- 
demnation." In  Adam  all  die ;  all  men 
are  sinners,  and  therefore  against  all  men 
the  penalty  is  still  standing.  Corporeal 
death,  that  event  which  separates  the 
soul  from  the  body,  and  which  then  dis- 
misses the  body  as  the  victim  of  putre- 
faction, to  moulder  back  to  primeval  dust, 
is  a  penalty  which  has  been  exacted  and 
must  be  exacted  from  all  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  Adam.  What  man  is  he 
that  liveth  and  that  shall  not  see  death  "? 
*'  We  must  all  die.  and  be  like  water  spilt 
on  the  ground,  which  cannot  be  gathered 
up  again."  "  Rich  and  poor  shall  go  down 
to  the  grave,  and  worms  alike  shall  cover 
them."  It  is  appointed  unto  all  men  once 
to  die.  The  ages  at  which  the  allotment 
is  suffered  vary.  There  is  the  child  at 
the  mother's  breast,  or  in  the  nurse's 
arms ;  there  is  the  youth  in  the  spring- 
tide of  gayety  and  buoyant  spirits  ;  there 


is  the  full-'^rown  man  in  the  maturity  of 
wisdom  and  of  power  ;  there  are  the  aged 
bending  under  the  decrepitude  and  infir- 
mity of  long-protracted  years.  The  me- 
thod in  which  the  allotment  is  suffered 
varies.  The  convulsions  of  nature ;  war ; 
famine;  accident;  disease,  slow  and  sud- 
den. And  yet,  my  brethren,  amid  the  \ 
variety  of  modes,  and  the  variety  of  sea- 
sons, the  path  is  but  one  and  the  same. 
All  these  things  are  but  so  many  avenues 
leading  down  to  the  one  narrow  house, 
which  has  been  appointed  for  all  living; 
and  never  should  the  subject  of  death  be 
reviewed  by  ourselves,  and  never  should 
the  subject  of  death  be  pondered  by  our- 
selves, without  viewing  it  and  pondering 
it  in  connexion  with  sin.  Sin,  the  in- 
variable antecedent ;  death,  the  invariable 
consequence!  Sin  the  cause;  death  the 
effect!  The  demerit  of  the  one  pro- 
ducing the  desolation  of  the  other  !  Ye 
children  of  mortality,  forget  it  not — ap- 
prove it  and  apply  it.  Sin  formed  tlie 
volcano,  the  earthquake,  the  hurricane, 
the  pestilence  which  mows  down  the 
population  of  cities  and  empires !  Sin 
inflicts  every  pang!  Sin  nerves  every 
death-throe !  Sin  stains  and  blanches 
every  corpse  !  Sin  weaves  every  shroud ! 
Sin  shapes  every  coffin  !  Sin  digs  every 
grave  !  Sin  writes  every  epitaph  !  Sin 
paints  every  hatchment !  Sin  sculptures 
every  monument !  Sin  feeds  every  worm  ! 
The  waste  and  the  havoc  of  centuries  that 
are  gone,  and  the  waste  and  the  havoc  of 
centuries  yet  to  come,  all  reverberate  in 
one  awful  voice,  "  Death  has  passed  upon 
all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned  !" 

Spiritual  death,  my  brethren,  which 
consists,  as  we  have  observed,  in  the 
alienation  of  the  human  heart  from  God, 
and  which  the  apostle  has  emphatically 
described  in  the  second  chapter  of  the 
epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  as  being  "  dead 
in  trespasses  and  sins,"  constitutes  the 
state  of  every  man  by  nature.  Every 
man,  in  consequence  of  that  state  of  spirit- 
ual death,  is  also  in  peril  of  proceeding 
to  receive  the  recompense  of  it  in  the 
agonies  of  death  eternal.  It  will  be  ob- 
served upon  this  important  subject,  that 
there  cannot  be  the  least  question  or 
doubt:  "  For  (says  the  apostle)  as  many 


THE  APOSTACY  OF  MAN. 


73 


as  have  sinned  without  law," — that  is  to 
say,  without  heing  placed  within  the 
external  domination  of  the  written  law  of 
the  Almighty — "  as  many  as  have  sinned 
without  law  shall  also  perish  without 
law :  and  as  many  as  have  sinned  in  the 
law" — that  is,  with  the  knowledge  of  the 
written  revelation  of  God — "  shall  be 
judged  by  the  law.  For  not  the  hearers 
of  the  law  are  just  before  God,  but  the 
doers  of  the  law  shall  be  justified.  For 
when  the  Gentiles,  which  have  not  the 
law,  do  by  nature  the  things  contained  in 
the  law,  these,  having  not  the  law,  are  a 
law  unto  themselves,  which  show  the 
work  of  the  law  written  in  their  hearts, 
their  conscience  also  bearing  witness, 
and  their  thoughts  the  meanwhile  accus- 
ing, or  else  excusing  one  another;  in  the 
day  when  God  shall  judge  the  secrets  of 
men,  by  Jesus  Christ,  according  to  my 
gospel."  My  hearers,  attend  :  "  By  the 
deeds  of  the  law  there  shall  no  flesh  be 
justified  ;"  then  they  must  be  condemned. 
"All  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the 
glory  of  God."  If  then  you  have  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God,  you  must  be 
lost:  it  cannot  be  denied,  nor  be  disputed. 
I  tell  to  every  man  now  present,  that  he 
is  guilty  of  sinning  against  the  Almighty 
— that  if  there  be  no  intervention  of  mercy 
so  mighty  and  so  majestic  as  to  satisfy 
the  demands  of  justice,  to  quench  her  fire, 
and  sheathe  her  sword — if  there  be  not 
mercy,  free,  boundless,  omnipotent,  and 
eternal,  every  human  being  will  stand 
before  the  judgment-bar  of  God  to  receive 
the  sentence  of  his  condemnation.  He 
must  be  banished  for  ever  from  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of 
his  power  ;  and  he  must  go  down  to  those 
abodes  of  torment  where  there  are  agonies 
unspeakable  and  inconceivable ;  where 
the  smoke  of  torment  ascendeth  up  for 
ever  and  for  ever.  Go,  my  hearers,  to 
the  brink  of  eternity,  contemplate  in  ima- 
gination the  scenes  of  that  horrible  pit 
which  the  word  of  revelation  has  pre- 
sented to  your  view — contemplate  the 
worm  that  dieth  not — contemplate  the 
fire  that  has  been  prepared  for  the  devil 
and  his  angels — contemplate  the  black- 
ness of  darkness — contemplate  the  smoke 
of  torment  that  ascendeth  up  for  ever  and 
Vol.  I.— 10 


ever!  What  was  it  that  gave  to  that 
worm  its  fang  but  sin  1  What  was  it 
that  gave  to  that  fire  its  intensity  but  sinl 
What  was  it  that  gave  to  that  blackness 
its  shadows  but  sin"?  What  was  it  that 
gave  to  that  torment  its  woe  but  sin  ? 
The  voice  is  from  the  abyss  uttering  one 
wild  cry,  "  It  was  sin  ;  it  was  shi  ,•  it  was 
SIN  !  Man  would  sin,  and  therefore  man 
must  suffer !"  There  is  a  rigid  equity 
between  the  one  and  the  other.  "  Death 
has  passed  upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have 
sinned." 

We  have  now,  my  brethren,  presented 
to  you,  as  clearly  as  possible,  the  second 
division  of  the  subject,  and  we  proceed, 

III.  To  MENTION  THOSE  REFLECTIONS 
BY  WHICH  OUR  VIEWS  OF  THE  COMBINED 
ORIGIN  AND  THE  DIFFUSION  OF  SIN  AND 
DEATH  MAY  BE  DULY  AND  SAVINGLY  SANC- 
TIFIED. 

We  confine  ourselves  to  two  : 
1st.  It  becomes  us  to  perceive  and  to  la- 
ment over  the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin. 

Man  thinks  but  lightly  of  sin  ;  in  his 
state  of  nature  he  thinks  not  of  its  enor- 
mity, and  he  only  calls  those  actions  sins 
which  are  palpably  violations  of  the  laws 
subsisting  between  man  and  man.  Theft 
is  a  sin — fornication  is  a  sin — falsehood 
is  a  sin — drunkenness  is  a  sin — murder 
is  a  sin ; — but  with  regard  to  the  affec- 
tions— the  disbelief  of  the  divine  testi-^ 
mony — the  forgetfulness  of  God,  the 
withdrawing  of  the  desires  of  the  heart 
away  from  him  who  is  the  fountain  of 
living  waters  to  the  vain  and  transitory 
concerns  of  time — these,  which  are  the 
sources  of  all  other  transgressions — these 
he  deems  but  as  pardonable,  or  perhaps  not 
as  transgressions.  Let  me,  my  hearers, 
speak  plainly  to  individuals  possessed  of 
an  immortal  spirit — let  me  remind  you 
that  sin  is  not  to  be  contemplated  in  its 
heinousness,  so  much  as  it  exists  and  is 
seen  in  the  relationship  between  man  and 
man,  but  in  the  relationship  between  man 
and  God.  "  Sin  is  the  transgression  of 
the  law."  If  God  has  commanded  you 
to  be  holy,  then  impurity  is  a  sin — if  God 
has  commanded  you  to  believe,  then  un- 
belief is  a  sin — if  God  has  commanded 
you  to  love  him  with  all  your  heart,  and 
all  your  soul,  and  all  your  strength,  thea 


-^ 


/4 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


to  love  pleasure,  or  love  the  world  more 
than  God,  is  sin;  and  he  who  is  impure, 
he  who  is  unbelieving',  he  who  is  a  lover 
of  pleasure,  or  of  the  world,  or  of  profit, 
is  playing  v/ith  the  very  fang  of  tlie 
tempter,  and  standing  in  the  way  of  that 
serpent  whose  breath  is  poison,  and 
whose  bite  is  death. 

Behold,  my  brethren,  the  exhibition  of 
the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin !  Oh, 
ponder,  and  seek  for  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  that  its  depravity  in  this 
respect  may  be  exhibited  more  clearly 
than  ever;  and  never  be  content  with  your 
view  of  that  "  which  brought  death  into 
the  world  and  all  our.  woe,"  but  as  you 
view  it  as  He  views  it  who  is  of  purer 
eyes  than  to  look  on  iniquity,  who  can 
only  look  upon  iniquity  with  detestation 
and  abhorrence,  and  whose  voice  has  pro- 
claimed, "  Oh,  do  not  this  abominable 
thing  which  I  hate  !" 

2d,  and  lastly.  We  are  called  upon  also 
io  admire  the  riches  of  that  divine  mercy 
which  has  provided  a  remedy  against  an 
evil  which  is  so  dreadful. 

The  very  same  being  against  whom  the 
transgressions   of  the  human  race  have 
been  directed,  has  himself  been  pleased 
to  condescend  in  mercy  and  in  his  eternal 
love  to  provide  a  method  by  which  the 
guilty  may  be  pardoned,  and  sanctified, 
and   saved.     Read   the    statements   con- 
tained in  the  chapter  from  which  we  have 
selected  our  text.     "  But  God  commend- 
eth  his  love  toward  us,  in  that  while  we 
were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us.     For 
if*  through  the  offence  of  one  many  be 
dead,  much  more  the  grace  of  God  and 
he  gift  by  grace,  which  is  by  one  man, 
Jesus  Christ,  hath  abounded  unto  inany. 
A-ud  not  as  it  was  by  one  that  sinned,  so 
6  the  gift:  for  the  judgment  was  by  one 
D  condemnation ;  but  the  free  gift  is  of 
many  offences  unto  justification.     For  if 
oy  one  man's  offence  death  reigned  by 
one ;   much   more   they   which  received 
abundance  of  grace,  and   of  the  gift  of 
ghteousness,  shall  reign  in  life  by  one, 
esus  Christ.    Moreover,  the  law  entered, 
riiat    the    offence   might   abound.      But 
•«'here  sin  abounded,  grace  did  much  more 
ound  :   that  as  sin  hath  reigned  unto 
eath,  even  so  might  grace  reign  through 


righteousness  unto  eternal  life,  by  .Tesus 
Christ  our  Lord."  What  a  veil  is  thus 
thrown  over  an  otherwise  tremendous 
gloom !  What  happiness  we  can  now 
enjoy  in  believing  and  receiving  this 
one  emphatic  phrase  ! — "  But  where  sin 
abounded,  grace  did  much  more  abound. 
That  as  sin  hath  reigned  unto  death,  even 
so  might  grace  reign  through  righteous- 
ness unto  eternal  life,  by  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord."  It  only  requires  that  the 
guilty  sinner  should  believe  on  Christ, 
and  he  receives  the  imputation  of  his 
righteousness,  and  is  forthwith  absolved 
from  doom.  Natural  death  he  yet  must 
suffer — the  agonies  of  dissolution  he  yet 
must  endure — his  flesh  must  still  become 
the  food  of  worms,  and  lie  beneath  the 
cloven  clay  till  the  trumpet  of  the  arch- 
angel shall  sound ;  but  the  flesh  itself 
shall  rest  in  hope,  and  the  immortal  spirit 
be  emancipated  from  a  scene  of  suffering 
and  of  sorrow  by  death  itself,  that  it  may 
be  transmitted  to  higher  regions,  where 
the  inhabitants  themselves,  pure  as  God 
is  pure,  cast  their  crowns  at  his  footstool, 
crying  with  a  loud  voice,  "Alleluia,  alle- 
luia. Lord  God  Almighty,  who  is,  and 
was,  and  is  to  come  '."  Where  God  him- 
self is  with  them,  and  is  their  God, — 
where  death  has  no  dominion,  and  where 
God  himself  wipes  away  all  tears  from 
their  eyes  !  Matchless  mercy,  that  tells 
us  of  the  reigning  of  grace  !  Matchless 
mercy  !  its  praises  shall  be  the  com- 
panion of  our  health — its  praises  shall  be 
the  companion  of  our  sorrows — its  praises 
shall  be  with  us  in  the  hour  of  dissolu- 
tion, when  the  body  is  about  to  depart  to 
the  dust — its  praises  will  form  the  one 
theme  of  our  song  amid  the  hallelujahs 
of  heaven  ;  for  what  is  that  song? — Sal- 
vation unto  God  who  sitteth  upon  the 
throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  for  ever  and 
ever! 

It  is  obvious,  my  brethren,  that  we 
might  easily  expand  the  latter  part  of  our 
subject ;  but  I  am  desirous  to  confine  my- 
self this  evening  to  the  fall  and  corruption 
of  human  nature,  in  order  to  bring  more 
succinctly  before  you  the  subject  of  his 
renovation.  This  brief  statement,  there- 
fore, in  allusion  to  it  shall  suffice  for  the 
present 


THE  APOSTACY  OF  MAN. 


76 


My  brethren,  here  are  many  who  from 
the  evil  of  sin,  by  the  grace  of  God,  have 
already  been  delivered.  Christians,  look 
down  into  the  hole  of  the  pit  whence 
ye  were  digged,  and  look  up  to  the  rock 
whence  ye  were  hewn.  See  what  ye  were, 
lying  there  exposed  to  the  curse;  and  see 
what  you  are  now,  when  standing  on  the 
elevation  of  mercy,  having  around  you 
the  spotless  robe  of  the  Redeemer's  right- 
eousness, the  light  of  the  countenance  of 
God  streaming  down  from  the  glory  of  the 
skies.  You  now  have  the  prelibation  of 
the  happiness  yet  to  be  revealed.  In  this 
sanctuary  let  there  be  the  confession  of 
that  to  which  you  owe  it,  "  By  the  grace  of 
God  I  am  what  I  am."  At  the  same  time 
be  it  your  grand  desire  to  join  in  the  one 
aspiration  of  thanksgiving,  "  Thanks  be 
unto  God  for  this  his  unspeakable  gift !" 

There  are  others  in  this  assembly  now 
congregated  who  are  yet  "  in  the  gall  of 
bitterness  and  in  the  bonds  of  iniquity." 
There  are  sinners,  sinners  impenitent — 
sinners  unenlightened — sinners  alienated 
from  God — sinners  unforgiven  and  in  all 
their  danger.  O  ye,  whose  consciences 
are  not  yet  stirred  up  with  feelings  of 
genuine  contrition,  who  are  yet  following 
a  course  of  pleasure  and  transgression 
which  yon  count  tlie  god  of  your  joys 
and  your  happiness,  let  me  request  your 
ear.  What  is  your  condition'?  Ac- 
cursed I — for  cursed  is  every  one  that 
continueth  not  in  all  things  as  it  is  written 
in  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them ;  and 
you  are  under  the  dispensation  of  the  law ; 
cursed  in  your  basket  and  in  your  store  ; 
cursed  in  your  goings  out  and  in  your 
comings  in ;  cursed  in  your  sitting  down 
and  in  your  rising  up  ;  cursed  in  the  closet 
and  in  the  field — accursed  by  the  condem- 
nation of  God  !  And  what  is  the  end  % 
Look  over  the  territories  of  the  grave ! 
Behold  the  scene  of  punishment  reserved 
for  them  who  know  not  God,  and  who 
obey  not  the  gospel  of  Christ!  There 
will  you  be,  beyond  the  hope  of  mercy 
and  of  grace.  Imagine  the  agony  of 
dwelling  where  the  tidings  of  this  gospel 
never  shall  be  heard  again.  Think  of  the 
companionship  of  the  fiends,  of  the  black- 
ness of  the  pit,  of  the  unmingled  horrors 

so  that  even  if  you  could  ask  for  one 


drop  of  water  to  cool  your  tormented 
tongue,  even  that  would  be  denied  !  Sin- 
ners, I  ask  you  one  question  before  we 
part,  "Who  amongst  you  can  dwell  with 
the  devouring  fire  1 — who  amongst  you 
can  dwell  with  the  everlasting  burnings  ]" 
If  there  be  one,  let  him  rise  up  and  tell 
us !  It  is  impossible,  and  your  silence 
condemns  you !  Flee,  then,  from  the 
wrath  to  come  !  Lay  hold  on  the  hope 
set  before  you  in  the  gospel !  Believe 
on  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  you  shall  be  saved  !  The  great  reno 
vating  change  must  be  wrought,  or  the 
hell  will  be  yours  ! 

I  have  brought  you  to  the  point  where 
I  will  deliver  but  one  single  sentence  by 
way  of  connecting  what  I  have  advanced 
this  night  with  what  is  yet  to  follow, 
"  Marvel  not  that  I  say  unto  you,  ye  must 
be  born  again — ye  must  be  horn  again.''^ 
As  you  are  born  again,  the  evil  of  youi 
transgressions  will  be  removed,  and  you 
shall  stand  in  confidence  and  faith,  await- 
ing the  end  of  your  existence — the  salva 
tion  of  your  souls. 

May  the  eternal  Jehovah  prepare  you, 
without  exception,  for  the  infliction  of 
that  temporary  death  which  all  must  suf- 
fer !  May  he  awake  you  from  death  in 
trespasses  and  sins,  and  save  you  finally 
from  that  death  which  is  changeless  and 
eternal ! — Amkn. 


THE  PUIjFIT  GAXaXiXSHlT. 

No.  II. 
THE  REV.  JAMES  PARSONS,  YORK. 


"  By  him  the  violated  law  speaks  out 

Its  thunders ;  and  by  him,  in  strains  as  sweet 

As  angels  use,  the  gospel  whispers  peace." 

COWPER. 

The  Rev.  James  Parsons  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Rev.  Edward  Parsons,  who  for  forty- 
eight  years  was  the  pastor  of  Salem 
Chapel,  Leeds,  Yorkshire.  The  son 
was  originally  destined  for  the  law,  to 
which  profession  he  was  regularly  arti 
cled ;  during  the  latter  part  of  his  term 
which  he  spent  in  London  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Athenian  Society  held  in  the 
Temple,  and  was  looked  upon  as  a  young 
man  of  extraordinary  talents,  and  as  calcu- 
lated to  rise  in  his  profession.     The  deat'.- 


76 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


of  his  mother,  however,  awoke  in  his 
mind  a  train  of  serious  thoughts.  "  It 
was  over  the  tomb  of  a  parent,"  he  says, 
"  and  amidst  reflections  which  concen- 
trated on  that  melancholy  spot  the  recol- 
lections of  the  past,  and  the  anticipations 
of  the  future,  that  led  him  to  think  on  his 
destiny."  The  lessons  of  childhood, 
taught  by  a  voice  for  ever  hushed,  seemed 
to  rise  in  accents  of  louder  importunity 
from  the  grave,  and  determined  him  to 
relinquish  all  the  brilliant  hopes  of  rising 
in  his  profession — all  the  prospects  of 
legal  and  literary  ambition  and  wealth, 
and  to  dedicate  himself  to  the  ministry. 
This  purpose  being  approved  by  his 
father,  he  entered  a  theological  institu- 
tion, where  he  continued  until  October, 
1822,  when  he  took  the  ministerial  over- 
sight of  a  congregation  in  the  city  of 
York.  There  he  has  continued  to  the 
present,  preaching  Christ  crucified  as  the 
only  hope  of  sinners..  He  is  a  yearly 
visiter  to  London,  having  a  month  or  six 
weeks'  supply  to  give  annually  to  the 
Tabernacle  chapel,  built  by  the  celebrated 
Whitefield.  His  visits  to  the  metropolis 
of  England  have  always  attracted  over- 
whelming congregations,  and  there  is 
reason  for  believing  that  his  labours  have 
been  greatly  blessed.  His  biblical  know- 
ledge is  said  to  be  extensive,  and  though 
in  the  pulpit  he  seldom  descends  to  criti- 
cism, yet  he  shows  by  his  mode  of  con- 
ducting his  discourse,  that  he  is  fully 
acquainted  with  the  subject,  and,  without 
pedantry  is  enabled  to  draw  from  the 
stores  of  learning  both  ancient  and  mo- 
dern— both  sacred  and  profane — all  that 
tends  to  illustrate  the  text  from  which  he 
is  preaching;  yet  it  is  done  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  most  illiterate  can  under- 
stand him.  His  illustrations  are  lumi- 
nous, eloquent,  and  highly  scriptural ;  his 
appeals  to  the  understanding,  the  con- 
science, and  the  heart,  forcible,  command- 
ing, consecutive,  solemn,  and  on  some 
occasions  irresistible.  He  is  aware  of 
the  value  of  climaxes ;  hence  he  generally 
succeeds  in  fixing  the  attention,  while 
his  last  illustration,  his  last  argument,  his 
last  appeal,  being  always  the  most  forci- 
ble, remains  deeply  lodged  in  the  mind  of 
the  hearer. 


Though  Mr.  Parsons  occasionally 
wields  the  terrors  of  the  law,  and  presents 
before  his  hearers  a  sinner  riven  with  the 
thunders  and  scathed  by  the  lightnings  of 
the  Almighty's  vengeance,  his  favourite 
subject  is  evidently  the  fulness  and  free- 
ness  of  the  divine  mercy :  he  appears  more 
anxious  to  subdue  than  to  terrify ;  to  win 
by  gentleness  than  to  conquer  by  force  ; 
and  when  he  proclaims  the  willingness 
of  Jehovah  to  have  mercy  upon  sinners, 
however  numerous  and  aggravated  their 
crimes,  he  rises  to  more  than  usual  elo- 
quence. 

That  he  is  not  a  mere  speculator,  but 
an  experimentalist  in  religion,  may  be  seen 
from  the  following  passage  from  a  sermon 
delivered  by  him  to  the  young,  in  which, 
while  speaking  of  the  vast  superiority  of 
the  pleasures  of  religion  to  those  of  earth, 
he  says,  "  Allow  me  to  speak  to  you,  to 
whom  life  is  in  a  measure  untried,  as  one 
who  himself  can  give  the  testimony.  1 
speak  that  I  do  know,  and  testify  that  I 
have  seen ;  and  I  speak  what  it  is  certain 
others  could  testify  too.  I  have  been  in 
different  courses,  and  have  sought  for 
enjoyment  in  different  paths.  I  have 
sought  it  in  mirth,  and  gayety,  and  amuse- 
ments ;  I  have  sought  it  in  plans  and  pur- 
poses of  ambition,  and  in  the  imagination 
of  schemes  of  worldly  aggrandizement 
and  honour ;  I  have  sought  it  in  the  occu- 
pations of  study,  conversing  on  the  page 
of  history  with  generations  that  have 
gone,  or  mingling  in  the  magic  enchant- 
ments of  poetry,  or  attempting  the  more 
laborious  pursuits  of  intellectual  inquiry; 
and  I  have  sought  it  in  the  service  of  God. 
And  here  the  craving  appetite  has  found 
its  food  ;  and  Aerethe  restless  and  anxious 
heart  has  found  its  peace  and  joy  !  Like 
the  philosopher  of  old,  but  in  an  appli- 
cation far  more  exalted,  I  can  say,  '  I  have 
found  it!  I  have  found  it!' — in  the  ser 
vice  of  God  I  am  happy  ;  and  if  I  served 
him  more  I  should  be  happier  still.  To 
be  as  once  I  was,  I  would  not  for  all  the 
gold  of  every  earthly  mine,  or  all  the 
gems  of  every  ocean  cave.  I  come  forth 
in  the  service  of  God  to  proffer  the  same 
boon  to  you,  that  thus  we  may  together 
rejoice  with  'joy  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory.'" 


SERMON  VI. 

^  if  auto  ell  ©tscoursr, 

DELIVERED  BY  THE  RT.  REV.  DANIEL  WILSON,  A.  M. 

BISHOP  OF  CALCUTTA, 
TO  HIS  PARISHIONERS,  AT  ST.  MARy's,  ISLINGTON. 


"  But  ye,  beloved,  building  up  yourselves  on  your  most  holy  faith,  praying  for  the  Holy  Ghost, 
keep  yourselves  in  the  love  of  God,  looking  for  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal 
life."— Jude  20,  21. 


There  is  nothing  more  important  than 
to  maintain  a  consistent,  elevated  tone  of 
practical  piety.  This  is  important,  not 
only  because  it  is  that  kind  of  religion 
that  most  glorifies  God,  edifies  our  neigh- 
bour, and  brings  comfort  to  our  own 
minds,  but  because  it  is  the  only  means 
of  securing  ourselves  against  the  seduc- 
tions of  erroneous  teachers — of  our  being 
preserved  amidst  the  snares  and  tempta- 
tions of  the  world  and  of  Satan — and  of 
introducing  us  into  God's  heavenly  king- 
dom. Nor  is  the  difficulty  less  than  the 
importance  of  maintaining  this  high  tone 
of  practical  religion.  Nothing  is  so  diffi- 
cult as  to  act  up  to  a  holy,  wise,  scriptural 
standard  of  religion.  To  a  Christian, 
nothing  is  so  difficult  as  to  rise  above  the 
habits  and  feelings  generally  prevalent  in 
the  day  in  which  we  live :  in  fact,  like 
most  other  valuable  attainments,  it  is 
difficult  in  proportion  as  it  is  important. 

In  this  view,  I  have  thought  that  the 
subject  presented  to  us  in  the  words  of 
my  text  (which  is  precisely  that  which  I 
have  intimated),  would  not  be  an  inap- 
propriate one  on  the  occasion  of  my  tak- 
ing farewell  of  my  beloved  flock  and 
parish. 

The  apostle  is  exhorting  the  primitive 
converts  to  contend  against  the  false 
teachers  who  had  "  crept  in  unawares, 
and  turned  the  grace  of  God  into  lasci- 
viousness,  and  denied  the  only  God  and  our 


Lord  Jesns  Christ :"  and  having  described 
in  fearful  terms  the  character  and  misera- 
ble end  of  such  profane  abusers  of  the 
gospel  in  the  verses  preceding  the  text, 
we  have  the  prediction  of  the  apostle  as 
to  the  appearance  of  such  seducers — 
"  But,  beloved,  remember  ye  the  words 
which  were  spoken  before  of  the  apostles 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  how  that  they 
told  you  there  should  be  mockers  in  the 
last  time,  who  should  walk  after  theii 
own  ungodly  lusts.  These  be  they  who 
separate  themselves,  sensual,  having  no* 
the  Spirit."  And  then  the  apostle  intro 
duces  his  main  exhortation  in  the  words 
which  I  have  read,  and  in  which  he  ap 
pears  to  me  to  point  out  a  remedy  for  all 
the  evils  he  had  been  deploring,  in  an 
elevated  and  unvaried  tone  of  spiritual 
religion  centred  in  the  love  of  God. 

This  is  our  subject,  in  pursuing  which 
we  shall  follow  our  apostle, 

First,  IN  DIRECTING  YOUR  ATTENTION  TO 
THE  MAIN  POINT  IN  WHICH  A  TRUI^  'eLE 
VATED   AND    CONSISTENT    PRACTICAL    RELI 

GION  CONSISTS THE  LOVE  OF  GoD  :  "  KEEI 

YOURSELVES  IN  THE  LOVE  OF  GoD." 

Secondly,  we  shall  consider  the  chief 

MEANS    OF    attaining    THIS     MAIN    POINT 

WHICH  THE  APOSTLE  RECOMMENDS FAITH 

AND  prayer:  "BUT  YE,  BELOVED,  BUILD 
ING  UP  YOURSELVES  ON  YOUR  MOST  HOLY 
FAITH,  PRAYING  IN  THE  HoLY  GhOST." 

And  this  will  lead  us,  in  the  last  place, 
g2  77 


78 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


TO  CONSIDER  THE  INSPIRING  ENCOURAGE- 
MENT WHICH  HE  PRESENTS  TO  ANIMATE  US 
IN  THE  PURSUIT  TO  WHICH  HE  INVITES  US, 
AND  THAT  IS  ETERNAL  LIFE  :  "  LOOKING  FOR 
THE  MERCY  OF  OUR  LoRD  JeSUS  ChRIST 
UNTO  ETERNAL  LIFE." 

And  now  may  God  be  pleased  to  assist 
us,  that  our  minds  may  be  calm  and  col- 
lected, that  we  may  be  preserved  from 
the  great  danger  of  looking  for  any  bless- 
ing from  the  occasion  itself,  from  the  ex- 
citement of  feeling  in  itself;  this,  that, 
or  the  other  circumstance  of  itself.  None 
of  these  things,  nor  all  of  them,  can  im- 
part any  solid  blessing ;  it  is  only  when 
we  look  through  them,  and  above  them, 
to  the  God  and  Saviour  of  all,  that  we 
can  hope  for  any  blessing  from  this  or 
any  other  discourse  addressed  by  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  to  such  feeble  creatures 
as  men. 

In  considering,  then,  the  importance  of 
maintaining  a  high  and  scriptural  tone  of 
practical  piety,  let  me,  with  our  apostle, 
direct  your  attention, 

First,  TO  THE  MAIN  POINT  IN  WHICH 
THAT  ELEVATED  TONE  AND  STANDARD  OF 
PRACTICAL  PIETY  CONSISTS— ^AND  IT  IS  IN 
THE  ARDENT,  UNDECAYING  LOVE  OF  GoD 
IN  THE  HEART.  "  BuT  YE,  BELOVED,  KEEP 
YOURSELVES  IN  THE  LOVE  OF  GoD."       Pcr- 

severe,  guard  your  hearts  from  decays  in 
that  main  affection  ;  keep  up  a  high  and 
genuine  flame  of  holy  love  to  Almighty 
God  continually  and  unfeignedly,  in  all 
its  principles  and  all  its  affections  and 
consequences,  in  your  souls. 

Man  was  made  to  love  God  and  to  glo- 
rify him.  Adam  in  paradise  loved  God 
perfectly,  and  found  in  that  love  his  hap- 
piness and  his  honour.  When  man  fell, 
he  lost  his  love  to  God  ;  and  he  began  to 
love,  with  an  idolatrous  attachment,  car- 
nal and  sensible  objects,  external  nature, 
the  secular  concerns  of  life,  ambition, 
glory,  fame,  his  family,  his  children,  him- 
self. The  sum  of  the  moral  law  is,  "  thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thine  heart,  and  all  thy  soul,  and  all  thy 
strength,  and  all  thy  mind ;"  and  when 
the  penitent  is  brought  back  to  God  in 
true  contrition  and  brokenness  of  heart, 
and  the  mist  and  confusion  hovering  over 
a  fallen  state  are  dissipated  by  the  illumi- 


nation of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  begins  to 
discover  that  the  main  point  of  his  apos- 
tasy consisted  in  his  having  an  alienated, 
estranged,  and  apostate  heart;  and  by  de- 
grees he  discerns  what  claims  Almighty 
God  has  on  his  creatures'  hearts — what 
infinite  perfections  the  Almighty  posses- 
ses, which  constitutes  the  just  object  ot 
his  creature's  love — what  infinite  benefits 
he  has  moreover  bestowed,  which  increase 
those  original  claims  of  the  divine  excel- 
lency. He  perceives  by  degrees  that  he  is 
bound  to  love  God,  because  God  is  the  best 
of  beings,  because  he  has  been  to  him  the 
most  munificent  of  benefactors.  But  espe- 
cially the  love  of  God,  in  the  gift  of  a 
Saviour,  to  die  for  guilty  man,  fills  the 
penitent  with  admiration,  and  draws  forth 
deep  convictions  of  his  guilt,  in  never  hav- 
ing loved  this  God,  who  hath  so  loved  the 
world.  In  this  way  he  comes  back  to  his 
God  and  Father ;  and  in  proportion  as  his 
mind  is  rendered  peaceable  by  the  appli- 
cation to  his  conscience  of  the  atoning 
blood  of  Christ,  and  a  sense  of  the  for- 
giveness of  his  sins — in  proportion  as 
there  is  established  something  like  a  tran- 
quil state  of  mind  by  the  operations  and 
influence  of  redeeming  grace,  so  the  man 
begins  to  love  God,  and  in  this  begins  the 
sum  and  substance  of  his  religion.  He 
who  loved  every  thing  but  God,  now  loves 
God  above  every  thing,  and  every  thing 
in  subordination  to  God.  '•  God  is  love," 
is  now  the  doctrine,  and  sum,  and  sub 
stance  of  the  penitent's  language — "  God 
is  love ;  and  he  that  dwelleth  in  love 
dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  him." 

This  now  becomes  the  object  of  his 
pursuit,  his  continual  aim,  the  point  to 
which  his  vigilance  is  directed,  the  topic 
of  his  vigilant  thoughts  and  meditations. 
He  aims  to  have  such  a  sense  of  God's 
love  to  him,  as  may  bind  his  soul  to  God 
in  return ;  leading  him  to  serve  him,  to 
desire  to  please  him,  to  delight  in  him  as 
the  source  of  felicity,  to  find  all  his  hap- 
piness in  him,  to  walk  under  a  sense  of 
his  favour,  to  enjoy  the  light  of  his  coun- 
tenance, to  rejoice  and  solace  himself  in 
God  as  his  exceeding  joy.  He  desires, 
so  far  as  he  can  fulfil  his  purpose  of  mind, 
to  feel  no  pleasure  but  in  communion  with 
God,  in  the  conviction  of  his  presence 


A  FAREWELL  DISCOURSE. 


79 


entering  his  soul,  in  the  society  of  his  holy 
people,  and  in  every  expression  that  be- 
comes him  as  being  under  infinite  obliga- 
tions to  divine  love.  With  these  views 
he  seeks  to  render  a  moral  obedience  to 
the  ten  commandments,  the  fulfilment  of 
every  relative  duty,  and  the  conscientious 
discharge  of  all  his  various  obligations. 
Every  thing,  in  short,  that  pleases  God  is 
a  part  and  parcel  of  the  love  of  God.  "  He 
that  hath  my  commandments  and  keepeth 
them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  me."  "  This 
IS  the  love  of  God,  that  we  keep  his  com- 
mandments." 

Again ;  The  avoidance  of  all  that  dis- 
pleases God,  the  mortification  of  inward 
and  outward  sense,  the  separation  from 
the  world  which  extinguishes  the  love  of 
God,  so  that  "  if  any  man  love  the  world, 
the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him" — 
separation,  I  say,  from  the  world,  in  its 
amusements,  vanities,  companions,  max- 
ims, spirit — separation,  I  repeat  it  the 
third  time,  from  the  world,  the  love  of 
which  constitutes  of  itself  enmity  to  God 
— all  this  is  included  in  the  love  of  God. 
This,  in  fact,  as  you  have  heard  me  de- 
clare, brethren,  from  my  lips  I  trust  a 
hundred  and  a  hundred  times,  is  the  sum 
of  all  religion.  That  which  was  the  sum 
of  natural  religion  before  man  fell,  was 
the  love  of  God  ;  that  which  constitutes 
heaven  is  the  love  of  God,  and  the  whole 
of  the  gospel,  as  I  shall  presently  have 
occasion  to  show,  is  a  remedial  dispensa- 
tion to  bring  us  back  to  that  which  we 
lost,  the  love  of  God.  This  prepares  us 
for  that  which  nothing  but  the  blood  of 
Christ  and  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
can  prepare  us  for — the  perfect  love  of 
God  in  heaven. 

Again ;  The  elevated  tone  of  a  scrip- 
tural piety  centres  here,  that  you  keep 
yourselves — "  keep  yourselves,  beloved, 
in  the  love  of  God."  Guard  against  those 
declines  which  are  perpetually  coming 
on ;  watch,  lest  the  flame  languish  and 
expire  ;  guard  it  with  a  holy  jealousy,  as 
the  priests  did  the  fire  on  the  altar  of  old. 
Here  is  the  great  secret  of  maintaining  a 
scriptural,  consistent,  evangelical  piety  in 
the  heart  and  conduct.  Our  religion  is 
as  our  hearts  are.  If  we  really  love  God 
above  all  things,  and  walk  in  his  love, 


every  thing  else  will  go  on  right:  but  if 
love  decline,  if  the  heart  be  open  to  every 
evil,  if  the  understanding  be  ungarrisoned, 
as  it  were,  and  the  love  of  God  be  absent 
from  the  heart  and  aflfections,  then  the 
first  seducer  finds  it  an  easy  prey ;  and 
then,  if  those  arise  that  creep  in  unawares 
and  turn  the  graceof  our  God  into  lascivi- 
ousness  on  the  one  hand,  or  deny  our  only 
Lord  God  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  on 
the  other,  the  heart  has  but  little  guard — 
it  has  but  little  from  the  education  of  early 
instruction,  and  the  remains  of  conscience. 
What  an  amazing  blessing  is  a  national 
church !  It  upholds  all  the  doctrines  of 
the  gospel,  and  all  the  framework  of 
Christianity,  and  does  not  leave  us  to 
the  moving  sands  of  human  passions.  It 
is  well  if  the  man  be  kept  in  the  way  at 
all,  by  the  sacraments  and  by  the  means 
of  grace  ;  but  without  the  love  of  God  he 
has  no  inward  guard.  You  will  ever  find 
that  those  who  go  away  into  any  of  the 
superstitious  novelties,  corruptions,  fol- 
lies, and  extravagances  of  any  particular 
day,  are  those  in  whom  the  love  of  God 
is  declining  in  the  heart ;  and  be  it  remem- 
bered that  our  own  day  is  not  different 
from  others,  and  that  what  we  observe  is 
merely  the  last  edition  of  Satan's  follies  ; 
for  they  have  been  continually  published. 
From  the  very  first  moment  that  the 
authentic  book  of  God  came  out  into  the 
world,  Satan's  surreptitious  editions  have 
been  ever  attempting  to  palm  themselves 
upon  the  church. 

Then  it  is  in  this  way,  brethren,  tha* 
we  are  to  keep  ourselves :  "  Keep  your- 
selves in  the  love  of  God."  Let  nothing 
else  satisfy  you  ;  never  let  the  world  draw 
you  off  from  this  high  ground ;  labour  to 
rise  higher  and  higher  in  the  scriptural 
love  of  God,  in  this  principle,  in  its  proper 
effects,  in  all  its  experience,  till  it  comes 
down  to  the  ten  commandments,  and  has 
its  fruit  in  holy  lives,  righteous  conduct 
upright  demeanour,  and  a  loving,  gracious 
temper — temper  and  spirit  formed  by  the 
love  of  God.  There  are  many,  beloved 
that  go  some  length  in  religion,  but  do  no* 
come  up  to  this  point,  nor  do  they  aim  at  it 
There  are,  it  is  to  be  feared,  too  many  tha* 
are  content  with  the  common  run  of  reli- 
gious feeling  and  evangelical  practice,  but 


80 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


never  think  of  rising  up  to  the  real  stund- 
ard  of  Scripture  in  the  prevailing,  supreme 
love  of  God  in  the  heart.  "  Keep  your- 
selves therefore,  beloved,  in  the  love  of 
God."  It  is,  indeed,  God  alone  who  can 
keep  the  feet  of  his  saints.  The  Chris- 
tians are  described  in  the  beginning  of 
the  epistles  as  "  the  preserved  in  Christ 
Jesus."  It  is  God  only  that  is  able  to 
keep  us  from  falling,  and  we  are  kept  by 
liis  power  through  faith  unto  salvation. 
But  still  we  are  to  keep  ourselves.  That 
is  the  way  that  Scripture  puts  things.  We 
are  to  be  diligent  in  the  use  of  all  the  ap- 
pointed means,  to  be  active  as  reasonable 
and  accountable  creatures.  "  He  that  is 
born  of  God  sinneth  not;  but  he  that  is 
begotten  of  God  keepeth  himself,  and 
that  wicked  one  toucheth  him  not."  "  As 
the  Father  hath  loved  me,"  says  the  Sa- 
viour, "  so  have  I  loved  you :  continue 
ye  in  niy  love" — that  is,  keep  yourselves 
— "  continue  ye  in  my  love.  If  ye  keep 
my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my 
love ;  even  as  I  have  kept  my  Father's 
commandments,  and  abide  in  his  love." 

Now,  brethren,  how  far  have  we  acted 
on  this  great  principle  during  the  course 
of  the  ministry  which  is  now  terminating 
in  this  particular  part  of  our  Lord's  vine- 
yard ]  How  far  have  I  succeeded,  and 
my  brother  ministers,  in  our  public  and 
private  instructions,  in  bringing  you  up 
to  this  point,  of  receiving  and  understand- 
ing in  what  essential  religion  consists  % 
I  apprehend,  take  the  world  in  general, 
they  know  not  what  the  love  of  God 
means  ;  nor  what  it  is  to  have  the  heart 
filled  with  it ;  nor  what  is  the  standard 
Scripture  proposes.  They  satisfy  them- 
selves with  some  mere  carnal  expression 
of  admiration  of  God's  goodness — God 
the  moral  governor  and  God  the  judge  ; 
but  as  to  any  distinct  and  practical  idea  of 
the  love  of  God  in  the  operations  of  his 
grace  upon  the  heart ;  the  holy  flame  of 
contemplation  of  his  divme  excellences — 
the  memory  of  his  mercies — the  labour  to 
keep  the  heart  by  prayer,  by  meditation,  by 
secret  devotion,  by  the  study  of  the  Scrip-  i 
tures,  as  well  as  by  the  sacraments  and 
the  means  of  grace,  they  are  totally  igno- 
rant of  it.  Why,  there  are  many  before 
us,  I  cannot  but  fear,  if  they  will  honestly 


examine  their  hearts,  will  find  themselves 
in  this  state.  Young  people.  I  ask  you, 
have  you  ever  thought  in  youi  lives,  seri- 
ously and  practically,  of  proposing  this 
main  point  as  the  end  of  your  religion  1 
My  prayer  this  morning  is,  to  gain  every 
heart  that  is  within  the  hearing  of  this 
voice,  to  the  love  of  God  ;  and  if  there  be 
any  present  destitute  of  it,  however  op- 
posed, however  they  may  resist,  how- 
ever prejudiced,  however  ignorant,  here 
is  the  object  I  have  in  view  this  morning, 
to  put  them  in  the  way  of  discerning  what 
is  the  main  scope  of  practical  religion, 
and  then  of  beginning  to  seek  it.  And  I 
have  another  design,  which  is,  that  all  of 
us  who  have  any  measure  of  this  sacred 
affection  may  have  it  kindled  to  abrightei 
flame ;  that  we  may  be  humbled  in  the 
dust  under  the  petty  measure  of  our  habi- 
tual love  to  God  ;  that  we  may  be  prepar- 
ing and  seeking  more  and  more  to  know 
ourselves.  From  henceforth  to  youi 
dying  hour  "  keep  yourselves  in  the  love 
of  God." 

But  you  will  naturally  ask,  What  are 
the  appointed  means  ] — what  are  the 
chief  methods  by  which,  in  a  world  of 
sin  like  ours,  we  can  pursue  this  high 
attainment  ? 

Tills  is  our  Second  point.      The  chief 

MEANS  OF  ATTAINING  THIS  HIGH  AND  LOFTY 
STANDARD  OF  PRACTICAL  PIETY,  and  ihcSe 

■Axe  faith  and  p7-ayer — faith,  as  to  the  par- 
ticular doctrines  of  revelation  on  which 
the  gospel  rests — prayer,  as  to  the  strength 
and  consolation  of  the  Spirit  which  the 
gospel  promises.  "  Building  up  your- 
selves in  your  most  holy  faith,  praying- 
in  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Religion  in  the  heart  of  man  is  here 
compared  to  a  building,  the  foundation  of 
which  is  faith  in  Clirist.  That  is  the 
foundation  of  heavenly  truth  which  laith 
embraces  and  builds  upon  as  the  founda- 
tion of  that  spiritual  edifice  laid  in  the 
human  heart  by  regenerating  and  sancti- 
fying grace.  This  faith  is  not  a  mere 
assent,  a  mere  historical  notion,  a  mere 
agreement  with  a  national  creed,  a  mere 
not  opposing  certain  practical  truths,  but 
it  is  a  spiritual,  holy  affection,  wrought 
in  the  heart  by  the  blessed  Spirit.  "  He 
that  hath  received  his  testimony  hath  set 


A  FAREWELL  DISCOURSE. 


8) 


to  his  seal  that  God  is  true."  "With 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  rij^hteous- 
ness,"  "  For  by  grace  are  ye  saved 
through  faith,  and  that  net  of  your- 
selves :" — the  faith  is  not  of  ourselves — 
"  it  is  the  gift  of  God."  Unto  you  it  is 
given  on  behalf  of  Christ  to  believe  on 
him.  The  doctrine  thus  received  by  an 
obedient  faith  is  laid  straightway  as  the 
foundation  of  the  divine  building  in  the 
soul.  The  whole  revelation  made  by  Al- 
mighty God  to  man  in  his  word  is  that 
which  faith  embraces,  seizing,  grasping, 
and  then  applying  to  its  proper  purpose. 
There  is  the  foundation  of  the  spiritual 
building. 

But  this  faith  more  especially  relates 
to  two  great  points  of  revealed  religion — 
the  fall  and  the  recovery  of  man.  What 
is  your  Bible  1  It  contains  the  fall  and 
the  recovery  of  man.  What  is  the  gos- 
pel ■?  It  contains  the  fall  and  the  recovery 
of  man.  What  are  the  great  means  by 
which  all  the  operations  of  God  and  the 
designs  of  benevolence  are  to  be  accom- 
plished 1  By  the  knowledge  of  the  fall 
and  the  recovery  of  man. 

Natural  religion  is  the  love  of  God.  I 
mean  by  natural  religion,  not  the  religion 
that  man  can  practice  in  a  fallen  state, 
but  that  which  was  adapted  to  man  before 
the  fall,  and  results  from  the  primary 
quality  of  his  nature — that  essential  rela- 
tion between  such  a  creature  as  man,  and 
such  a  glorious  being  as  God  in  every 
possible  circumstance  in  which  their 
relation  may  vary.  That  is  an  intelligi- 
ble meaning ;  Bishop  Butler  and  all  the 
greatest  writers  use  the  expression,  "  na- 
tural religion,"  in  that  sense.  Then 
revealed  religion  is  all  the  system,  which 
I  am  now  going  to  mention,  of  revealed 
truth,  all  the  particular  scheme  of  re- 
demption, which  is  the  remedy  for  bring- 
ing man  back  from  the  fallen  state  into 
which  he  had  lapsed,  and  for  raising  him 
again  partially  in  this  world,  and  com- 
pletely in  another,  to  the  love  of  God  for 
which  he  was  formed,  and  without  which 
he  can  neither  be  happy  here  nor  here- 
after. 

Man  is  ruined  by  sin ;  the  wrath  of  Al- 
mighty God  in  which  he  lies  by  nature  ; 
the  evil  nature  of  sin  as  committed  against 

Vol.  L— II 


God  ;  that  corruption  and  alienation  of  the 
heart  which  is  enmity  against  the  scrip- 
tural character  and  government  of  God; 
the  false  estimate  of  virtue  and  religion 
prevalent  in  the  world  ;  the  vain  and  in- 
sufficient sparks  and  spangles,  as  it  were, 
of  piety,  of  which  the  world  glories  and 
boasts,  all  this  revelation  lays  open  and 
makes  known  as  the  disease.  It  comes 
as  a  faithful  physician,  and  instead  of 
skinning  over  the  wound  as  the  empiric 
would  do,  and  as  all  false  religions  do, 
Christianity  probes  the  corrupt  sore, 
opens  it  to  the  very  bottom,  deepens  it, 
and  puts  the  patient  to  increased  pain  foi 
the  moment ;  but  it  is  in  order  to  pour  in 
the  heavenly  balm,  to  begin  an  efl'ectual 
and  a  permanent  cure,  to  raise  to  health, 
to  vigour,  to  peace,  to  joy,  to  soundness 
in  future  life.  The  doctrine  of  the  fall 
may,  indeed,  be  overstated,  and  so  may 
every  thing  else.  It  may  be  so  put,  in 
the  heat  of  controversy,  as  to  appear  to 
deny  man's  responsibility — the  faint  re- 
mains of  moral  feeling  which  he  pos- 
sesses— the  duty  of  exciting  him  and  urg- 
ing him  to  act  as  an  accountable  being — 
the  capacities  of  restoration  which  still 
hang  about  him  ;  but  in  its  genuine  scrip- 
tural tenor,  as  laid  down  in  the  Holy 
Bible,  and  as  laid  down  also  in  the  arti- 
cle of  our  own  church  upon  original  or 
birth  sin,  it  is  essential  to  the  entrance  of 
all  truth.  Till  this  is  learned,  nothing  is 
learned ;  but  the  moment  the  penitent  sin- 
ner begins  to  discover  his  state  by  nature 
as  a  transgressor,  not  merely  against  his 
fellow-creatures,  not  merely  from  the 
miserable  consequences  of  sin,  not  merely 
because  he  feels  the  lapse  of  rectitude, 
and  the  disappointment  of  hope,  but  be- 
cause he  has  sinned  against  God,  because 
his  heart  is  apostate  and  in  rebellion 
against  his  Maker,  and  his  Redeemer, 
and  his  Lord,  that  moment  the  man  is 
prepared  for  the  gospel.  Tell  him  of  the 
name  of  Jesus,  hold  up  the  light  of  the 
gospel  to  his  now  darkened  and  benighted 
soul — because  the  vain,  flowery  vision, 
and  the  magical  arts  of  Satan,  have  been 
now  extinguished — and  the  man  feels  the 
darkness  in  which  he  is  groping ;  tell  him 
now,  that  the  Son  of  God  came  down 
from  heaven  to  "  reconcile  the.  world  untc 


82 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


himself,   not  imputing  tiieir   trespasses 
unto  them  ;"  tell  him  that  "  God  so  loved 
the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten 
Son,   that  whosoever  believeth   in   him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life  ;" 
proclaim  to  him  pardon  and  free  gratui- 
tous  acceptance   and    adoption  into  the 
family  of  God  by  the  imputation  of  the 
righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  received  by 
faith,  and  in  proportion  as  that  faith  in 
the  penitent's  mind  is  strengthened,  which 
commonly  takes   a  considerable  period, 
(every  thing  lasts  best  which   goes   on 
slowly  and  surely — fits  and  starts  do  lit- 
tle good  in  any  thing,  and  least  of  all  in 
religion,)  in  proportion,  I  say,  therefore, 
as  the  penitent  becomes  a  little  strength- 
ened, the  doctrine  of  a  crucified  Saviour, 
the  glory  of  his  person,  the  infinite  love 
of  his  death,  the  salvation  by  grace  through 
faith  in  his  atoning  blood,  will  be  the  ap- 
propriate medicine  of  the  broken  heart, 
so  will  he  cherish  love  to  God.      The 
doctrine  of  the  fall  and  the  doctrine  of  the 
recovery  of  man  in  the  redemption  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  the  operation 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  answer  to  each  other 
as  the  impression  answers  to  the  seal,  line 
by  line,  and  feature  by  feature.     The  cor- 
responding parts  of  revelation,  all  that 
regards  the  fall  of  man,  and  then  all  that 
regards  his   recovery,   respond    to   each 
other  line  by  line,  feature  by  feature,  even 
as  the  impression  answers  to  the  signet 
by  which  it  is  made,  and  you  will  easily 
assume,  that   upon   this   foundation   the 
man  begins  to  build  well.     When  this 
foundation  is  well  laid,  and  you  must  dig 
deep  to  lay  it,  superficial  convictions,  and 
slight  sandy  foundations  will  not  do  when 
the  storm  comes ;  but  the  foundation  being 
well  laid  by  the  instruction  of  ministers, 
the  help  of  the  primary  teacher  the  Holy 
Ghost,  much  prayer,  the  sacraments,  and 
all  the  means  of  grace,  the  man  begins 
to  build  up  himself  in  love,  in  meekness, 
in  lowliness  of  heart,  in  knowledge,  in 
joy,  in  peace.     Here  the  building  begins 
to  rise,  and  here  he  goes  on  building  up 
himself  all  his  life  by  this  means  upon  his 
*'  most  holy  faith."      While   others   are 
building  up   their  houses,  raising  their 
mansions,  beautifying  their  outward  struc- 
tures ;  the  character  of  the  sincere  Chris- 


tian is,  that  he  is  building  up  himself  on 
his  "  most  holy  faith." 

Mark  !  "  most  holy  faith ;"  for  there  is 
no  part  of  this  faith  that  does  not  savour 
of  holiness.     A  man  must  strangely  per- 
vert the  whole  before  he  can  turn  it  to 
lasciviousness,  wantonness,  and  a  worldly 
life.     The  most  awful  case  in  the  whole 
world,  when  it  is  done,  is  uniting  an  evan- 
gelical creed  with  a  worldly  heart  and  an 
ungodly  life.      Awful   is  the   unnatural 
commixture.     It  is   turning  our   "  most 
holy  faith"  into  the  gall,  and  poison,  and 
wormwood  of  the  unrenewed  heart,  and 
in  this  way  the  love  of  God  goes  out  in 
the  soul.     You  may  easily  see  how  the 
means  contribute  to  the  end.      Here  is 
the  temple  that  is  to  be  built,  and  here  is 
the  scaffolding,  and  it  is  only  through  the 
medium  of  such  means  that  you  can  build 
up  yourselves  in  your  "  most  holy  faith." 
All  attempts  to  bring  men  to  love  God  by 
mere  declamation,  by  philosophic  subtle- 
ties, by  dwelling  upon  some  parts  of  the 
divine  character, — as  j'ou  read  that  some 
of  the  German  writers  did  by  dwelling 
merely  upon  the  amiableness,  the  benevo- 
lence, and  the  goodness  of  the  Deity, — 
without  any  distinct  respect  to  redemp- 
tion, are  futile  and  ineffectual.    Such  was 
the  error  into  which  the  mj'stics,  Fene^on, 
for  instance,  and  other  contemporaneous 
writers,  in  a  great  measure,  fell.     They 
looked  to  the  end,  but  did  not  consider 
the  means — the  atonement — the  redemp- 
tion— the  propitiation  of  the  Son  of  God, 
all  the  great  work  which  he  wrought  on 
the  cross,  and  which  is  the  centre  of  re- 
vealed religion,  the  centre  of  essential  and 
primary  religion.     And   when   men   set 
themselves  to  work  on  this  footing  of 
their  own  power,  own  duties,  own  per- 
formances, preparing  themselves  for  faith, 
seeking  the  love  of  God, it  is  worse  than  the 
Egyptian  bondage,  in  which  the  Egyp- 
tians compelled  the  Hebrew  captives  to 
make  the  bricks  without  straw  and  neces- 
sary means.    It  is  all  the  mere  pageantry 
and  sophism  of  Satan  if  the  gospel  be  left 
out.     If  this  be  not  made  the  prominent, 
the  chief  means  of  our  ever  coming  to  the 
love  of  God,  our  building  up  ourselves, 
there  is  no  building  up  ourselves  on  our 
"  most  holy  faith"  in  Christ  Jesus. 


A  FAREWELL  DISCOURSE. 


83 


But  lliis  is  not  the  only  means.  We 
must  not  think  wo  can  do  these  tilings  by 
faith  merely  as  an  act  of  our  own,  or  with- 
out God's  assistance.  We  must  not  think 
that  any  system,  however  correct,  can 
lead  to  our  keeping  ourselves  in  the  love 
of  God.  No ;  we  must  remember,  that 
unless  we  pray  much  for  the  Holy  Ghost, 
all  is  dead  in  our  religion.  Not  all  the 
grace  of  Christ — not  all  the  wonders  of 
Bethlehem — not  all  the  unutterable  ago- 
nies of  Gethsemane — not  all  the  mysteri- 
ous death  of  the  cross  can  save  the  soul 
without  the  Holy  Spirit.  "  Praying  in 
the  Holy  Ghost"  is  as  necessary  in  order 
to  keep  the  heart  in  God's  love,  or  to  bring 
it  there,  or  to  recover  it  if  it  be  at  all 
declining,  which  it  frequently,  I  was  go- 
ing to  say  almost  always  is,  more  or  less 
in  our  hearts :  "  Praying  in  the  Holy 
Ghost"  is  as  essential  as  building  up  our- 
selves in  our  "most  holy  faith."  For, 
beloved,  remember  prayer  is  the  breath 
of  the  soul — prayer  is  the  link  between 
miserable  man  and  his  merciful  Creator 
—prayer  is  the  channel  by  which  all  our 
desires  are  conveyed,  and  flow  upwards 
as  it  were  to  God,  and  all  his  benefits  and 
blessings  are  conveyed,  and  flow  down- 
wards to  us,  and  therefore  it  is  that  we 
must  pray  much  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Formal  prayers  will  do  no  good.  "  This 
people  draw  near  to  me  with  their  lips 
and  with  their  mouths."  They  show  me 
much  love,  but  their  heart  is  gone  after 
their  covetousness.  Dear  brethren,  we 
cannot  pray  with  fervour,  with  simplicity, 
with  humility,  with  perseverance,  with- 
out the  Holy  Ghost;  in  fact,  such  is  our 
weakness,  that  we  can  but  just  pray  aright 
with  the  Holy  Ghost.  What  are  we  with- 
out the  Holy  Ghost  1  We  are  without 
love — without  meaning  in  our  prayers — 
without  humility — without  fervour — with- 
out importunity — without  spirituality.  It 
is  a  carcass  dead,  and  even  offensive, 
without  the  inspiring  Spirit  that  makes 
life,  and  gives  health  and  animation,  and 
efficacy  to  all  the  parts  of  our  Christian 
frame.  It  is  when,  as  the  apostle  says, 
"  we  pray  always  with  all  prayer  and 
supplication  in  the  Spirit" — it  is  when 
*'  the  Spirit  helpeth  our  infirmities,  for 
we  know  not  what  we  should  pray  for  as 


we  ought :  but  the  Spirit  itself  maketh 
intercession  for  us  with  groanings  which 
cannot  be  uttered,"  that  we  pray  with  the 
heart.  Then  the  love  of  God  grows  apace 
- — then  declines  are  presently  remedied^ — 
then  we  keep  ourselves  in  the  love  of  God 
—then  errors  and  novelties,  and  those 
who  would  turn  the  grace  of  God  into 
lasciviousness,  and  all  these  things  lose 
their  seductive  charms.  There  is  no  room 
for  them  in  the  heart,  because  it  is  full  of 
the  love  of  God,  and  the  man's  hands  are 
full  of  building  up  himself  in  his  "  most 
holjj^  faith,"  and  he  is  "  praying  in  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  and  he  has  more  than 
enough  to  do.  It  is  those  that  stand  idle 
in  the  market-place  whom  Satan  masters, 
and  renders  the  objects  of  a  dangerous, 
novel,  and  corrupt  influence  in  the  church ; 
and,  therefore,  it  is  in  the  use  of  these 
means  that  you  are  preserved.  You  have 
the  whole  structure  of  religion — you  have 
all  the  doctrinal  duties — you  have  all  the 
means  of  grace — you  have  all  the  sacra- 
ments— you  have  all  the  various  methods 
which  Almighty  God  has  appointed  for 
diff'using  the  blessings  of  Christianity, 
faith  and  prayer,  doctrine  and  devotion, 
preaching  and  adoration — these  are  the 
means  by  which  the  love  of  God  is  pre- 
served in  the  heart. 

And  now,  dear  brethren,  upon  this 
branch  of  our  subject,  are  you  as  cordial- 
ly agreeing  with  me,  and  as  deeply  con- 
vinced how  dependent  we  are  upon  the 
means  as  you  are  persuaded  of  the  magni- 
tude, and  loftiness,  and  pre-eminence  of 
that  in  which  the  sum  and  substance  of 
religion  itself  consists  1  No  man  ever  yet 
felt  the  value  of  the  love  of  God  that  did 
not  cling  pretty  closely  to  the  means  by 
which  it  is  to  be  brought  into,  and  kept 
alive  in,  the  heart.  And  this  is  the  real 
foundation  of  a  consistent  ardour  in  the 
church — of  that  devotional  habit  in  our 
own  heart  which  it  so  pre-eminently  tends 
to  nourish — of  the  fruitful  Christian  being 
content  with  his  own  minister,  his  own 
place,  or  church,  and  the  means  of  grace 
offered  to  him  by  the  God  of  Providence, 
knowing  that  in  this  way  he  is  far  more 
likely  to  prosper  than  by  being  like  the 
wandering  stars,  now  here,  now  there, 
first  under  one  and  then  under  another  in- 


84 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


structor;  and  thus  all  the  sap  and  life  of 
religion  is  evaporated,  and  a  dangerous 
excitement  is  very  often  substituted  for  the 
real  scriptural,  sober  piety  of  the  gospel. 

And  therefore  you  should  pray,  beloved, 
that  the  doctrines  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  this  church,  and  wherever  God's 
word  is  preached,  may  be  maintained ; 
for  undoubtedly  it  is  essential  to  the  effi- 
cacy of  all  the  other  means  of  grace  that 
there  should  be  the  preaching  of  the  word, 
because  God  has  appointed  it  as  the  living 
organ,  the  life-stirring  trump  that  is  to 
blow  up  and  to  convoke  the  assemblies  of 
the  Lord ;  and  because  all  other  means 
will  too  frequently  sink  into  the  mere  opus 
operaium,a.  mere  formality,  if  there  be  not 
the  living  minister  to  quicken — to  arouse 
— to  awaken — to  stir  up  the  hearts  of  men 
— to  call  the  ungodly  to  the  Saviour, 
whatever  he  may  have  to  endure  in  rous- 
ing the  attention  of  a  careless  world,  and 
in  reviving,  as  far  as  he  can,  the  tone  of 
sober,  scriptural,  spiritual,  evangelical 
religion.  And  it  is  a  singular  comfort  to 
my  own  mind  to  know,  that  in  the  years 
that  have  passed, there  has  been  a  rapid  rise 
throughout  our  beloved  national  church 
of  this  genuine  spirit  of  godliness  and 
piety,  of  evangelical  doctrine  and  faithful 
administration  of  the  sacraments  in  and 
throughout  her  clergy.  I  feel,  as  to  my 
own  honoured  parish,  the  most  complete 
satisfaction  of  mind  in  the  ministers  who 
have  been  appointed,  and  who  will  con- 
tinue to  labour  among  you.  There  wants 
only  the  mutual  prayer,  "  praying  in  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  in  order  that  your  doctrine 
and  faith  may  be  kept  pure  and  enlight- 
ened, that  the  love  of  God  may  be  the 
great  object  to  which  they  are  directing 
your  endeavours,  and  an  elevated  tone  of 
religion  the  blessed  result. 

But  you  will  say,  with  such  a  system 
of  means  to  be  employed,  and  so  great  a 
point  as  the  main  object  of  religion,  is 
there  any  inspiring  and  adequate  encou- 
ragement to  cheer  us  up  under  the  whole  1 
"What  is  the  inspiring  hope  1  What  is 
the  comfort  ] — for  we  have  divers  afflic- 
tions to  meet  with  in  life — our  faith  has 
many  fiery  trials  to  pass  through — we 
have  much  to  endure  from  a  world  lying 
in  wickedness,  and  which  has  a  carres- 


pondence  with  the  traitorous  passions  in 
our  own  hearts.  Satan  has  the  advantage 
in  his  work,  for  he  knows  there  is  a  traitor 
in  the  garrison — our  remaining  corruption. 
There  is  an  affinity  between  Satan's  temp- 
tations, the  world's  seductions,  all  kinds 
of  errors,  and  the  remaining  disorders  and 
corruptions  in  our  understanding,  aflec- 
tion,  will,  and  conscience,  and  therefore 
we  have  all  these  to  battle  against.  It  is 
not  plain  sailing;  it  is  not  a  mere  thing 
that  may  be  learned  easily.  Brethren, 
there  is  no  getting  to  heaven  in  an  easy 
manner;  at  least,  I  never  found  it  out. 
My  Saviour  teaches  me,  that  "  strait  is 
the  gate,"  and  then  when  we  get  in,  "  nar- 
row is  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  life,  and 
few  there  be  that  find  it."  As  soon  as 
you  enter  the  way,  Satan  sets  out,  the 
spiritual  adversary ;  and  he  stands  across 
the  path,  as  it  were,  to  resist  you,  so  that 
it  is  natural  to  ask. 

Thirdly,    What    encouragement    is 
THERE  ]     What  is  there  to  cheer  the 

HEART  AND  TO  FORM  A  COMPENSATING  MO- 
TIVE   FOR   ALL    THIS    EFFORT?      ThERE    IS 

much,  and  it  is  no  less  than  eternal 
life,  "  looking  for  the  mercy  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life." 
The  endless  fruition  of  God,  the  pre- 
sence of  that  God  which  constitutes  life  in 
itself,  which  is  eternal  life,  is  our  encou- 
ragement. The  life  we  now  live  is  a  kind 
of  death-like  life.  It  is  a  doubtful  life  ; 
it  is  a  flickering  flame,  as  it  were,  which 
sometimes  seems  to  almost  expire,  and 
then  it  seems  to  start  up  again  into  bright- 
ness. This  life  is  a  brief  life  ;  it  is  an 
uncertain  life  ;  it  is  a  mingled  life,  a  great 
part  of  it  lies  in  the  valley  of  humiliation 
and  in  the  shadow  of  darkness.  But  that 
life  deserves  the  name — it  is  that  life 
which  consists  in  the  perfect  knowledge, 
love,  and  fruition  of  God — that  life  which 
is  never  to  end,  never  to  abate  in  intensity 
of  enjoyment.  Conceive  of  that  idea, 
never  to  abate  in  intensity  of  enjoyment, 
but  always  to  go  on  augmenting  and  aug- 
menting in  larger  measures  of  the  vision, 
knowledge,  love,  and  coiMnunion  of  God. 
For  though  I  apprehend  perfection  as  to 
the  measure  of  our  capacity  will  be  vouch- 
safed even  immediately  after  death,  and 
when  the  resurrection  restores  these  mor- 


A  FAREWELL  DISCOURSE. 


85 


tal  bodies  and  kindred  spirits,  yet  I  con- 
ceive, also,  there  will  be  a  continual  pro- 
gress in  the  capacities  of  enjoyment,  an 
augmentation  in  all  the  means  and  inlets 
of  knowledge,  the  visions  of  love,  the 
extacies  of  joy,  increased  communion 
with  God  throughout  eternity.  I  conceive 
that  Satan,  from  the  moment  of  his  fall, 
has  been  augmenting  in  his  satanic  capa- 
cities, in  his  deteriorations,  alienations, 
distances,  and  so  on ;  and  I  apprehend 
every  saint  will  be  in  the  opposite  state, 
ever  increasing  and  augmenting  in  that 
eternal  life  upon  which  he  will  enter. 

This  eternal  life,  beloved,  is  the  natural 
close  of  the  love  of  God  in  which  we  keep 
ourselves  upon  earth.  It  is  nothing  more, 
in  fact,  than  that  love  developed ;  it  is 
nothing  more  than  the  sweet  and  fragrant 
bud  fully  brought  out  to  its  bloom.  We 
are  to  eternity  what  we  make  ourselves 
in  time,  taking  the  expression  "  make 
ourselves"  with  its  proper  limit,  and 
remembering  always  the  grace  and  sove- 
reignty of  God.  Time  is  the  seed-plot  for 
eternity.  The  love  of  God  now  needs 
only  to  have  its  surrounding  impediments 
removed,  and  its  inward  principle  deep- 
ened, and  there  is  eternal  life,  the  pre- 
sence of  God  flowing  in  upon  it;  and  this 
blessed  hope  and  the  glorious  appearing 
of  the  great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ  unto  eternal  life,  is  just  the  encou- 
ragement we  want.  This  world  is  not  to 
last  for  ever.  These  changes  and  sepa- 
rations are  not  to  be  repeated  without  in- 
termission ;  it  is  only  for  a  short  time, 
and  then  we  shall  all  be  swallowed  up, 
"  That  mortality  might  be  swallowed  up 
of  life."  "  Looking  for  the  mercy  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life."  We 
must  look  from  the  storm  when  it  beats, 
from  the  creatures  when  they  disappoint 
us,  which  they  constantly  do  ;  it  is  meant 
they  should,  they  are  not  capable  of  doing 
any  thing  else ;  and  it  is  only  just  in  set- 
ting lightly  by  them,  and  just  letting  them 
lightly  into  the  heart,  and  keeping  the 
heart  in  the  love  of  God  supremely,  that 
we  have  the  real  enjoyment  of  the  crea- 
ture. 

And  then  it  is  in  this  way  that  we  are 
kept  and  go  on  looking  for  this  mercy. 
Give  me  relief  at  last,  give  me  peace  at 


last,  give  me  the  prospect  of  the  object 
accomplished,  and  then  the  soul  reposes 
itselfand  solaces  itself  in  God.  That  is  the 
principle,  I  apprehend,  upon  which  God 
has  constituted  the  human  mind.  We  are 
capable  of  great  exertion  if  we  have  but  an 
adequate  prospect.  That  is  the  stimulus 
upon  which  we  are  continually  acting. 
All  our  pursuits,  all  our  schemes,  all  our 
mercantile  speculations,  all  our  maritime 
discoveries,  all  our  efforts  to  advance 
science,  all  the  nights  and  days  spent  by 
philosophers  in  the  examination  of  the 
physical  sciences  and  arts,  what  is  the 
stimulus  to  these  varied  occupations'? 
Every  party  is  animated  by  the  pleasures 
of  discovery  and  by  the  hopes  of  success. 
How  much  more  when  these  principles 
of  our  nature  are  sanctified  by  that  which 
contains  all  philosophy  and  all  science, 
and  every  thing  that  man  has  ever  devised, 
and  are  animated  by  the  brig-htest  pros- 
pects beyond  the  grave  !  It  is  in  this  way 
we  are  sustained,  "  by  hope  we  are  saved," 
by  hope  we  go  on.  The  separations,  and 
griefs,  and  unmanly  and  excessive  sor- 
rows, which  depress  the  worldly  heart, 
that  sees  all  dark,  of  course,  beyond  pre- 
sent enjoyment,  are  not  removed  from  the 
Christian,  but  alleviated,  rendered  tolera- 
ble by  the  mighty  power  of  those  Chris- 
tian principles,  which,  when  they  enter 
the  heart,  rule  there,  are  not  subject,  and 
subordinate,  and  petty  servants  in  the 
heart,  but  are  sovereign  there,  and  rule 
supreme. 

But  mark,  it  is  "the  mercy  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Mercy,  that  is  what 
we  first  pray  for — mercy  ;  the  mercy  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  died  upon  the 
cross — that  is  the  blessing  we  next  pray 
for.  The  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  gave  his  Holy  Spirit  to  sanctify  the 
church,  that  is  the  next  blessing  we  pray 
for.  The  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  all  the  subsequent  events  of  life,  the 
trials  of  life,  the  sorrows  of  life,  the  pres- 
sure of  declining  age,  the  torrent  of  trouble, 
that  every  now  and  then  bursts  across  our 
way,  overflows  all  the  banks,  and  inun- 
dates as  it  were  the  soul — then  it  is  the 
mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  of  which 
we  stand  in  need.  And  in  this  frame  we 
come  up  to  heaven's  gates.  You  must 
H 


86 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


come  up  to  the  gates  of  heaven  a  contrite 
sinner,  or  you  never  can  look  for  the  mercy 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life. 
The  very  last  step  taken  in  this  world 
must  be  that  of  joy  and  consolation,  occa- 
sionally indeed  of  lively  hope,  but  of  con- 
trition and  penitence  for  sin,  or  else  you 
cannot  come  into  the  condition  in  "which 
alone  you  can  enter  heaven,  looking  for 
"  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto 
eternal  life."  Let  those  look  to  merits 
who  can  find  any  on  which  to  rest ;  let 
those  look  to  their  own  works  who  think 
they  have  enough  to  build  upon ;  let  those 
look  to  their  own  sufferings  and  sorrows 
who  have  got  any  to  show;  but  let  us, 
knowing  our  unworthiness,  and  the  mise- 
rable character  of  all  our  best  services, 
let  us  look  to  the  "  mercy  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life."  The 
mercy,  the  act  of  mercy — probably  the 
apostle  may  refer  to  that  act  of  mercy 
which  is  the  last  we  shall  want,  when  at 
the  bar  of  Christ,  standing  with  an  assem- 
bled worldj  nothing  but  the  mercy  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  can  adjudge  us  eternal 
life.  It  is  therefore,  I  apprehend,  to  the 
merciful  sentence,  the  last  act,  the  great 
conclusion  of  the  whole  scene  of  our  duty, 
to  which  we  are  here  looking,  "  looking 
for  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
unto  eternal  life." 

I  pause  here  to  direct  your  attention  to 
the  divinity  of  Christ  implied  in  this  lan- 
guage. What  am  I  to  do  ?  To  look  for 
the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Then  is  he  no  better  than  myself?  Is  he 
only  a  man  ]  To  entertain  such  senti- 
ments is  blasphemy ;  but  I  trust  it  is  only 
in  the  most  intense  ignorance  that  they 
have  been  formed.  No,  brethren ;  if  I  am 
to  look  to  him  in  all  my  struggles  and 
emergencies,  if  I  am  to  say  with  Stephen 
in  the  article  of  death,  "  Lord  Jesus,  re- 
ceive my  spirit ;"  if  with  St.  Paul  I  am  to 
pray  to  my  Redeemer  that  the  thorn  may 
be  taken  out  of  my  flesh — (thrice  did  the 
apostle  pray  that  it  might  be  taken  from 
'him,  and  he  gloried  in  his  infirmities  that 
the  power  of  Christ  might  rest  upon  him) 
— if  in  heaven  I  am  to  sing  that  blessed 
song,  "  worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain 
to  receive  power  and  riches,  and  wisdom 
and  strength,  and  honour  and  glory,  and 


blessing,"  then  that  Saviour  is  as  the 
apostle  tells  us  he  is,  "  the  great  God  and 
our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ;"  or  as  the 
apostle  says  in  this  very  epistle,  "  deny- 
ing the  only  Lord  God  and  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ;"  or  as  the  apostle  says  in  another 
place,  "  Jesus  Christ  who  is  God  over  all 
blessed  for  ever."  Dear  brethren,  the 
doctrine  of  our  Lord's  divinity  with  that 
of  the  personality  and  Deity  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  (who  is  described  in  Scripture 
as  coming,  as  guiding,  as  sending,  as 
being  grieved,  as  consoling,  which  are  as 
much  personal  acts  as  any  of  our  Re- 
deemer's acts  were  personal,)  is  as  clearly 
revealed  as  is  the  existence  of  God.  And 
then,  in  the  text,  we  are  commanded  to 
"  pray  in  the  Holy  Ghost ;"  and  he  that 
prays  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  acknowledges 
by  his  language  the  divinity  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Then  you  have  in  the  doctrine 
of  this  day's  solemnity  the  blessed  and 
adorable  Trinity — the  Three-One,  the 
Trinity  of  the  Godhead  in  the  mystery  of 
the  divine  glory,  which  I  know  not  how 
to  explain,  and  which  I  would  not  at- 
tempt to  explain,  and  which  the  Bible 
does  not  require  me  to  explain,  because 
it  tells  me,  "  great  is  the  mystery  of  god- 
liness, God  manifest  in  the  flesh."  But 
all  the  objections  I  ever  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  hear  against  the  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity  were  mis-statements  of  facts,  mis- 
apprehensions of  arguments,  and  a  plain 
denial  of  the  common  language  and  obvi- 
ous meaning  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  by 
these  artifices  I  could  prove  any  thing, 
set  aside  any  act  of  parliament,  change 
any  one  of  the  ten  commandments,  and 
make  the  whole  Bible  out  a  nullity.  The 
common-sense  interpretation  of  the  Bible 
is  involved  in  the  faith  which  believes 
that  God  speaks  to  man  in  the  language 
of  man,  that  by  man  it  ma)'  be  received. 
But  to  return.  It  is  in  this  temper  that 
we  are  to  "  look  for  the  mercy  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life  ;"  and  it  is 
in  this  way  that  we  have  abundant  en- 
couragement to  inspire  our  languid  hearts, 
and  such  is  the  elevated  tone  of  religion 
to  which,  with  the  apostle,  I  would  ven- 
ture to  exhort  you.  Such  is  our  privilege, 
such  the  sum  and  substance  of  our  duty, 
to  walk  in  the  love  of  God,  to  keep  in 


A  FAREWELL  DISCOURSE. 


87 


that  holy  blessed  frame,  to  grow  in  the  love 
of  our  God  and  Saviour.  Such  are  the 
means  placed  before  us  for  the  attainment 
of  this  great  object,  namely,  faith  appre- 
hending all  the  works  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus,  and  prayer  poured  out  before  him 
by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And 
such  is  the  encouragement  to  cheer  the 
drooping  heart,  "  looking  for  the  mercy 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life." 
The  whole  hangs  together,  and  there  is  a 
correspondence  in  the  magnitude  of  the 
end,  and  in  the  magnitude  and  fitness  of 
the  means  ;  and  there  is  a  correspondence 
in  the  brightness  of  the  encouragement. 
No  man  can  read  the  text,  and  understand 
it,  without  saying,  "  these  are  the  words 
of  eternal  life — no  mortal  pen  ever  dic- 
tated such  a  sentiment." 

And  now,  brethren,  let  me  First  exhort 
all  of  you  not  to  be  satisfied  with  any  thing 
heloiv  this  in  your  future  course  nf  life. 
Aim,  I  pray  you,  beloved,  at  further  pro- 
gress in  this  divine  and  heavenly  religion. 
Examine  yourselves.  Is  this  my  religion  ? 
If  it  be,  am  I  growing  in  it  ]  am  I  advanc- 
ing in  it  T  am  I  going  forward  in  it  ?  am  I 
more  and  more  increasing  in  love  to  God  ] 
If  I  liave  fallen  into  decay,  am  I  coming 
back?  Perhaps  half  the  Christian  bre- 
thren that  hear  me  may  feel  the  note,  when 
it  is  touched,  vibrate  in  their  own  hearts. 
Beloved,  if  you  have  in  any  measure  fal- 
len from  God,  or  in  any  measure  declined, 
will  you  come  back,  will  you  begin  again 
to  build  up  yourselves  in  your  "  most 
holy  faith,"  to  pray  in  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  keep  yourselves  in  the  love  of  God, 
looking  for  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  unto  eternal  life  1  He  that  is  satis- 
fied in  a  low  and  doubtful  state  of  Chris- 
tianity, has  no  Christianity  at  all.  There 
is  no  such  thing;  there  is  no  religion  that 
is  not  a  growing  religion,  a  vivacious, 
augmenting,  increasing  religion.  There 
may  be  a  sickening  religion,  but  it  does 
not  deserve  the  name ;  until  it  attains 
something  of  health  we  can  express  no 
iiope,  and  we  dare  not  poison  you  by  flat- 
tery. 

Let,  therefore,  this  be  the  first  improve- 
ment that  I  will  venture  to  leave  on  my 
own  heart ;  and  let,  my  beloved  friends,  let 
nothing  short  of  this  standard  satisfy  you. 


Aim  high.  He  that  darts  his  arrow  to 
wards  the  heavens,  will  reach  a  greatei 
height  than  he  that  turns  it  on  earth.  Let, 
at  least,  our  standard  be  high  ;  let  our  aim 
be  high ;  let  the  law  of  God  in  all  its  am- 
plitude be  the  object  of  our  pursuit,  the 
means  of  grace,  the  diligent  instruments 
we  employ,  and  the  looking  for  the  mercy 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  our  strong  en- 
couragement. 

Secondly,  let  all  be  convinced  that 
this  is  the  only  religion  that  can  save  the 
soul.  Now  this  includes  the  conduct  of 
all  those  whom  1  have  now  the  pleasure, 
though  a  painful  one,  yet  the  pleasure  to 
address,  on  this  occasion.  Let  the  highest 
not  be  satisfied  with  less  attainments  ; 
let  the  lowest  not  despond  at  the  first  be- 
ginnings ;  let  all  be  convinced  that  there 
is  no  other  religion.  There  is  no  other 
bridge  thrown  over  the  bottomless  abyss 
of  the  world's  misery  but  Jesus  Christ, 
and  him  crucified :  there  is  one  religion, 
and  hut  one.  Sceptic,  you  will  find  at  last 
that  your  vain  reasonings  are  the  mere 
ignis  fatuus  of  a  corrupt  understanding. 
You  will  find,  believe  me,  that  a  peni- 
tent's heart,  that  one  tear  dropped  over 
your  Bible  for  your  sins,  is  worth  all  the 
metaphysics  and  all  the  speculations  by 
which  the  head  is  lifted  up  and  inflated, 
and  the  heart  hardened.  Worldly  profes- 
sor, there  is  no  other  religion  will  do. 
You  cannot  have  the  world  and  God  at 
once ;  you  cannot  have  the  love  of  the 
world  and  the  love  of  God  in  the  same 
heart  at  the  same  time.  It  is  contrary  to 
the  nature  of  things  ;  as  much  so  as  it  is 
in  physical  science  for  two  bodies  to  fill 
the  same  space  at  the  same  moment. 
Vain  prof essors  of  evangelical  truth,  who 
form  a  large  class  at  the  present  day,  and 
will  be  larger,  it  is  Satan's  art  when  the 
gospel  is  widely  preached  and  spread,  to 
induce  us  to  rely  upon  national  approba- 
tion, to  hang  upon  that  doctrine,  to  make 
religion  consist  of  this  and  that  charity, 
this  and  that  feeling,  this  and  that  circum- 
stance ;  to  build  up  yourselves  because 
we  belong  to  this  or  that  society,  or  are 
doing  this  or  that  good  thing.  O,  my 
brethren,  this  is  not  the  love  of  God  ;  and 
if  is  nothing  but  that  which  will  prepare 
you  for  heaven,  and  nothing  but  faith  in 


B8 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


a  crucified  Saviour  that  can  ever  build 
you  up  in  j'our  "  most  holy  faith  !" 

Therefore,  earnestly  let  me  commend 
all  that  have  not  yet  ascertained  this  great 
point,  to  take  the  friendly  admonition,  the 
last  accents  of  one  who  desires  to  dis- 
charge his  last  duty,  not  merely  by  affec- 
tion and  the  most  sincere  wishes,  but  in 
honest  endeavours  to  save  every  soul  he 
can  ere  he  embarks,  as  it  were,  for  another 
world.  And  therefore  I  must  come  to  thy 
conscience,  sinner,  wherever  thou  art.  I 
caimnt  find  thee  out,  but  God  has  thee 
under  the  glare  of  his  eye  at  this  moment ! 
Thou  art  quiverijig  in  thy  seat  at  this 
instant,  though  I  know  thee  not !  Take 
the  friendly  warning,  and  escape  !  Flee, 
I  pray  thee,  from  the  wrath  to  come  ! 
Flee  to  the  Saviour  ere  it  be  too  late  ! 
Begin  real  religion  !  Renounce  thy  wine, 
thy  harlots,  thy  lusts,  thy  pleasure,  thy 
merely  human  science,  thy  poetry,  thy 
ohilosophy,  thy  ever)'  thing  that  stands 
in  the  way  to  heaven  :  and  when  you  have 
received  the  love  of  God  you  will  use 
only  what  is  lawful  in  any  thing.  O, 
remember  it  is  not  what  I  say — sayeth 
not  God  the  same  1  Is  not  God  love  ] 
If  an  earthly  parent  require  the  love  of 
his  child — if  the  love  of  a  friend  be  the 
only  essential  quality  of  friendship — if  a 
benefactor  look  for  gratitude,  I  appeal  to 
your  common  sense,  I  appeal  to  the  tri- 
bunal of  conscience — if  it  be  not  hardened 
by  profligacy  and  habits  of  vice,  which 
desolate  conscience,  and  leave  it  like 
seared  and  callous  flesh — if  there  be  a 
conscience,  if  there  be  any  thing  of  moral 
feeling  in  the  sinner,  shall  not  the  God 
that  made  thee  have  thy  supreme  love  ■? 
Shall  not  the  Redeemer  that  died  for  thee 
claim  and  possess  thy  affection  1  Shall 
not  the  sanctifying  Spirit  see  thee  pray- 
ing for  his  grace  ]  Shall  not  the  love  of 
God  be  paid  to  thy  heavenly  Father,  thy 
heavenly  friend,  thy  divine  benefactor  1 
Yes  !  O,  may  the  angels  of  Christ  take 
up  the  tidings  to  his  throne  that  every 
sinner  here  is  beginning  to  repent !  Yes ; 
I  pause  while  the  desire  is  fonned  in  the 
breast  of  every  sinner.  Let  each  one  put 
up  to  the  throne  of  mercy  this  ejaculation, 
"  Lord,  give  me  thy  grace,  and  may  I  be- 
gin this  heartfelt  religion !"   I  pause  that 


you  may  make  the  prayer  in  your  own 
breasts.  O,  my  God !  is  there  one  that 
has  not  made  the  prayer  1  Is  there  a 
heart  so  hard  that  it  has  not  seized  the 
moment  to  aspire  after  grace  and  salva- 
tion ?  No  ;  I  so  trust  thy  mercy,  that  I 
cannot  think  there  is  one  from  the  young- 
est to  the  oldest  that  hath  not  addressed  a 
prayer  for  the  love  of  God  ;  and  in  that 
persuasion,  beloved,  I  bid  you  fareicell. 
It  was  said  by  a  great  master  of  history, 
(I  don't  know  whether  these  are  his  words, 
but  they  contain  his  sentiments,)  Parvi 
affecfus  loqtiuntur,  magni  tacent.  Little 
griefs  speak,  great  ones  are  silent. 

I  say,  therefore,  in  bidding  you  fare- 
well, I  return  you  my  most  heartfelt 
acknowledgments  for  all  the  kindness 
and  attention,  and  more  than  ministerial 
affection,  which  you  have  rendered  to 
me.  I  also  desire  to  beg  your  forgiveness, 
each  of  you  individually,  if  you  be  pre- 
sent, (or  if  not,  I  desire  it  may  be  reported 
to  every  parishioner,)  of  any  unintentional 
errors,  offences,  mistakes  which  I  must  I 
know  have  committed.  I  would  likewise 
solemnly  return  my  thanks,  most  of  all, 
to  Almighty  God  for  his  mercies  to  me. 
And  "Aort',"  brethren,  ^'•xinto  him  that  is 
able  to  heep  you  from  falling,  and  to  pre- 
sent you  faultless  before  the  presence  of  his 
glory  with  exceeding  joy,  to  the  only  wise 
God  our  Saviour,  be  glory  and  majesty, 
dominion  a7id  power,  both  now  and  erer." 
Amei^. 


THE  PULPIT  G.A.r.LER'Sr. 

NO.  III. 


THE    (late)    rev.    JOHN    FLETCHER, 
Vicar  of  Madeley. 


J.  W.  De  La  Flechere  was  born  at 
Nyon,  in  Switzerland,  on  the  I2th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1729.  In  March,  1757,  he  enter- 
ed the  ministry  of  the  Episcopal  church, 
and  with  an  uncommon  degree  of  pastoral 
fidelity,  and  ardent  piety,  amidst  much 
weakness  of  body,  discharged  with  almost 
apostolic  zeal  and  earnestness  the  varied 
duties  of  his  office,  until  August,  1785, 
when  he  expired  in  the  triumphs  of  faith. 


A  FAREWELL  DISCOURSE. 


89 


It  has  been  recorded  of  him,  that  when 
vicar  of  Madeley,  as  often  as  a  small 
congregation  could  be  collected,  which 
was  usually  every  evening,  he  preached 
to  them.  He  visited  every  family  in  his 
parish  that  gave  him  access,  for  conver- 
sation and  prayer;  and  no  hour  of  the 
night,  nor  severity  of  the  weather,  pre- 
cluded his  attendance  on  the  sick.  He 
interrupted  the  nocturnal  revellings,  then 
common  among  his  young  parishioners, 
ny  his  solemn  but  affectionate  admoni- 
tions ;  and  braved  the  fury  of  the  colliers, 
amidst  their  savage  orgies  and  inhuman 
sports.  At  Coal-brook  Dale  and  Madeley- 
wood,  two  hamlets  in  his  parish,  distant 
from  the  church,  he  preached  alternately ; 
and  erected,  chiefly  at  his  own  expense, 
two  buildings  for  more  convenient  wor- 
ship. At  his  church  he  preached  twice 
every  Sunday,  besides  catechizing  chil- 
dren ;  and  often  repeated  his  services,  in 
the  evening,  at  places  considerably  dis- 
tant. In  his  efforts  to  do  good  he  mani- 
fested a  zeal  and  perseverance  rarely  seen, 
and  was  frequently  rewarded  with  a  suc- 
cess as  striking,  as  the  means  employed 
to  obtain  it.  A  poor  collier,  now  living 
at  Madeley,  and  upwards  of  eighty  years 
of  age,  relates,  that  in  the  former  part  of 
his  life  he  was  exceedingly  profligate, 
and  that  Mr.  Fletcher  frequently  sought 
opportunities  to  warn  him  of  his  danger. 
"  For,"  added  the  poor  man,  "he  used 
always  to  run  after  such  wicked  fellows 
as  I  was,  whenever  he  saw  us,  in  order 
that  he  might  talk  with  us,  and  warn  us." 
Being  aware  of  his  pious  vicar's  inten- 
tions, this  collier  was  accustomed,  as  soon 


as  he  saw  him,  to  run  home  with  all  speed, 
and  close  the  door  before  Mr.  Fletcher 
could  reach  it :  and  thus,  for  many  months 
together,  he  escaped  his  deserved  reproofs. 
The  holy  man,  however,  still  persevering 
in  his  attempts,  on  one  occasion  outran 
this  determined  sinner,  and  obtained  pos- 
session of  his  house  before  him.  The 
poor  man,  awed  by  the  presence  of  his 
minister,  and  softened  by  the  persuasive 
kindness  of  his  manners,  was  greatly  af- 
fected, and  received  those  religious  im- 
pressions which  soon  ended  in  a  thorough 
change  of  his  character. 

Another  of  his  parishioners,  who  is  still 
living,  relates  the  following  characteristic 
circumstance : — When  a  young  man,  he 
was  married  by  Mr.  Fletcher,  who  said 
to  him  as  soon  as  the  service  was  con- 
cluded, and  he  was  about  to  make  the 
accustomed  entry,  "  Well,  William,  you 
have  had  your  name  entered  in  our  regis- 
ter once  before  this."  "  Yes,  sir,  at  my 
baptism."  "  And  now,  your  name  will 
be  entered  a  second  time.  You  have  no 
doubt  thought  much  about  your  present 
step,  and  made  proper  preparations  for  it 
in  many  different  ways."  "  Yes,  sir." 
"  Recollect  that  a  third  entry  of  your 
name, — the  register  of  your  burial,  will, 
sooner  or  later,  take  place.  Think,  then, 
about  death,  and  make  preparations  for 
that  also,  lest  it  overtake  you  as  a  thief 
in  the  night."  This  person  also  is  now 
walking  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  and 
states,  that  he  often  adverts  to  this  and 
other  things  which  his  serious  and  affec- 
tionate pastor  found  frequent  occasion  to 
say  to  him. 


Vol.  I 12 


h2 


SERMON  VII. 

MOTIVES  IN  MISSIONARY  OBJECTS  ESSENTIAL  TO  SUCCESS. 
BY  THE  REV.  R.  W.  HAMILTON. 


"  Let  not,  then,  your  good  be  evil  spoken  of." — Rom.  xiv.  16. 


The  question  of  Christian  missions 
occupies,  my  l-eloved  hearers,  a  very  dif- 
ferent position  in  the  public  mind  in  our 
current  history  from  that  which  it  for- 
merly obtained.  Statesmen  do  not  neces- 
sarily, as  at  the  first,  denounce  it;  philo- 
sophers do  not  necessarily  denounce  it; 
travellers  do  not  necessarily  deprecate  it. 
It  does  not,  as  of  old,  invariably  provoke 
mercantile  clamour  and  political  alarm. 
Contempt  has  become  more  calm,  and 
calumny  has  learned  to  impose  a  restraint 
upon  itself.  The  old  outcry  is  spent;  the 
fierce  ousel  has  obeyed  the  sound  of  re- 
treat ;  "  the  stout-hearted  are  spoiled  ;  and 
none  of  the  men  of  might  have  found  their 
hands."  Insinuation  still  secretes  its 
subtle  poison,  and  crawls  its  reptile 
course ;  but  the  invective  and  menace 
which  once  filled  our  legislatures,  our 
tribunals,  our  schools,  our  marts — which 
were  heard  in  high  debate,  and  were  re- 
verberated by  popular  tumult — which 
gave  a  tone  to  polite  letters,  and  an 
expression  to  outrageous  vulgarities — 
these,  with  a  few  exceptions,  which  stand 
related  to  a  system  whose  moderation  can 
never  be  more  than  aflfected,  and  whose 
enmity  it  is  impossible  to  allay  or  subdue 
—these  more  boisterous  ebullitions  have 
wellnigh  died  away.  The  adventurer, 
the  speculator,  the  infidel,  the  bigot,  must 
now  avail  themselves  of  other  expedients, 
and  have  recourse  to  other  weapons. 

The  missionary  enterprise  has  secured 
to  itself  no  small  portion  of  secular  re- 
spectability ;  there  are  many  who  are  now 
disposed  to  do  it  homage  on  account  of 
its  indirect  results.  They  have,  indeed, 
no  sympathy  with  its  nobler  aims.  That 
90 


which  is  almost  nothing  in  the  estimation 
of  the  Christian — (and  only  any  thing 
because  of  its  accessary  and  incidental 
character  with  respect  to  the  particular 
department  of  his  benevolence  and  zeal) 
— the  burning  surface,  the  elaborate  orna- 
ment, the  productions  of  the  soil — these 
form  the  scope  and  the  reward  of  all  their 
exertions  :  the  soul,  the  object  of  our  care ; 
the  salvation  of  the  soul,  the  prize  of  our 
ambition,  have  no  points  of  attraction,  and 
no  ground  of  admiration  for  them.  How 
could  they  value  in  others  that  which 
they  in  themselves  do  not  appreciate  1 
How  could  they  desire  for  others  that 
which  they  do  not  seek  for  themselves  1 
But  there  are  accidents  to  our  cause, 
and  in  our  progress,  which  are  levelled 
to  their  understanding — inferior  spoils 
which  are  congenial  to  their  tastes.  The 
subserviency  of  missions  to  literature  and 
science — in  arranging  languages  whose 
name  had  not  hitherto  been  heard — in 
supplying  knowledge  touching  mytholo- 
gies which  had  hitherto  been  screened 
from  every  curious  eye,  and  fenced  from 
every  intrusive  footstep — in  marking, 
with  a  very  accurate  geography,  the  chart 
of  rivers  and  oceans,  states  and  countries 
— in  collating  facts  which  sustain  the 
most  important  conclusions  and  systems 
in  physical  truth  ; — the  favourable  influ- 
ence of  missions  in  providing  security 
for  persons,  and  infusing  confidence  into 
barter,  as  well  as  opening  new  fields,  and 
establishing  fresh  interchanges,  by  accus- 
toming the  savage  to  social  institutions — 
the  grandeur  of  the  very  scheme  of  mis- 
sions taking  hold  upon  the  imagination, 
and  of  the  mind,  as  the  nearest  possible 


MOTIVES  IN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


91 


approach  to  disinterested  virtue,  embody- 
ing that  which  had  been  hopeless  as  a 
vision,  and  baseless  as  a  dream — the  cer- 
tain success  of  missions — certain,  as  it  is 
seen  in  a  thousand  peaceful  trophies  of 
civilization,  mild  manners,  and  enlight- 
ened principles  ;  these  great  issues  have 
surrounded  missions  with  a  considerable 
share  of  favour,  and  have  adjudged  to 
them  a  character  even  of  renown. 

The  enmity  of  the  human  heart  is  what 
it  ever  was  against  the  revealed  history 
of  free  mercy,  and  the  strict  purity  of 
Christianity.  But  some  of  its  stronger 
efforts,  in  consequence  of  these  circum- 
stances, have  been  remitted — some  of  its 
wilder  frenzies  have  been  dropped.  At 
least,  it  never  can  be  made  a  charge 
against  us  that  we  are  engaged  in  an  un- 
tried invasion,  in  a  rash  experiment.  We 
have  the  results  before  us,  and  that  charge 
is  reduced  to  silence,  if  not  put  to  shame. 
We  are  truly  thankful  that  we  can  refer 
to  an  effect  which  runs  within  the  range 
of  worldly  prepossessions ;  but  chiefly 
we  rejoice  over  the  deeper  process  into 
which  the  unrenewed  mind  cannot  enter 
— a  hid  treasure,  which  the  hopes  and 
sj'mpathies  of  the  world  can  never  make 
its  own — the  consequences  that  a  solemn 
treaty  attaches  to  all  that  take  a  part  in 
missionary  operations.  This  thing  is  not 
done  in  a  corner ;  they  are  a  city  set  upon  a 
hill,  and  every  shadow  cast  from  it  is  ob- 
served ;  they  are  the  light  of  the  world,  and 
every  wavering  of  the  flame  is  noticed. 
Their  language  is  extensively  quoted ; 
their  deportment  is  narrowly  watched ; 
they  have  to  pass  through  a  fearless  scru- 
tiny heated  sevenfold.  Myriads  of  eyes 
are  upon  them — eyes  which  stand  out 
with  suspicion,  with  jealousy,  with  dis- 
trust, with  resentment,  with  rage.  Hence 
arises  the  necessity  of  the  greatest  caution 
and  prudence,  as  well  as  of  the  greatest 
frankness  and  intrepidity.  Ought  we  not 
"  to  walk  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  because 
of  the  reproach  of  our  enemies  V 

But  we  would  rather  make  this  a  per- 
sonal inducement  and  reason  arising  out 
of  the  subject  itself.  Think  of  its  sub- 
lime purpose,  its  high  calling  ;  think  of 
the  estimate  which  has  been  fixed  upon 
j>  'Mccessively  by  apostles,  by  evange- 


lists, by  martyrs;  think  of  the  manner  in 
which  it  approves  itself  to  every  holy 
precedent  and  principle,  and  commends 
itself  to  every  holy  sentiment  and  affec- 
tion ;  think  of  your  professed  subjection 
to  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  of  "  the  pow- 
er which  worketh  in  you  mightily  ;"  think 
of  the  souls  of  the  heathen  in  their  un- 
computed  millions,  in  their  unfathomable 
woes ;  and  it  will  then  be  easy  to  convict 
the  most  generous  of  selfishness,  the 
most  disinterested  of  indifference,  the 
most  susceptible  of  apathy,  the  most  de- 
voted of  disaffection,  the  most  liberal  of 
parsimony,  the  most  constant  of  fickle- 
ness, the  most  active  of  supineness  and 
sloth.  Should  we  not  study  a  delicate 
and  a  sensitive  consistency  ]  What  man- 
ner of  persons  ought  we  to  be  ] 

We  do  good  by  communicating  it. 
We  are  employed  in  an  effort  and  a  sys- 
tem of  well  doing.  But  let  us  clothe 
ourselves  with  the  things  that  are  amiable 
and  of  good  report.  Let  us  shun  the  ap- 
pearance of  evil;  and,  though  certain  that 
it  is  a  good,  let  us  preclude  the  possibility 
of  that  good  being  "  evil  spoken  of." 
You  will  allow  me,  therefore,  my  bre- 
thren, to  give  the  following  discourse  a 
practical  bearing  and  character.  It  shall 
be  left  to  others  to  raise  more  delightful 
themes.  We  seem  to  have  reached  a 
crisis  ;  we  ought  now  to  come  to  a  pause. 
What  are  we  doing?  What  is  the  gene- 
ral impression  of  what  we  have  done  1 
There  may  be  inconsistencies  amongst 
those  who  profess  themselves  the  friends 
of  the  Christian  enterprise  of  missions; 
there  may  be  inconsistencies,  and  "  faith- 
ful are  the  wounds  of  a  friend."  There 
is  no  doubt  in  our  own  mind  as  to  the 
genuineness,  as  to  the  reality  of  the  be- 
neficence itself;  but  let  us  not  give  any 
occasion  to  them  who  seek  occasion  by 
which  that  beneficence  might  at  all  come 
under  suspicion.  Some  of  these  incon- 
sistencies shall  now  be  stated.  I  throw 
myself  upon  your  candour — many  of  you 
know  the  heart  of  a  stranger;  and,  whilst 
I  will  endeavour  to  feel  as  little  as  possi- 
ble a  stranger  amongst  you,  relieve  that 
almost  irrepressible  sense  of  estrangement 
by  your  candour  and  by  your  prayers. 

Jfe  are  inconsistent  when  the  truth  we 


92 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


propagate  among  others  we  do  not  receive 
and  experience  ourselves. 

Create  any  great  system  of  efforts,  and 
many  are  blindly  carried  away  by  it.  All 
facilities  will  be  given  to  it;  these  will 
be  the  weight  and  sanction  of  example  ; 
the  very  symptoms  of  proselytism  and 
party  will  command  its  influence;  the 
machinery  is  thrown  into  play ;  the  eddy 
is  seen  sweeping  round  within  the  vortex ; 
and  how  many  are  there  who  are  blindly 
and  insensibly  hurried  onward  by  the 
stroke  of  the  one,  or  drawn  in  by  the  suc- 
tion of  the  other ! 

Apply  these  considerations  to  the  mis- 
sionary apparatus.     This  is  a  scheme  of 
labours  most  expansive,  most  complicat- 
ed, and  most  penetrating.     These  labours 
embrace  each  sex,  each  condition,  each 
class.     They  stand  like  the  cherub  with 
outstretched    wings    and    with    human 
hand,  showing  how  far  they  can  extend 
their    power,    and    ivitk    what    particu- 
larity it  can  be  applied    by  them.      It 
is  impossible  that  any  now  can  allege  the 
excuse,  "  No  man  hath  hired  me."     We 
have  a  chain  by  which  to  transmit  the 
faintest  spark;   we   have  a  channel   by 
which  to  pour  the  smallest  drop  ;  we  have 
a  distributive  power  by  which  our  efforts 
are  so  stimulated  that  they  may  tell  upon 
the  world.      Therefore,  there  are  thou- 
sands who  enter  into  this  scheme  with 
pleasure  and  with  fervour.     We  do  not 
denounce  their   sincerity.     "  Come,  see 
my  zeal,"  said  Jehu,  "for  the  Lord;" 
but  it  is  subjoined,  "  Jehu  took  no  heed 
to  walk  in  the  law  of  the  Lord   God  of 
Israel ;  for  he  departed  not  from  the  sins 
of  Jeroboam,  who  made  Israel  to  sin." 
And  yet,  what  is  more  audacious  in  folly, 
more  impious  in  irreligion,  than  to  build 
that  which  you  continue  to  imdermine  1 — 
to  heal  that  which  you  continue  to  in- 
flame ? — to  reconcile  that  which  you  con- 
tinue to  agitate  ■? — to  cleanse  that  which 
you  continue  to  defile  1 — to  enforce  that 
which  you  continue  to  supersede  1     You 
make  a  mock  of  sin,  and  warn  men  against 
it ;  you  desire,  professedly,  that  "  the  ends 
of  the  earth  may  see  the  salvation  of  our 
God,"  and  neglect  the  great  salvation; 
you  tear  down  that  which  you  avow  your- 
selves intent  upon  building  up ;  you  tread 


under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  while  you 
hold  him  up  to  the  notice  and  the  alle- 
giance of  the  world. 

To  whom  can  we  compare  this  genera- 
tion ■?     There  were   builders   of  the  ark 
whose  floating  corpses  were  sunk  beneath 
it  when  it  rose  upon  the  bosom  of  the 
floods.     There  were  donors  of  the  taber- 
nacle who  were  as  lepers  thrust  beyond 
the  camp,  or  as  blasphemers,  stoned  with- 
out relief.     There  were  artificers  of  the 
temple  who  never  there  left  their  offerings, 
and  never  there  worshipped  their  God. 
Have  you  thought  of  that  meeting  which 
awaits  you  ]     For  it  is  possible  that  you 
have  been  at  work,  and  that  your  good, 
liable  to  be  evil  spoken  of,  is  nevertheless 
good.     The  heathen,  perhaps,  shall  ac- 
knowledge  you   in   a   future   age — they 
shall  acknowledge  you,  at  the  judgment- 
seat,  as  the  instruments  of  bringing  them 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  Saviour,  to  that 
knowledge   which  is  life  eternal.     Me- 
thinks  that  with  the  strong  instincts  of 
gratitude  they  know  even  as  ye  are  known. 
Methinks  that  they  now  approach  you, 
and  that  they  call  upon  you  to  receive 
their  grateful  acknowledgments.     What 
is  their  language  !     "  We  owe  to  you  that 
we   are   in    Christ — you    who   were    in 
Christ  before  us.     You  heard  our  cry, 
and  fled  to  our  relief;  you  saw  our  misery, 
and  sent  for  its  alleviation.     Take  these 
harps,  and  tune  the   songs ;   take  these 
crowns,  and  pay  the  tribute."     Why  are 
you  rooted  to  the  spot  ]     Why  are  your 
eyes  cast  down  upon  the  ground  1     Why 
does  your  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of 
your  mouth  1     Why  do  you  refuse  their 
advances,  and  decline  their  solicitations  ? 
Why  gathers  on  that  face  that  paleness  1 
Why  scares  your  ear  that  shriek  1     The 
heathens    whom   you   have  saved — see, 
they  fly  to  their  heaven  as  the  doves  to 
their  windows.     Mark  their  ecstacy — lis- 
ten to  their  song.     The  door  is  shut,  and 
you  stand  without ;  the  guest-chamber  is 
filled,  and  you  are  not  within  ;  the  assem- 
blage is  complete,  and  you  are  not  compre- 
hended ;  the  harvest  is  passed,  the  summer 
is  ended,  and  you  are  not  saved! 

We  are  inconsistent,  secondly,  when  we 
violate  the  solemnity  due  to  missionary 
transactions. 


MOTIVES  IN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


93 


They  who  have  suitably  pondered 
them,  who  have  taken  their  place  and 
part  in  them,  have  always  confessed  that 
they  were  very  auspicious  to  a  growth  in 
grace,  and  very  confirmatory  to  the  esta- 
blishment of  the  heart  in  grace.  They 
have  confessed  that  they  were  profitable, 
in  every  respect,  and  to  all — "  profitable 
for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction, 
for  instruction  in  righteousness."  He 
who  bears  the  aromatic  plant  will  surely 
betray  its  fragrance ;  and  he  who  has 
wrought  upon  the  gem  and  the  gold  will 
carry  away  with  him  some  of  the  brilliant 
filings,  some  of  the  precious  dust. 

But  it  may  be  asked.  Have  we  not 
allowed,  too  frequently  and  too  largely, 
a  spirit  of  flippancy,  and  almost  of  levity, 
to  encroach  upon  this  sacred  theme  ■? 
We  have  not  been  mollified  with  all  its 
circumstances,  and  have  not  been  stricken 
with  all  its  horrors.  A  world  in  misery 
is  a  painful  spectacle — a  world  in  rebel- 
lion is  an  appalling  sight.  Could  the 
traveller,  as  he  explores  the  vestiges  of  an 
ancient  city, — its  fallen  theatres,  its  bro- 
ken aqueducts,  its  crumbling  temples — 
could  he  explore  these  in  a  listless  spirit  ] 
Could  the  philanthropist  traverse  the 
wards  of  a  lazaretto,  and  the  cells  of  a 
prison,  in  a  careless  and  sportive  vein  ? 
Could  the  negotiator  address  the  disaf- 
fected and  the  insurgent  in  jocular  tones 
and  terms  ?  Could  the  high-priest,  when, 
on  the  great  day  of  atonement,  he  went, 
and  not  without  blood,  into  the  holiest  of 
all,  strike  the  dulcimer,  or  rejoice  in  the 
dance  1  Should  not  our  spirits  be  better 
disciplined'?  Should  not  our  accents 
tremble,  and  the  very  fashion  of  our 
countenance  change  1  We  follow  the 
long  procession  of  eternal  death ;  and 
should  we  not  be  as  the  mourners  going 
about  the  streets  1  We  watch  the  com- 
mencing symptoms  of  the  second  death ; 
and  should  we  not  shudder  while  the 
worm  which  never  dies  begins  to  uncoil 
and  to  gnaw  1  We  observe  the  earliest 
kindlings  of  the  pit,  and  almost,  like  them 
who  approach  its  mouth,  are  scathed  with 
the  blast;  and  while  the  numberless  vic- 
tims are  sinking  into  it,  should  not  great 
fear  come  upon  the  church,  and  as  many 
as  hear  of  these  things  1 


There  is  a  confusion  and  an  indefinite- 
ness  when  we  speak  of  the  pagan  world. 
It  is  not  a  light  cure  of  souls — it  is  not  a 
small  plantation  reclaimed  from  the  wil- 
derness :  we  are  to  make  the  little  and 
the  scantling  disappear,  and  the  untold 
and  the  incalculable  numbers  burst  into 
sight — continuous,  successive  as  the 
w-aves  of  the  sea,  all  rolling  on,  and  all 
dying  away  upon  an  unseen  shore.  And 
what  is  our  feeling'?  Is  it  that  of  pitj' '? 
There  is  nothing  of  lightness  in  the  ingre- 
dients that  form  that  emotion:  there  may 
be  placidity,  but  that  is  its  strongest  form  : 
pity  is  thoughtful,  and  pensive,  and  sad. 
Oh,  let  not  our  "  good  be  evil  spoken  of" 
by  our  betrayal  into  any  thing  that  is  light 
or  trivial,  or  unworthy  of  the  theme.  Let 
us  be  solemn  as  Jesus  when  he  upbraided 
Capernaum,  and  tender  as  when  he  M'ept 
over  Jerusalem.  Let  us  be  overwhelmed 
with  the  thought  of  human  guilt,  and  the 
sense  of  human  misery,  as  when  the  man 
of  sorrows  fell  upon  his  face  in  Gethse- 
mane,  with  strong  cries  and  tears. 

Sdly.  Our  good  may  be  evil  spoken  of 
when  we  form  a  partial  and  an  unequal 
estimate  of  what  is  near  and  what  is  dis- 
tant in  the  condition  of  the  human  family. 

Prejudice  governs  us  all.  As  the  hu- 
man mind  rejects  two  classes  of  emotions 
equally  strong,  so  the  human  conduct 
rejects  two  courses  of  equally  intense 
activities.  We  may  not,  perhaps,  regard 
the  one  object  too  strongly  ;  but,  in  con 
sequence  of  not  regarding  aright,  eithei 
may  receive  from  us  the  most  unmerited 
treatment.  Hence,  therefore,  there  springs 
a  necessity,  in  all  our  Christian  labours, 
of  a  well-regulated  consistency,  of  a 
nicely-proportioned  zeal.  Let  our  judg 
ment  be  warmed  by  our  feelings,  but  lei 
our  feelings  be  regulated  by  our  judg- 
ment. 

Fix  your  eye,  my  brethren,  on  youi 
native  land.  There  are  thousands,  there 
are  millions,  besotted,  embruted,  sur- 
rounded by  a  light  which  never  enters 
them,  addressed  by  a  power  which  has 
no  ascendancy  over  them.  In  many  re- 
spects their  condition  is  most  WTetched, 
because  they  have  an  accountability  :  they 
are  within  the  light,  and  the  hope  is  set 
before  them ;   and  yet  these  die  within 


94 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


our  sight — they  perish  at  our  door.  They 
are  our  brethren,  our  kinsmen  according 
to  the  flesh ;  are  we  to  spurn  them  in  the 
magnificence  of  our  project,  in  the  com- 
prehensiveness of  our  scheme  1  Should 
we  not  remember  that  disciple,  of  whom 
it  is  recorded,  "  He  first  findeth  his  own 
brother  ]"  Should  we  not  think  of  that 
counsel  given  to  him  that  was  restored, 
"  Go  home,  and  tell  thy  kindred  what  great 
things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee,  and  how 
he  hath  had  mercy  upon  thee?"  Ought 
we  not  to  dwell  upon  the  memorable 
instruction — "  Beginning  at  Jerusalem  V 

Cast  your  eye,  my  brethren — or  rather 
your  mind — upon  the  vast  tracts  of  pagan 
superstition.  You  cannot  tell  what  is  the 
darkness  which  broods  over  them,  for 
there  is  no  contrasting  light ;  you  cannot 
judge  the  dimensions  of  their  misery,  for 
there  is  no  standard  of  relief  or  consola- 
tion. Christ  has  not  been  named  among 
them  ;  they  know  not  that  there  is  a  Holy 
Ghost;  they  are  without  hope  in  the 
world.  What  misery  is  their  lot !  What 
a  precipice  is  their  eternity !  And,  in 
many  respects,  how  must  we  think  of 
them,  when  they  have  not  so  many  mis- 
sionaries in  the  united  phalanx  among 
them  all  as  we  have,  perhaps,  in  some 
favoured  district  of  our  beloved  land  ! 

All  souls  are  equal.  It  may  be  that 
there  is  a  diversity  in  original  faculty,  as 
well  as  in  acquirements  and  in  endow- 
ments ;  but  there  is  little  difference  in  the 
capacity  to  suffer,  and  there  is  no  differ- 
ence in  the  capacity  to  exist.  Some 
spirits  may  present  a  broader  surface  for 
evil,  but  none  a  stronger  texture  for  be- 
ing : — in  these  they  are  alike,  whether 
the  drudging  slave  in  the  mine,  or  the 
monarch  flaming  with  the  jewel  it  may 
supply  ;  whether  the  outcast  who  has  not 
a  burial-place,  or  the  possessor  of  many 
estates ;  whether  him  whom  all  spurn 
and  avoid,  or  the  favourite  of  fortune  and 
of  fame.  But  our  "  good  will  be  evil 
spoken  of,"  if  we  do  not  regard  men  as 
men  ;  if  we  allow  the  alien  to  dispel  all 
thoughts  of  the  naked,  or  the  naked  to 
dispel  all  thoughts  of  the  alien.  There 
cannot  be  more  valuable  spirits  than  those 
which  throng  the  shores  of  the  Ganges, 
the  Indus,  and  the  Nile  ;  but  they  are  not 


less  valuable  spirits  which  throno;  the 
majestic  strands  of  the  Severn,  or  lie  on 
the  banks  of  the  Avon  and  the  Ex.  Let 
not  the  near  engross  the  distant;  and  let 
not  the  distant  out-dazzle  the  near. 

4thly.  Our  good  may  be  evil  spoken  of 
when  the  due  relation  between  effort  ana 
devotion  is  forgotten. 

There  is  a  devotion  that  becomes  self- 
ish :  it  is  indulgent  and  indolent ;  it  is  a 
passionless  quietism ;  it  is  a  contempla- 
tive dream.  It  will  hear  of  no  sacrifice  ; 
on  no  pretence  will  it  be  disturbed ;  it 
wraps  itself  in  luxuriant  ease,  and  it  is 
cloistered  from  all  strife  and  danger ; 
like  the  bird  which  seeks  the  crystal 
fountain,  sits  in  its  solitary  calm,  and 
desires  nothing  but  to  muse  the  shadow 
of  its  unruffled  beauty.  There  is  an  ex- 
ertion which  becomes  arrogant  and  pro- 
fane. It  is  an  ostentatious  bustle ;  it  is 
an  impious  usurpation,  it  is  an  artificial 
and  mechanical  frame.  Its  axe  and  its 
hammer  send  their  jarring  notes  through 
the  most  secret  and  retired  recesses  of 
the  sacred  shrine ;  and  it  may  be  com- 
pared to  the  eagle-bird,  rising  into  the 
firmament,  and  gazing  upon  the  sun,  with 
unshrinking  eye  and  with  untiring  fire. 

Now,  devotion  and  exertion  must  be 
blended.  "  Stand  still,"  said  the  legis- 
lator, "  and  behold  the  salvation  of  God  !" 
But  what  said  the  answer  of  God  unto 
him  ] — "  Why  cryest  thou  unto  me  T 
Speak  to  the  people  thatthej'  go  forward." 
They  were  to  see  that  salvation ;  but  that 
salvation  was  to  be  realized  in  connexion 
with  human  agency — not  by  standing 
still,  but  by  going  forward  :  and  they  sang 
the  praises  of  their  God.  And  so  the 
apostle  teaches  us  that  we  should  labour 
always — "  not  slothful  in  business,  fer- 
vent in  spirit."  Our  devotion  must  not 
be  fitful  and  intermittent;  our  exertions 
must  not  be  casual  and  accidental ;  we 
must  endeavour  to  unite  the  two.  Think 
of  the  apostles  :  they  gave  themselves  to 
the  word  of  God  and  to  prayer,  and  they 
ministered  unto  the  Lord ;  but,  having 
received  the  gift  of  Pentecost,  what  were 
the  acts  they  performed,  and  what  were 
the  achievements  they  consummated  ? 
Look  at  angels  :  high  is  their  contempla- 
tion ;  profound  is  their  study ;  wrapt  in 


MOTIVES  IN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


95 


silence  is  their  awe  ;  and  they  veil  their 
faces  with  their  wings;  bvit  they  have 
their  errands  and  commissions,  and  "he 
makes  his  angels  spirits,  and  his  ministers 
a  flaming  fire  :"  they  are  swift  to  do  his 
will  and  to  hearken  to  his  voice.  Look 
at  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Son  of  man  : 
the  temple  trumpet  ever  called  him  to  the 
house  of  prayer  ;  each  festive  season  wit- 
nessed him  among  the  pilgrims;  he  spent 
whole  nights  in  devotion ; — but  he  "  went 
about  doing  good."  Let  us,  therefore, 
determine  to  pray,  in  order  to  sanctify 
our  exertions;  and  to  exert  ourselves,  in 
order  to  authenticate  our  prayers.  Let 
us  take  heaven  by  force,  by  the  means  of 
the  one  ;  and  earth  by  force,  through  the 
means  of  the  other.  Let  us,  by  the  two- 
fold instrumentality,  prove  that  we  are 
sincere  for  God,  and  sincere  to  men.  Let 
us  lift  up  our  hands,  and  let  us  stretch 
forth  our  hands.  Let  us  have  hearts 
filled  with  bravery,  and  let  us  carry  hero- 
ically to  the  victory  the  standard  which 
■we  have  loved,  deposited  on  the  altar, 
and  hallowed  by  the  sacrifice. 

5thly.  Our  good  may  be  evil  spoken  of 
when  v)e  encourage  worldly  excitement. 

There  is  a  hostile  principle  in  particu- 
lar maxims,  views,  opinions,  sensibilities, 
usages,  institutions,  which  the  world  is 
made  to  present.  This  is  the  compre- 
hensive term  employed  by  Scripture  ;  and 
epithet  after  epithet  of  disgust  is  poured 
out  upon  that  principle.  We  are  told 
tliat  its  incitements  are  most  subtle  and 
intoxicating :  and  He,  who  came  travel- 
ling in  the  greatness  of  his  strength,  did 
not  grapple  Avith  a  shadow ;  and  when  he 
overcame  the  world,  it  was  not  a  phantom 
that  he  conquered.  Happy  are  we,  when, 
in  imitation  of  our  Master  and  Founder, 
we  can  make  such  a  declaration  as  this, 
»'  We  have  not  received  the  spirit  of  the 
world :  this  is  the  victory  which  over- 
cometh  the  world,  even  our  faith." 

But  are  none  of  our  religious  institu- 
tions tinctured  with  such  a  spirit?  Are 
none  of  them  conformed  to  such  a  model  ] 
Is  there  nothing  of  fashionable  excite- 
ment, nothing  of  sentimental  feeling, 
nothing  of  evasion  of  truth,  no  suppres- 
sion of  evidence,  no  endeavour  at  effect  1 
Is  there  nothing  like  a  worldly  calculation. 


and  a  worldly  aggrandizement,  and  a 
worldly  policy,  and  a  worldly  precaution  1 
It  becomes  us,  my  brethren,  to  disengage 
ourselves  from  such  a  snare,  by  main- 
taining the  consistency  of  our  character 
in  the  beauty  of  holiness — the  firmness 
of  our  principle,  as  we  are  not  our  own— 
and  the  strictness  of  our  motive,  with  our 
spirit  serving  God  in  the  gospel  of  his 
Son.  Oh,  let  us  not  throw  round  so  hal- 
lowed a  cause,  so  sacred  a  work,  any  of 
this  meretricious  spirit :  let  us  not  seek 
to  please,  any  more  than  we  seek  to 
offend. 

6thly,  Our  good  may  he  evil  spoken  of 
when  we  entertain  light  impressions  of  the 
eternal  future  of  the  heathen. 

We  have  been  told  that  many  travellers 
and  discoverers  have  been  sometimes  dis- 
credited, when  they  inform  savage  tribes 
that  the  reason  for  incurring  all  their 
toils  and  dangers  was  to  trace  a  river's 
source,  or  to  ascertain  a  planet's  trans- 
mission. And  we  have  also  been  told 
that,  while  our  missionaries  have  obtained 
credit  for  their  enterprise  and  their  mo- 
tives, they  also  have  been  upbraided 
because  their  errand  took  not  a  firmer 
hold,  and  are  asked  how  it  is  that  their 
announcements  receive  a  more  speedy  re- 
ception. Our  institution  can  alone  stand 
upon  this  admission — the  certain  as  well 
as  the  tremendous  danger  of  the  heathen 
world. 

We  shall  be  told  of  their  natural  religion, 
of  their  roamings  in  the  forest,  and  their 
burrowings  in  the  wood.  We  shall  be  told 
of  their  simple  and  their  artless  lives,  of 
their  kind  and  hospitable  hearts ;  and  so, 
for  a  time,  we  may  have  been  deceived  by, 
but  we  have  now  learnt  to  understand,  the 
fictionsof  aLeBos  and  aChoo  Loo.  We 
shall  be  told  of  their  conscious  law  ;  but  1  et 
it  be  also  told,  that  that  law  which  they  are 
unto  themselves  they  have  broken  ;  and 
they  have  the  dread  consciousness  run- 
ning through  their  spirits  that  they  who 
do  these  things  are  worthy  of  death.  We 
shall  be  told  of  their  consistent  woTship, 
and  of  their  classical  systems  of  religion  ; 
for  it  is  not,  in  the  estimate  of  men,  ? 
point  of  any  moment,  whether  homage 
rises  from  this  earth  to  the  adulterer  and 
to  the  murderer,  or  to  Jehovah,  the  Holy 


96 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


One.  We  shall  be  told  of  their  ignorance 
of  Christianity ;  and  we  know  that  they 
are  not  condemned  for  iis  rejection.  But 
what  does  Christianity  suppose  concern- 
ing any  heathen  1  That  that  heathen  is 
in  a  fallen  state,  and  in  a  perishing  di- 
lemma ;  and  that,  unless  he  believes,  he 
must  perish,  and  not  have  everlasting 
life ;  and  that  if  he  does  perish,  he  perishes 
under  the  sanctions  of  an  immutable  just- 
ice— justice  bound  up  with  all  the  obliga- 
tions of  the  primeval  law. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  said  that  no  other 
motive  could  ever  enter  into  our  mission- 
ary operations — and  perhaps  for  a  time 
none  other  did  ;  but  then,  this  is  the  very 
motive  given  to  our  modern  philosophy 
and  theology.  Charity  is  said  to  be  the 
perverted  errand ;  and  we  are  asked  whe- 
ther we  can  conceive,  or  whether  it  is 
credible,  that  that  should  be  the  only 
errand.  Alas,  my  brethren,  that  we 
should  be  made  judges  one  of  another! 
then  are  we  judges  of  the  law,  and  not 
doers  of  it.  God  is  judge — he  will  re- 
spect his  character ;  and  we  affect  not  that 
morbid  piety  and  jealousy  concerning  his 
character,  which  would  represent  him  as 
more  censorious  than  we  are  ourselves. 
We  therefore  say.  Make  missionary  ope- 
rations any  question  of  civilization — 
make  them  any  question  of  comparative 
advantage,  or  of  ameliorated  state — giv- 
ing an  increase  of  light  already  sufficient, 
and  a  confirmation  of  hope  already  well 
founded — make  them  the  mere  instru- 
ments for  smoothing  and  turning  the  path, 
although  it  winds  to  safety  and  to  bliss — 
and  immediately  the  business  will  come 
to  nought,  and  they  will  reject  it  as  a 
needless  waste,  and  as  a  meaningless 
superfluity. 

7thly.  Our  good  is  liable  to  be  traduced 
and  to  be  evil  spoken  nf,  when  we  obtrude 
party  singularities  into  our  missionary 
scheme. 

The  names  of  denominations  and  of 
sects  ,are  convenient;  they  are  self- 
defining  and  intelligible ;  they  save  very 
much  time,  and  prevent  considerable  cir- 
cumlocution. But  let  us  remember  that 
that  which  distinguishes  those  who  alike 
hold  the  Head,  and  love  the  Lord  Jesus 
in  sincerity,  is  but  the  earthly  guise  and 


attire  of  Christianity,  which  she  will  put 
away  when  she  passes  the  celestial 
threshold  ;  that  it  is  only  the  scaffolding 
and  the  platform,  quite  distinct  from  the 
building:  and  that,  when  it  is  complete, 
the  scaffold  and  the  platform  will  be  done 
away.  We  wonder  not  that  in  our  colo- 
nies party  denominations  are  found  ;  and 
even  in  flags  over  which  our  flag  does 
not  wave,  not  annexed  to  our  crown,  it  is 
no  less  probable  that  the  stranger  there, 
the  exile  from  his  beloved  home,  should 
cleave  to  some  fondly  cherished  scheme, 
and  to  some  dearly-remembered  distinc- 
tions. But  all  this  is  inferior  to  Chris- 
tianity itself;  all  this  is  very  likely  to 
embarrass  the  opening  mind  and  the  de- 
veloping judgment  of  the  heathen  convert. 
As  far  as  possible,  let  the  river,  in  its 
most  distant  and  ample  streams,  lose  the 
particular  impregnation  of  its  source  ;  let 
the  banners  of  the  universal  host,  while 
they  retain  their  particular  devices,  most 
prominently  exhibit  the  royal  emblazon- 
ments common  to  them  all.  We  must 
remember  that,  if  we  would  gain  upon 
the  opinions,  if  we  would  obtain  the  suf- 
frages, of  the  heathen  world,  it  is  quite 
necessary  that  we  give  them  pure  religion 
and  undefiled. 

In  the  mean  time  let  us  make  the  best 
of  it.  Jarrings  there  are  abroad;  and 
sometimes,  though  very  faintly,  they  may 
be  heard  abroad.  There  is  diversity,  but 
there  need  not  be  difference ;  there  is 
diversity,  but  there  need  not  be  collision. 
If  we  may  not  possess  the  colourless  ray 
of  the  virgin  light,  let  us  rejoice  in  the 
prismatic  hue ;  if  we  cannot  possess  the 
transparent  diamond,  let  us  be  content  to 
build  up  our  foundation  with  precious 
stones  of  divers  colours.  You  remember 
the  inter-community  of  the  heathen  world ; 
they  did  not  quarrel  over  their  religion: 
"They  helped  every  one  his  neighbour, 
and  each  said  to  his  brother.  Be  of  good 
courage.  So  the  carpenter  encouraged 
the  goldsmith,  and  he  that  smootheth 
with  the  hammer  him  that  smote  the 
anvil,  saying.  It  is  ready  for  the  solder- 
ing; and  he  fastened  it  with  nails  that  it 
should  not  be  moved."  Let  us  no  more 
contemn  nor  blame  each  other,  though 
blamed  enough  elsewhere ;  but  strive,  in 


MOTIVES  IN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


97 


offices  of  love,  how  we  may  lighten  each 
other's  burdens  in  the  share  of  woe. 

8thly.  Our  good  is  evil  spoken  of,  and 
liable  to  become  ike  object  of  detraction, 
when  we  disparage  or  make  light  of  the 
missionary  character  itself. 

By  these  operations,  a  school  has  been 
formed  in  which  greatness  has  built  itself 
a  house,  with  heroism  of  purpose,  and 
dint  of  courage,  and  lovely  and  sublime 
enthusiasm  and  zeal.  We  love  to  think 
of  such  men,  and  we  think  that  nothing 
is  too  great  to  be  conceded  to  them,  and 
that  no  honour  is  too  vast  to  be  devolved 
upon  them.  But  is  it  not  very  possible  that 
sometimes  to  such  men  we  give  a  servile 
rank,  a  grudging  support,  a  supercilious 
patronage  ■?  Do  we  not  deem  them  too 
much  our  agents  whom  we  may  employ, 
whose  purposes  we  may  counteract,  and 
whose  will  we  may  control  1  I  know 
there  must  be  law — I  know  there  must 
be  arrangement — I  know  there  must  be 
some  authority,  and  some  deference. 
But  I  remember  how  missionaries  have 
sometimes  been  dealt  with  and  spoken  of, 
and  then  contrast  this  with  the  conduct 
of  the  generous  Paul — who  had  such  a 
claim  to  command,  and  who  was  so  likely 
to  be  right — he  washed  Apollos  to  pro- 
ceed in  a  particular  course,  and  to  do  a 
particular  work ;  but  Paul  was  satisfied 
when  he  found  that  "  his  will  was  not  at 
all  to  come."  My  brethren,  let  us  re- 
member that  if  there  be  any  upon  earth 
worthy  of  a  generous  confidence,  worthy 
of  a  large  discretion,  worthy  of  a  delicate 
tenderness,  worthy  of  a  cordial  esteem,  it 
is  these  devoted  men  who  have  "  hazard- 
ed their  lives  for  the  sake  of  the  Lord 
Jesus."  Let  us,  rather  than  dictate  to 
them,  or  offer  any  disparagement  of  their 
characters  and  their  motives,  bow  down 
before  the  men  of  such  minds,  and  seek 
more  the  happiness  of  such  hearts. 

9thly.  Our  good  may  be  evil  spoken  of 
in  this  missionary  connexion,  when  we 
adopt  harsher  rules  respecting  our  distatit 
proselytes  than  obtain  in  our  churches  at 
home. 

We  have  deviations,  we  have  irregu- 
larities, we  have  wild  fancies,  we  have 
fanatical  superstitions.  What  age  or 
what  land  ever  yet  witnessed  speculations 

Vol.  L— 13 


of  opinion  so  monstrous,  interpretations 
of  Scripture  so  extravagant,  crudities  of 
sentiment  so  disgusting,  claims  of  infalli- 
bility so  atrocious,  simulations  of  inspi- 
ration so  indecent  and  profane  1  If  there 
be  such  a  thing  as  religious  insanity,  we 
certainly  have  of  late  been  favoured  with 
some  of  its  strangest  contortions,  the  most 
fantastic  babblings.  And  can  we  be  sur- 
prised if  error,  if  enthusiasm,  if  some 
visionary,  if  some  absurdity,  spring  up  in 
our  churches  abroad — weeds  in  the  wastes 
so  recently  redeemed — demons  returning 
to  the  dwelling  which  has  been  so  lately 
emptied,  swept,  and  garnished — the  heav- 
ing of  the  storm  only  just  now  dispelled, 
the  rocking  of  the  ocean  just  allayed. 
But  it  would  be  better  to  turn  from  them, 
and  to  turn  from  ourselves ;  let  us  think 
of  all  the  wildnesses  of  extravagance  in 
the  churches  of  Galatia  and  Corinth,  and 
then  say  whether  we  ought  in  fact  to 
speak  harsher  of  those  who  may  have 
gone  astray  under  circumstances  of  pecu- 
liar temptation,  where  character  could 
not  have  been  well  formed,  principle  well 
settled,  or  feeling  well  disciplined. 

Again.  Our  good  may  be  evil  spoken  of 
when  we  anticipate  results  from  missionary 
labours  untenable  on  scriptural  ground. 

There  has  ever  been  a  hope  of  some 
bright  reversion,  and  some  improved 
order  of  things  awaiting  mankind.  This 
has  lighted  up  the  dying  eye,  and  strength- 
ened and  fortified  the  sinking  heart,  of  the 
wisest  and  the  best  of  our  race.  Philoso- 
phy has  clung  to  it — poetry  has  almost 
made  it  its  own — the  pythoness  spoke  of 
it  upon  her  tripod — and  the  sibyl  wrote 
it  on  her  mystic  leaf:  from  Delphi  these 
promises  went  forth  ;  and  men  have  been 
always  taught  that  there  is  a  halcyon 
period  coming  when  all  their  wrongs 
shall  be  redressed,  and  the  presages  of 
virtue  be  realized.  Christianity  conse- 
crates this  hope ;  it  seems  to  wind  around 
it  the  best  yearnings  and  fibres  of  their 
bosoms.  Remember  what  the  gospel  is : 
it  is  complete,  it  is  whole.  Therefore 
anticipate  nothing  that  will  innovate  upon 
its  character,  nothing  that  will  displace 
its  present  claims,  or  its  present  glories. 
It  is  its  honour  that  it  cometh  not  with  ob- 
servation; nor  can  we  find  it  with  any 


ds 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


observation.  Tlierefore  "  if  they  shall 
say  unto  you,  Behold,  he  is  in  the  desert ; 
go  not  forth  :  behold,  he  is  in  the  secret 
chambers  ;  believe  it  not."  Whatever  is 
the  consummation,  it  must  be  true  to  the 
principles  and  the  promises  of  our  reli- 
gion. And  there  are  visions,  without  any 
disputed  points — visions  of  glory,  which 
stretch  away  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  the 
everlasting  hills— there  are  ages  of  peace 
which  shall  rise  with  the  last  syllable  of 
recorded  time.  We  wait  no  other  arrival 
of  the  day  that  shall  cover  our  earth  with 
thorns  and  with  briers — we  want  no  other 
covenant  with  the  stones,  and  with  the 
beasts  of  the  field — we  want  no  other 
period  but  a  world  filled  with  trees  of  the 
Lord's  right  hand  planting — we  want  no 
other  trees  of  life  but  those  whose  leaves 
are  for  the  healing  of  the  nation — we  want 
no  other  new  heaven,  no  other  new  earth, 
but  that  in  which  dwelleth  righteousness. 
Tell  me,  then,  of  such  a  millennium  as  this 
contained  in  these  words,  supposing  them 
to  be  addressed  to  the  world  at  large  : — 
"  Ye  are  our  epistle  written  in  our  hearts, 
known  and  read  of  all  men." — "  Ye  have 
obeyed  from  the  heart  that  form  of  doc- 
trine which  was  delivered  to  you."  Mark 
them  which  walk  so,  and  paradise  is  re- 
stored, and  Eden  is  regained. 

Lastly,  Our  good  may  he  evil  spoken  of 
if  we  do  not  follow  up  our  success. 

We  have  made  a  lodgment;  and  there 
are  those  who  have  gone  up  to  the  high 
places  of  the  field,  and  they  call  on  us  to 
aid  them,  or  they  must  perish  in  the 
breach.  There  is  a  harvest,  and  it  bends 
under  its  own  fruitful  weight ;  it  invites 
the  sickle ;  and  the  wind  begins  to  moan, 
and  the  air  to  chill ;  and  in  a  little  time 
the  summer  will  have  passed  ;  and  where 
thousands  of  hands  should  gather  the 
spoil,  and  thousands  of  voices  should 
swell  the  carol,  there  is  seen,  at  immense 
intervals,  solitary  labourers,  standing 
breast  high,  marked  by  the  hopeless  im- 
practicability of  their  work,  and  by  the 
cheerless  silence  of  their  sphere  of  labour. 
We  are  committed  to  Christianity — we 
are  committed  to  all  who  are  opposed  to 
Christianity  ;  we  declare  virtually  that  it 
is  not  worth  a  final  exertion  if  now  we 
give  way ;  we  declare,  as  we  thus  cruelly 


thrust  at  the  cause  of  Christianity,  that 
all  the  past  has  been  an  idle  dream,  and 
that  now  we  care  not  to  give  substantia- 
tion to  it. 

Such,  my  brethren,  is  the  series  of 
practical  observations  which  I  have  en- 
deavoured to  impress  on  your  minds; 
endeavouring  to  show  you,  that  though 
you  are  doing  good,  yet  that  that  good  is 
liable  to  some  imputation,  and  that  it  must 
be  so  done  as  to  avoid  and  to  resist  all 
such  imputations.  I  congratulate  you  on 
the  results  of  your  former  benevolence, 
which  have  reached  me  in  a  distant  part. 
We  in  a  distant  part,  our  pastors  and 
teachers,  have  rejoiced  in  j^our  good,  and 
in  our  behalf  that  that  good  could  not  be 
evil  spoken  of.  But  it  is  necessary  to 
persevere ;  and  never  are  we  in  so  great 
danger  as  when  we  imagine  all  danger  is 
escaped.  Therefore,  look  well  to  your 
motives,  look  well  to  your  plans,  look 
well  to  your  exertions  ;  and  especially  let 
not  the  charge  of  any  thing  new  be 
brought  against  you.  True,  the  subject 
has  again  and  again  been  canvassed — 
made  the  subject  of  hundreds  of  dis- 
courses, addresses,  and  epistles.  Show 
that  it  was  principle  that  made  you  es- 
pouse it ;  and  show  it  is  no  want  of  prin- 
ciple characterizes  you  in  deserting  it. 
Desert  it  you  will  not.  You  may  have 
suflfered  as  other  cities  have  suffered,  as 
other  towns  still  suffer ;  yet  neverthe- 
less remember  there  is  something  you 
may  withdraw  from  self — something  you 
may  retrench  from  indulgence :  though 
when  I  speak  to  such  a  Christian  assem- 
bly, I  declare  that  to  beg  I  am  ashamed. 

1  rather  will  make  my  closing  appeal 
to  those  who  received  one  in  the  earlier 
part  of  the  exhortation — you  who  have 
long  heard  the  gospel,  and  have  heard  it 
in  vain — lulled  into  sleep  by  the  very  be- 
seechings  of  mercy,  as  well  as  by  the 
very  thunders  of  denunciation.  You 
have  had  line  upon  line,  precept  upon 
precept.  You  ask  us  what  is  the  fate  of 
the  pagan  :  alas  !  we  can  only  say  "  the 
wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell,  with  all 
the  nations  that  forget  God," — who  have 
not  liked  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge, 
and  who  have  not  only  done  evil  things 
themselves,  but  have   had  pleasure  in 


MOTIVES  IN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


99 


them  that  have  done  them.  This  is  the 
fate  of  every  heathen  who  dies  in  unre- 
pented  and  unforgiven  sin.  And  how- 
shall  he  call  on  Christ  as  a  Saviour  of 
whom  he  has  not  heard  1  How  shall  he 
hear  without  a  preacher"?  But  as  to  your 
fate — if  there  be  any  thing  like  a  veil 
over  his — as  to  yours,  it  is  written  dis- 
tinctly, it  is  written  signally;  and  he 
who  runneth  may  read.  You  who  have  no 
cloak  for  your  sins — you  perish  like 
Nadab  and  Abihu,  before  the  mercy-seat; 
you  perish,  like  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusa- 
lem, bathed  with  a  Saviour's  tears.  You 
perish,  but  you  wade  through  the  blood 
of  the  cross  in  your  journey  to  hell ;  and 
you  see  the  form  that  hung  upon  it,  and 
you  hear  the  voice  that  spake  from  it ; 
and  that  form  shall  ever  haunt  your  eye, 
and  that  voice  shall  ever  haunt  your  ear, 
while  for  eternity  you  are  tormented  with 
the  devils  and  the  damned.  Yours  is  the 
retribution  of  incensed  mercy,  and  wearied 
forbearance,  and  exasperated  love.  Yours 
is  not  the  retribution  of  the  Jew — yours 
is  not  the  retribution  of  the  pagan ;  yours 
is  a  retribution  all  your  own :  it  is  not 
even  the  retribution  which  is  allotted  to 
the  devil,  though  you  share  the  everlast- 
ing fire  with  the  devil  and  his  angels. 
No — there  is  a  pang  in  it  which  you  your- 
self have  inflicted ;  there  is  a  peculiarity 
in  it  which  you  yourself  have  infused. 
And  methinks  that  pagans  and  Jews,  and 
the  devils  themselves,  as  tbey  see  you 
tossing  in  the  fire — see  you  sinking  from 
gulf  to  gulf,  and  from  deep  to  deep,  will 
be  glad  to  escape  the  agitation  of  your 
rage — be  glad  to  escape  the  fierce  upbraid- 
ings  of  your  voice — be  glad  to  escape  the 
violent,  the  overwhelming  terrors  of  your 
eye.  Like  the  spectators  of  the  mystic 
Babylon,  they  will  "  stand  afar  off,  for 
fear  of  your  torment."  How  shall  you 
escape  if  you  persecute,  oppose,  jeer  1 
No,  no :  how  shall  you  escape  if  you 
neglect  so  great  salvation  ?  May  God  add 
his  blessing.    Amen  and  amen. 


O.N    THE   RE-UNION   OF  GOOD  MEN    IN  A  FUTURE 
STATE. 

If  the  mere  conception  of  the  re-union 
of  good  men  in  a  future  state  infused  a 
momentary  rapture  into  the  mind  of 
Tully  ;  if  an  airy  speculation,  for  there  is 
reason  to  fear  it  had  little  hold  on  his 
convictions,  could  inspire  him  with  such 
delight,  what  may  we  be  expected  to  feel, 
who  are  assured  of  such  an  event  by  the 
true  sayings  of  God!  How  should  we 
rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  spending  a 
blissful  eternity  with  those  whom  we 
loved  on  earth,  of  seeing  them  emerge 
from  the  ruins  of  the  tomb,  and  the  deep- 
er ruins  of  the  fall,  not  only  uninjured, 
but  refined  and  perfected,  "  with  every 
tear  wiped  from  their  eyes,"  standing 
before  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb. 
"What  delight  will  it  afford  to  renew  the 
sweet  counsel  we  have  taken  together,  to 
recount  the  toils  of  combat,  and  the  labour 
of  the  way,  and  to  approach  the  throne 
of  God,  in  company,  in  order  to  join  in  the 
symphonies  of  heavenly  voices,  and  lose 
ourselves  amidst  the  splendours  and  frui- 
tions of  the  beatific  vision! 

To  that  state  all  the  pious  on  earth  are 
tending ;  and  if  there  is  a  law  from  whose 
operation  none  are  exempt,  which  irre- 
sistibly conveys  their  bodies  to  darkness 
and  to  dust,  there  is  another,  not  less  cer- 
tain or  less  powerful,  which  conducts 
their  spirits  to  the  abode  of  bliss,  the 
bosom  of  their  Father  and  their  God.  The 
wheels  of  nature  are  not  made  to  roll 
backward ;  every  thing  presses  on  to- 
wards eternity;  from  the  birth  of  time  an 
impetuous  current  has  set  in,  which  bears 
all  the  sons  of  men  towards  that  intermi- 
nable ocean.  Meanwhile  heaven  is  at- 
tracting to  itself  whatever  is  congenial  to 
its  nature,  is  enriching  itself  by  the  spoils 
of  earth,  and  collecting  within  its  capa- 
cious bosom  whatever  is  pure,  permanent, 
and  divine,  leaving  nothing  for  the  last 
fire  to  consume  but  the  objects  and  the 
slaves  of  concupiscence. — Uall. 


SERMON  VIII. 

THE  NATURE  AND  CONSEQUENCES  OF  IMPENITENCE. 
BY  THE  REV.  J.  A.  JAMES 

OF  BIRMINGHAM. 


"  But,  after  thy  hardness  and  impenitent  heart,  treasurest  up  unto  thyself  wrath  against  the  day  of 
wrath,  and  revelation  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God." — Rom.  ii.  5. 


You  will  very  naturally  and  very  justly 
conclude,  that,  if  the  sermon  harmonize  . 
with  the  spirit  of  the  text,  the  preacher 
does  not  intend  to-night  to  trifle  with  your 
souls.  God,  in  mercy  to  himself  and  you, 
forbid  that  he  should  !  The  man  that  can 
trifle  in  the  situation  he  now  occupies,  and 
in  presence  of  the  scene  by  which  he  is 
now  surrounded,  must  be  as  incapable  of 
impression  from  objects  truly  sublime,  as 
he  would  be  forgetful  of  the  object  which 
fcrought  him  to  the  pulpit,  and  unmindful 
©f  his  responsibility  to  Him  that  sent  him 
there.  Listen  to  me  while  I  very  plainly 
unfold  and  enforce  the  meaning  of  the 
text ;  and  it  shdll  be  my  endeavour  that 
nothing  in  the  mode  of  representation 
adopted  on  this  occasion  shall  stand  be- 
tween the  truth  and  your  consciences. 

The  love  of  money  may  be  said  to  be 
the  ruling  passion  of  the  great  portion  of 
mankind.  How  eager  are  their  desires — 
how  great  their  efforts — how  ingenious 
their  plans — how  unwearied  their  indus- 
try, to  lay  up  wealth !  And  yet,  as  they 
brought  nothing  into  the  world,  so  neither 
will  they  take  any  thing  with  them  when 
they  leave  it.  All  the  fruits  of  their  la- 
bour they  must  leave  behind  them  ;  and, 
unattended  by  any  thing  but  the  results 
of  their  conduct,  enter  into  the  presence 
of  the  all-searching,  the  all-seeing  God. 
But  there  is  a  sense  in  which  it  may  be 
said  all  men  are  laying  up  treasures  in 
eternity.  Of  the  righteous  it  is  said  they 
are  laying  up  treasure  (or,  at  least,  they 
are  exhorted  to  do  so,  and  therefore  it  is 


implied  they  do  it) — that  they  lay  up 
treasure  in  heaven .-  of  the  wicked  it  is  said, 
in  the  text,  that  they  lay  up  treasure  in 
hell.  After  the  hardness  and  impenitent 
heart  that  they  possess— that  is,  accord- 
ing to  their  hard  and  impenitent  heart, 
they  treasure  up  unto  themselves  wrath 
against  the  day  of  wrath. 

This  language  was  primarily  addressed 
to  the  Jews.  The  apostle  intended  to 
impress  them  with  the  idea  that  all  the 
interpositions  of  God  on  the  behalf  of  their 
nation,  through  every  period  of  its  history, 
was  designed  to  lead  them  to  repentance ; 
but,  instead  of  complying  with  this  de- 
sign, they  were  wilfully  ignorant  of  it — 
they  were  obstinately  impenitent  and  un- 
believing; and,  instead  of  being  melted 
to  repentance  by  the  riches  of  mercy, 
they  hardened  themselves  by  unbelief  and 
impenitence,  so  as  to  expose  themselves 
to  the  wrath  of  God.  Viewing  them  in 
their  collective  capacity,  as  a  nation,  the 
text  received  its  accomplishment  when 
the  Romans  came  and  burnt  their  city  and 
temple,  and  carried  into  a  miserable  cap- 
tivity all  who  survived  the  slaughter  of 
the  siege ;  and  so  great,  so  unparalleled 
was  the  misery  endured  by  Jerusalem 
during  that  awful  period,  that,  to  quote 
the  language  of  Josephus,  "  it  seemed  as 
if  hell  had  been  let  loose  to  consume  them 
with  all  its  fires,  and  curse  them  with  all 
its  plagues."  But  these  suflferings  were 
only  the  type  of  that  misery  which,  as 
individuals,  they  endure  in  the  unseen 
world.  It  is  to  this  more  especially  the 
100 


NATURE  AND  CONSEQUENCES  OF  IMPENITENCE. 


101 


language  of  the  text  refers.  It  bears  on 
the  case  of  all — that  is,  ofall  the  impeni- 
tent ;  and  I  design,  under  the  first  head  of 
discourse,  to  consider  the  nature  of  impeni- 
tence ;  and,  in  the  second  place,  the  penal 
consequences  of  it. 

In  the  first  place,  we  are  to  consider 

THE     NATURE     OF     IMPENITENCE.       "  After 

thy  hardness  and  impenitent  heart;"  or, 
"  thy  hard  and  impenitent  heart."  A 
hard  heart  is  the  same  as  an  impenitent 
one,  and  an  impenitent  the  same  as  a  hard 
heart.  Hard-heartedness  in  reference  to 
religion  has  the  same  meaning  as  it  has 
in  reference  to  other  concerns.  When 
we  speak  of  a  hard-hearted  man  in  refer- 
ence to  his  conduct  to  his  fellow-creatures, 
we  speak  of  one  that  has  no  susceptibility 
to  impressions  of  pity,  no  feeling  for  the 
misfortunes  of  others — one  that  is  not 
moved  by  the  sight  of  another's  wo ; — 
in  short,  one  that  is  without  feeling  for 
the  distresses  of  the  human  race.  A  hard 
heart  in  reference  to  religion  means  the 
same  thing,  only  the  object  is  changed.  A 
heart  destitute  of  feeling  in  reference  to 
religion  means  a  mind  that  has  no  clear 
views  of  sin,  a  heart  that  has  no  convic- 
tions, no  emotions  of  grief  on  account  of 
its  transgressions  in  the  sight  of  God. 
There  are  various  degrees  of  hard-heart- 
edness. Some  are  given  up  to  what  is 
called  total  and  judicial  obduracy.  There 
are  no  gleams  of  conviction  in  their  judg- 
ment ;  there  are  no  emotions  of  grief  for 
their  transgressions  in  their  hearts.  Others 
are  only  partially  hard-hearted.  In  this 
sense  of  the  phrase  they  do  occasionally 
relent ;  there  are  moments  when  the  mind 
seems  to  begin  to  perceive  its  awful  con- 
dition in  the  sight  of  God,  and  when  the 
heart  begins  in  some  measure  to  feel  its 
dangers.  But  these  seasons  are  transient, 
and  give  way  to  predominant  indifference 
in  reference  to  sin,  and  pardon,  and  eter- 
nal life. 

But  perhaps  we  shall  better  understand 
this  subject  if  we  consider  what  is  the 
nature  oi penitence  ;  for  impenitence  being 
a  negative  term,  we  shall  clearly  under- 
stand it  if  we  take  a  view  of  its  positive 
nature. 

Penitence  means,  then,  a  clear  view  of 
our  depraved  nature  and  guilty  conduct  as 


tried  by  the  pure  and  perfect  law  of  God: 
not  merely  some  general  notion,  taken  up 
by  education  or  from  others,  that  we  are 
not  quite  perfect,  and  that  matters  are  not 
altogether  with  us  as  they  should  be  ;  but 
it  is  founded  upon,  and  necessarily  im- 
plies, a  clear  view  of  our  sinful  state  as 
transgressors  against  God's  laws — tha* 
we  have  broken  them  a  thousand  and  a 
thousand  times,  in  thought,  word,  and 
deed.  Connected  with  this,  where  there 
is  true  penitence,  there  is  a  co7isciotisness 
that  we  are  deservedly  under  the  wrath  of 
God,  and  the  curse  of  that  law  tvhich  out 
sins  have  violated.  The  man  who  is  not 
prepared  to  admit  that  he  has  sinned  to 
this  extent,  to  such  an  extent  as  to  be  un 
der  the  wrath  of  God,  condemned  to  die 
and  deserving  of  hell — the  man  who  is 
not  prepared  to  admit  his  sin  to  this  exten* 
is  not  convinced  of  sin,  and  can  have  no 
penitence  on  account  of  it.  Connected 
with  this  clear  view  of  his  sinful  state, 
and  that,  in  consequence,  he  is  exposed  to 
the  wrath  of  God,  and  under  the  condem- 
nation of  the  law — in  connexion  with, 
and  in  addition  to  this,  wherever  there  is 
penitence  there  is  alarm.  The  man  is 
startled  in  his  indifference,  awakened  to 
see  his  awful  condition,  and  that,  unless 
something  be  done,  he  must  perish,  and 
perish  eternally.  It  is  impossible  the 
mind  can  be  at  ease,  carelessly  indifferent, 
without  the  emotion  of  fear,  that  is,  in  a 
state  of  penitence.  Connected  with  this, 
there  is  an  ingenuous  disposition  to  confess 
sin  to  God,  without  extenuation,  without 
excuse,  without  self-defence.  There  is 
no  penitence  where  there  is  a  disposition 
to  palliate,  and  to  think  well  of  ourselves. 
On  the  contrary,  penitence  causes  a  man 
to  smite  on  his  breast,  saying,  "  God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner !"  Penitence 
implies  grief  for  sin,  mourning  over  it. 
And  again,  penitence  irmpMes  a  disposition 
to  forsake  sin,  as  that  which  is  exceedingly 
hateful  to  him  by  whom  it  is  indulged. 
Hence  you  observe  the  meaning  of  the 
apostle's  expression  when  he  distin- 
guishes between  sorrow  and  repentance : 
— "  Godly  sorrow  worketh  repentance 
that  needeth  not  to  be  repented  of.'* 
That  is,  where  there  is  genuine  grief  for 
sin,  it  will  produce  an  entire  change  of 
i2 


102 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


mind  in  reference  to  the  object  that  grieves 
it ;  it  will  produce  hatred  to  sin,  and  a 
resolution  to  forsake  it.  And  there  will 
be  no  true  repentance  where  there  is  not 
connected  with  it  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  as  the  only  way  by  lohich  sin  can  he 
forgiven. 

Now,  my  hearers,  this  is  penitence  ;  and 
impenitence  means,  of  course,  the  oppo- 
site to  this.  The  man  who  is  not  con- 
vinced of  sin — the  man  who  is  not  alarmed 
— who  does  7iot  see  that  he  is  under  the 
wrath  of  God,  and  deservedly  exposed  to 
eternal  misery — who  does  not  grieve  over 
his  sin — who  does  not  hate  and  forsake  it 
— who  does  not  depend  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  for  salvation — such  a  man  is  im- 
penitent i  he  is  hard-hearted  towards  God, 
arid  every  thing  connected  with  religion. 

Now,  there  may  be  this  impenitence, 
this  hardness  of  heart,  where  there  is 
much  that  is  morally  amiable  in  the  con- 
duct of  those  to  whom  I  am  now  referring. 
Towards  their  fellow-creatures  there  may 
be  much  genuine  pity,  much  tenderness 
of  spirit,  much  benevolence  towards  men, 
and  yet  not  one  spark  of  penitence  in  the 
sight  of  God.  We  have  heard  of  many 
of  the  most  lovely  of  their  species  who 
yet  appear  to  be  altogether  in  the  dark 
with  respect  to  their  spiritual  condition 
— who  have  no  conviction  of  sin,  no 
genuine  penitence ;  but  are  living  in  the 
most  confirmed  hardness  of  heart.  Per- 
haps you  may  not  see  the  guilt  of  this 
want  of  penitence — this  hardness  of  heart ; 
but  it  really  contains  in  itself  every  ag- 
gravation that  sin  admits  of.  There  is, 
for  instance,  rebellion  against  the  authority 
of  God,  who  commands  men  every  where 
to  repent.  There  is  great  insult  offered  to 
God:  for  in  proportion  to  the  excellence 
of  any  being  whom  we  may  offend,  should 
be  the  promptness  of  our  mind  to  confess 
the  offence  and  mourn  over  it.  How 
prompt,  then,  should  we  be  to  hasten  to 
the  footstool  of  the  divine  throne,  and 
confess  the  sins  we  have  committed 
against  the  infinitely  blessed,  glorious, 
and  holy  God  !  So  that  the  man  without 
penitence  is  living  in  a  state  of  aggravated 
insult  against  Jehovah  ;  as  if,  though  he 
ought  to  be  very  sorry  for  the  very  small- 
est offence  against  his  fellow-creatures, 


and  ought  most  solicitously  to  seek  for- 
giveness, yet  lie  may  go  on  offending 
against  God,  trampling  under  foot  every 
one  of  his  precepts,  caring  nothing  about 
the  matter ;  as  if  Jehovah  were  that  only 
being  in  the  universe  whom  it  should  not 
grieve  us  to  offend.  It  is  a  great  contempt 
of  the  law  (f  God,  that,  after  we  have 
trampled  it  under  foot,  and  accounted  it 
an  unholy  thing — that  then  we  should 
have  no  grief  for  the  injury  we  have  done 
it.  And,  moreover,  a  want  of  penitence 
marks  a  total  rejection  (f  the  whole  scheme 
of  mercy  in  the  gospel.  If  we  have  no 
brokenness  of  heart,  if  we  are  not  brought 
to  humble  ourselves  in  the  sight  of  God, 
we  are  not  in  a  state  of  mind  that  at  all 
prepares  us  to  receive  the  gospel ;  we  are 
neglecting  the  great  salvation;  and  are 
adding  to  all  our  other  sins  contempt  of 
the  Son  of  God  in  his  mediatorial  capacity 
and  work. 

My  friends,  you  will  perceive,  then, 
that  the  want  of  penitence  is  a  most  awful 
crime  ;  it  comprehends  every  aggravation 
of  iniquity.  The  impenitent  man  is  go- 
ing on,  adding  sin  to  sin ;  and  this  is  the 
link  that  binds  him  to  an  unconverted  and 
sinful  state.  It  is  of  great  importance 
that  I  represent  this  matter,  because  the 
latter  part  of  the  subject  is  to  state  to  you 
the  punishment,  the  consequences  that 

WILL  FOLLOW  UPON  IMPENITENCE  ;  and,  US 

they  are  very  terrible,  it  should  be  mani- 
fest that  the  sin  that  will  bring  them  is 
equally  great. 

Now  turn  your  attention  first  to  the  time 
ivhen  the  punishment  will  be  infiided.  And 
before  we  proceed,  let  me  entreat  you, 
my  dear  hearers,  to  ask  yourselves  the 
question,  "  Have  I  yet  been  brought  by 
the  Spirit's  teaching  and  grace  to  true 
penitence,  or  am  I  still  impenitent  ?  Is 
not  my  heart  hardened,  insensible  to  abid- 
ing impressions  on  religious  subjects  ? 
If  so,  I  am  the  very  person  whose  punish- 
ment the  preacher  is  about  to  describe." 
Just  so  :  you  are  the  man — you,  whoever 
you  are,  who  are  still  destitute  of  "repent- 
ance towards  God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ." 

The  time  when  this  punishment  will  be 
inflicted.  It  is  very  true  that  the  moment 
we  die  we  enter  into  heaven  or  hell.    I 


NATURE  AND  CONSEQUENCES  OF  IMPENITENCE. 


103 


am  not  quite  sure  that  mankind  consider 
this  so  frequently  as  they  ought :  they  stop 
at  the  article  of  death.  Death  is  the  most 
awful  catastrophe  that  can  happen  to  us 
in  this  world  ;  hut  the  most  awful  event 
that  can  happen  in  this  world  is  as  no- 
thing compared  with  what  is  to  follow. 
We  are  all  just  as  near  to  heaven  or  hell 
as  we  are  to  death  :  if  this  night  we  die, 
we  sink  to  the  torments  of  lost  souls,  or 
rise  to  the  felicities  of  redeemed  ones. 
But  neither  the  happiness  of  the  righteous 
nor  the  punishment  of  the  wicked  is  com- 
plete at  death.  At  the  morning  of  the 
resurrection  the  body  is  to  be  reassociated 
with  the  spirit;  and  then  the  whole  man 
is  to  enter  on  his  endless  career  of  torment 
or  of  bliss. 

Observe  how  it  is  spoken  of:  "  The 
day  of  wrath.''''  The  day  of  judgment  will 
be  to  the  wicked  nothing  but  a  day  of 
wrath  ;  all  they  see,  all  they  hear,  all  they 
feel,  all  they  anticipate,  will  be  unmixed 
wrath.  It  will  be  to  them  as  the  deluge 
was  to  the  impenitent  and  unbelieving  in 
the  time  of  Noah.  They  saw  the  foun- 
tains of  the  great  deep  breaking  up,  and 
the  windows  of  heaven  thrown  open ;  they 
heard  the  strange  uproar,  and  felt  them- 
selves in  the  midst  of  the  wild  confusion 
of  a  dissolving  world,  as  it  must  have  ap- 
peared to  them ;  and  in  every  thing  around 
them,  in  all  they  saw  and  heard,  they  be- 
held nothingbutaW'ful  justice,  fearful  and 
indescribable  vengeance.  So  will  it  be 
with  the  wicked,  the  impenitent,  in  the 
day  of  judgment :  it  will  be  a  day  of 
wrath. 

It  is  called  a  day  of  revelation .-  and  so  it 
will  be  in  every  view  we  take  of  it.  There 
will  be  a  revelation  cf  God,  in  the  wisdom 
of  his  plans,  in  his  mercy  to  his  people, 
in  his  justice  of  the  punishment  of  the 
wicked.  There  will  be  a  revelation  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  long-agitated  question 
will  then  be  finally  and  for  ever  settled. 
There  will  be  no  question  who  he  is  :  no 
more  shall  it  be  doubted  that  he  is  the 
great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 
No  Socinian  in  that  day  shall  question 
his  divinity  :  no  blaspheming  infidel  shall 
deride  then.  He  shall  be  revealed  in 
power  and  in  great  glory ;  and  it  is  ex- 
pressly called  "  the  day  of  the  revelation 


of  Jesus  Christ."  There  shdll  be  at  that 
day  not  only  a  revelation  of  (lod  and  of 
Jesus  Christ,  but  there  shall  be  a  revela- 
tion ofvian.  Millions  of  saints  shall  come 
out  from  their  obscurity,  and  shine  forth 
as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father. 
Millions  of  flaming  but  hypocritical  pro- 
fessors shall  stand  at  that  day  unmasked. 
Silent  and  unheeded  goodness  shall  be 
brought  tolight;  secret  and  enormous  wick 
edness  shall  be  exposed.  Oh,  the  deeds 
that  shall  then  be  brought  to  light !  Oh,  the 
secrets  that  shall  be  made  manifest  in  the 
day  of  revelation  !  God  grant,  my  hearers, 
that  there  may  come  out  nothing  in  that 
day  that  shall  fill  you  and  me  with  dis- 
may !  God  grant  that  we  may  have  no- 
thing to  be  brought  from  behind  the  veil 
of  secrecy  which  we  shall  blush  to  hear 
in  that  aw  ful  day  !  There  will  be  a  reve- 
lation (f  secrets  then — all  the  secrets  of 
men's  history.  Sinner,  thou  that  art  now 
screening  thyself  from  public  gaze,  carry- 
ing on  thy  career  of  iniquity  behind  a  dis- 
guise most  dexterously  wrought — that 
mask  shall  serve  thee  nothing  in  the  day 
of  revelation  ;  it  shall  be  torn  away,  and 
thou  shalt  appear  as  thou  art. 

But  the  text  speaks  particularly  of  one 
kind  of  revelation — the  revelation  (f  right- 
eous judgment  that  shall  come  on  the  wiched. 
There  will  be  a  revelation  of  judgment 
itself.  The  punishment  of  the  wrath  of 
God  is  now  revealed  partially  on  the  page 
of  Scripture  against  all  ungodliness  and 
unrighteousness  of  men  :  but  it  is  only  a 
partial  revelation.  Ah  !  we  must  go  to 
eternity  to  know  the  secrets  of  eternity. 
Never,  Christian,  will  the  greatness  of 
thy  felicity  be  revealed — never,  impe- 
nitent sinner,  never  till  the  day  of  judg- 
ment will  the  greatness  of  thy  iniquity  be 
revealed. 

But  this  is  not  all  :  it  is  the  revelation 
of  r/^A/fo«s  judgment ;  a  complete  mani- 
festation of  the  justice  of  God  in  the  pu- 
nishment of  the  wicked.  Now  we  know% 
that  terrible  as  the  curse  of  the  wicked 
will  be — we  know,  that  though  there  is  a 
lake  that  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone 
— we  know,  that  though  profane  men  and 
infidels  mock  at  the  justice  of  God  in  the 
punishment  of  the  wicked — we  know  that 
God  is  just;  and  the  men  that  mock  now 


104 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


shall  see  that  it  is  a  righteous  thing  with 
God  to  punish  sinners.  There  shall  be 
no  infidels  in  hell :  there  shall  none  go 
from  the  judgment-seat  impeaching  the 
justice  of  God.  Every  man,  however 
terrible  his  sentence,  will  carry  with  the 
seed  of  his  punishment,  the  conviction 
that  it  is  not  more  than  his  transgressions 
deserve.  It  will  be  manifested  before  the 
world.  So  that,  while  the  righteous  shall 
be  honoured  before  the  world,  while  the 
righteous  shall  be  exalted  to  glory  before 
the  universe  when  Christ  shall  come  to 
be  glorified  in  his  saints;  so  shall  the 
wicked  be  punished  before  the  universe  : 
and  while  men  admire  the  power  and  the 
mercy  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  the  right- 
eous, they  will  admire — yes,  sinner,  they 
will  admire — the  power  and  the  justice  of 
that  same  God  in  thy  punishment,  as  thou 
shalt  sink  beneath  the  wrath  of  him  that 
dooms  thee  to  perdition. 

Next,  we  are  to  consider  the  nature  of 
the  punishment.  "  After  thy  hardness  and 
impenitent  heart,  thou  treasurest  up 
wrath."  Whose  wrath  I  If  it  were  the 
wrath  of  an  angel,  or  of  an  archangel, 
there  would  be  something  tremendous  in 
it.  But  it  is  the  wrath  of  God.  Oh ! 
there  is  something  in  that  idea  more  ter- 
rible than  the  imagination  can  compass  ! 
Solomon  tells  us  that  the  "  wrath  of  a 
king  is  as  the  roaring  of  a  lion."  But 
what  is  the  wrath  of  a  king  to  the  wrath 
of  God]  "What  is  the  wrath  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, with  his  heated  fiery  furnace, 
seven  times  hotter  for  the  Hebrew  mar- 
tyrs that  were  cast  in,  to  the  wrath  of 
God  ?  What  is  the  wrath  of  Darius,  or 
the  counsellors  of  Darius,  and  the  den  of 
hungry  roaring  lions,  compared  to  the 
wrath  of  God  ]  But,  perhaps,  it  may  be 
said  that  it  is  only  a  taste  of  his  wrath — 
not  a  drinking  deep  of  the  bitter  cup.  The 
Scripture  says  wrath  will  come  on  the 
wicked  to  the  uttermost:  it  will  be  un- 
mixed wrath.  Now  God,  even  in  the 
case  of  the  wicked,  blends  mercy  with 
judgment :  then  mercy  will  retire  ;  the  cup 
will  be  all  vengeance,  unsweetened  by  one 
drop  of  mercy.  Oh !  let  the  impenitent 
consider  that  it  is  the  wrath  of  Omnipo- 
tence, the  wrath  of  Omniscience  !  It  will 
be  wrath /e//,  not  merely  threatened.  Now 


it  is  threatened,  and  the  wicked  sport 
with  the  threat;  but  then  it  will  be  felt — 
wrath  that  shall  reach  the  spirit.  This, 
this  will  be  the  state  of  the  torment  of  the 
wicked  in  eternity.  God  has  access  to 
the  mind  ;  he  can  make  his  displeasure  to 
be  felt;  he  can  rack  the  roul,  he  can  tor- 
ment the  spirit.  W^e  are  told  it  will  be 
wrath  inflicted  to  manifest  the  greatness 
of  the  divine  power  in  the  way  of  punish- 
ment. Kings  sometimes  give  unusual 
solemnity  to  executions,  to  strike  terror 
into  the  hearts  of  their  enemies,  and  to 
show  what  stores  of  vengeance  are  at 
their  command.  The  punishment  of  the 
impenitent  will  show  God's  power  in  the 
way  of  wrath. 

It  will  be  everlasting  wrath.  It  is  a 
quenchless  fire,  a  worm  that  never  dies. 
What  must  it  be  to  endure  the  unmitigated 
wrath  of  God  for  a  moment,  for  an  hour, 
for  a  week,  for  a  year,  for  a  century,  for  a 
thousand  years,  for  a  million  of  ages ! 
But  if,  at  that  distance,  there  should  be 
one  gleam  of  hope  appearing  through  the 
vista  of  darkness,  hell  would  cease  to  be 
hell ;  hope  would  spring  up  ;  and  the  very 
idea  of  the  termination  of  torment  would 
sustain  the  soul  under  it.  But  oh,  eternal 
wrath  !  Everlasting  vengeance  !  To  look 
through  eternity,  and  see  no  resting-place 
under  the  extremity  of  torture  !  To  be 
obliged  to  cry  out.  How  long]  and  to  re- 
ceive no  answer  but  "/or  ever .'"  And 
after  millions  of  ages  have  past,  and  the 
question  is  again  asked.  How  long?  still 
to  receive  no  answer  but  ^'■for  ever  /"  Oh, 
my  hearers,  my  hearers  !  you  know  what 
it  is  in  this  world  to  have  the  heaviest 
affliction  lightened  by  the  influence  of 
hope,  the  darkest  scene  cheered  by  a  ray 
of  hope.  But  think,  I  beseech  you,  think 
of  a  state  of  suffering  where  hope  will  go 
out,  and  leave  you  to  the  bitterness  of 
despair  for  ever ! 

This  wrath  is  said  to  be  wrath  to  come, 
and  because  it  is  to  come,  sinners  will  not 
believe  it ;  because  it  is  to  come  they  think 
it  never  will  come.  But  do  take  God's 
word ;  do  believe  it  will  come.  It  is  per- 
petually drawing  near.  It  is  nearer  to 
those  who  are  impenitent  this  day  than  it 
was  last  Sabbath-day  :  it  will  be  nearer 
to-morrow  than  it  is  to-day.    It  is  com- 


NATURE  AND  CONSEQUENCES  OF  IMPENITENCE. 


105 


ing  :  I  beseech  you  take  warning !  And 
then,  when  it  does  come  it  will  be  unpitied 
suffering.  Divine  compassion  now  stands 
by  you ;  the  Saviour  stands  with  his  grace. 
If  he  was  here  he  would  be  ready  to  drop 
tears  of  compassion  over  the  impenitent 
and  unbelieving.  But  in  the  day  of  your 
punishment  there  will  be.  no  pity  :  "  he 
will  laugh  at  your  calamity,  and  mock 
when  your  fear  cometh." — This,  then,  is 
the  punishment  that  shall  come  on  the 
wicked  and  impenitent. 

But  there  is  another  circumstance  yet 
to  be  mentioned,  and  that  is,  the  propor- 
tion of  ihe  punishment.  In  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures  the  idea  of  hope  is  set  forth  by 
treasure :  we  use  the  word  generally  only 
in  reference  to  what  we  account  precious; 
but  in  the  Hebrew  writings  any  thing  that 
is  accumulative  is  accounted  treasure. 
Hence,  we  read  of  the  treasures  of  wicked- 
ness. The  expression  "  treasurest  up 
wrath,"  seems  to  be  put  in  opposition  to 
the  expression  in  the  foregoing  verse — 
"  the  riches  of  his  goodness."  What  an 
idea  I  Treasures  of  love !  Heaps  of  wrath ! 
And  you  will  observe,  the  sinner  is  repre- 
sented as  the  author  of  his  own  punish- 
ment ;  there  is  nothing  arbitrary,  nothing 
capricious  ;  he  is  the  author  of  it  himself. 
The  idea  conveyed  is  this — that  there  is 
an  accumulation  continually  going  on  as 
long  as  he  sins.  Do  let  me  again  entreat 
you  to  think  of  this — that  whatever  an 
impenitent  man  is  doing,  he  is  heaping  up 
wrath.  He  may  be  getting  wealth,  but  he 
is  treasuring  up  wrath.  He  may  be  getting 
fame,  but  he  is  treasuring  up  wrath.  He 
maybe  formingpleasingconnexions,but  he 
is  treasuring  up  wrath.  Every  day  he  is 
adding  something  to  the  heap.  Every  oath 
the  swearer  utters,  there  is  something  more 
gone  to  the  heap  of  wrath.  E  very  lie  the 
liar  tells,  there  is  something  more  gone 
to  the  treasure  of  wrath.  Every  act  of 
uncleanness  that  the  lewd  man  commits, 
there  is  something  more  gone  to  the  ac- 
cumulation of  wrath.  Every  day  he  lives 
in  sin,  the  book  of  God's  remembrance 
debits  to  his  account.  There  is  a  weigh- 
tier treasure  of  wrath  for  the  impenitent 
to-day,  than  there  was  yesterday ;  there 
will  be  more  to-morrow,  if  he  continues 
impenitent,  than  there  is  to-day.     When 

Vol.  I.— 14 


he  lies  down  at  night,  he  is  richer  (if  I 
may  apply  the  term)  in  vengeance  in 
another  world,  than  when  he  arose  in  the 
morning.  He  is  continually  deepening 
and  darkening  his  hell ;  he  is  continually 
adding  to  the  weight  of  the  fetters  which 
will  sink  him  down  into  the  bottomless 
pit.  It  is  no  hyperbole,  it  is  no  forced 
expression,  to  say,  that  there  will  be  mul- 
titudes who  will  lament  in  eternity  that 
they  had  not  been  in  hell  sooner,  before 
they  had  been  permitted  to  go  such 
lengths  in  sin.  And  then,  as  this  propor- 
tion will  be  according  to  the  sin  commit- 
ted, so  it  will  he  according  to  the  mercies 
abused  and  neglected.  The  rich  man  com- 
mits greater  sin  than  the  poor  man,  the 
wise  than  the  unlearned  :  they  sin  against 
more  light ;  they  abuse  greater  means  of 
doing  good.  But  of  all  the  men  with 
whom  God  will  deal  most  severely  in 
judgment,  and  in  reference  to  whom  there 
will  be  more  accumulation  of  wrath,  is 
the  man  that  has  lived  all  his  days  under 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  been  fa- 
voured with  religious  advantages.  The 
sins  of  the  poor  heathen  are  light  com- 
pared with  his ;  and  the  punishment  will 
be  light  too.  Every  broken  Sabbath  adds 
something  to  the  weight  of  wrath  ;  every 
neglected  sermon  adds  something  to  the 
weight  of  punishment;  all  the  checks  of 
conscience,  all  the  remonstrances  of 
friends,  all  the  advice  and  prayers  of  pa- 
rents, will  be  taken  into  account  in  that 
day,  and  will  all  tend  to  increase  the  heap 
of  wrath. 

Now,  my  hearers,  do  consider  the 
misery  that  will  come  on  the  impenitent. 
And  there  is  great  reason  to  fear,  to  use 
the  striking  language  of  a  distinguished 
American  preacher — there  is  great  reason 
to  fear  that  there  are  many  in  this  assem- 
bly, and  listening  to  this  discourse,  who 
will  be  the  subjects  of  deep  misery  to  all 
eternity.  Who  they  are,  where  they  sit, 
what  they  may  be  thinking  about,  we  do 
not  know.  They  may  be  at  ease  ;  they 
may  be  flattering  themselves  they  shall 
escape ;  that  matters  are  safe  with  them ; 
but  they  are  hastening  on  to  this  misera- 
ble state.  If  we  knew,  said  he,  that  there 
was  but  one  such  soul  in  this  assembly, 
what  an  awfiil  thought !     If  we  could  see 


106 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


him,  what  an  awful  sight  it  would  be ! 
A  man  whom  we  knew  was  going  to  eter- 
nal misery,  and  would  certainly  endure 
it !  Well  might  the  whole  congregation 
set  up  a  bitter  and  a  lamentable  cry  over 
him.  But,  alas  !  instead  of  there  being 
only  one,  there  are  doubtless  many  who 
will  remember  this  sermon,  to  all  eter- 
nity, in  hell.  It  would  be  a  wonder  if 
some  of  the  congregation  were  not  there 
before  this  year  were  out :  and  it  would 
be  no  wonder  if  some,  now  in  health  and 
energy,  were  there  before  to-morrow  morn- 
ing. And  let  the  impenitent  heap  up  as 
long  as  they  may,  if  they  continue  im- 
penitent, they  will  soon  be  there:  their 
damnation  lingereth  not;  their  destruction 
will  come  swiftly  and  perhaps  suddenly 
upon  them.  Some,  doubtless,  that  you 
once  knew,  and  who  were  as  likely  to 
live  as  yourselves,  and  deserved  perdition 
no  more  than  yourselves,  are  already  past 
hope  :  their  agony  is  begun,  their  despair- 
ing course  commenced.  But  you  are  to- 
night in  the  land  of  the  living — in  the 
house  of  God — within  the  reach  of  mercy 
— within  the  reach  of  hope.  Oh,  what 
would  those  poor,  despairing,  lost  crea- 
tures give  for  one  such  opportunity  of 
salvation  as  you  enjoy  this  night ! 

And  now,  my  hearers,  what  shall  I  say 
to  you  ]  Reflect,  I  beseech  you,  on  your 
condition.  Disprove  the  fact  that  you  are 
sinners,  and  the  subject  has  nothing  to  do 
with  you.  You  may  go  carelessly  av/ay 
to-night :  you  may  say,  these  terrors  ap- 
ply not  to  me  ;  the  thunders  of  the  law 
roar  harmless  over  me.  But,  I  beseech 
you,  consider  that  you  are  sinners.  I  do 
not  say  that  any  of  you  are  profligates ;  I 
do  not  say  that  you  are  immoral ;  but  I 
say  that  you  have  broken  the  law  of  God. 
You  are  sinners ;  you  are  under  the  con- 
demnation of  the  law,  and  are  in  danger  of 
perishing.  Do  take  up  that  cry,  "  I  am  a 
lost,  a  miserable  sinner."  Then  believe 
the  threatenings  of  God's  word  denounced 
against  sin.  You  must  have  faith — you 
must  believe  it.  You  must  first  believe 
the  law,  before  you  can  believe  the  gos- 
pel. You  must  believe  you  are  a  con- 
demned sinner,  before  you  can  believe  in 
Christ,  as  a  Saviour  of  the  lost;  or  you 
can  never  believe  to  salvation.     Oh,  do. 


then,  believe  the  awful  threatening  !  Is 
it  true,  or  is  it  not  true,  that  God  has  said. 
"  The  wicked  shall  he  turned  into  hell  ?^^ 
Is  it  true,  or  is  it  not  true,  that  Jesus  Christ 
will  say  to  the  wicked,  in  the  last  day, 
"  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlast- 
ing fire,  prepared  fur  the  devil  and  his 
angels  .^"  Is  it  true,  or  is  it  not  true,  that 
Jesus  Christ  has  said,  "  Their  worm  dieth 
not — their  fire  is  not  quenched  ?"  Oh,  if 
it  be  true,  believe  it !  Turn  from  the 
profane  men  who  would  convert  the 
threatenings  of  Scripture  into  matters  of 
ridicule.  Close  your  ear  against  the 
sceptic,  who  would  throw  a  doubt  on  the 
reality  of  the  threatenings  of  God's  word. 
Will  he  not  punish  the  wicked  1  Then 
why  has  he  said  if?  Is  there  no  helH 
Then  the  Bible  is  a  fiction — Christ  was 
an  impostor,  and  the  apostles  partakers 
of  the  delusion.  Is  there  no  helH  Then 
there  is  no  heaven — no  hereafter — no 
judgment-seat.  I  entreat  you  believe  the 
threatenings.  Oh,  the  madness,  the  mad-  \ 
ness — I  will  not  give  up  the  term,  and 
use  a  milder — the  ntadness  of  that  man 
that  spends  all  the  time  that  God's  mercy 
has  given  him  to  flee  from  hell,  by  per- 
suading, or  attempting  to  persuade,  him- 
self there  is  none  I  I  say,  attempting 
to  persuade  himself,  for  he  has  not  done 
it.  Is  there  no  trembling  ]  Is  there  no 
midnight  voice,  no  spectral  fear  1  Is  there 
no  palpitation  of  heart  at  the  sound  of  the 
knell,  or  the  sight  of  an  open  gravel 
Why  tremble  at  death  1  Why  that 
anxiety  of  mind  to  persuade  yourself  that 
there  is  no  hell  ?  Because  in  spite  of  all 
thy  bravado  thou  fearest  that  there  is. 
Oh,  believe  that  there  is  !  for  this  is  the 
first  step  towards  escaping  it.  Go  home 
to-night  believing  that  God  is  as  true  in 
his  threatenings  as  he  is  true  in  his  pro- 
mises. It  is  yet  wrath  to  come.  No  fear- 
ful portents  are  in  the  sky ;  no  gloomy 
comet  glares  upon  it  with  portentous 
light,  from  the  upper  regions  of  the  at- 
mosphere ;  no  convulsive  throes  heave 
the  ground  beneath  thy  feet.  There  is 
mercy — Christ  waits  to  be  gracious — his 
blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin.  To-night, 
to-night  betake  thyself,  O  sinner,  to 
prayer  !  Begin  to-night — bow  thy  knees 
to-night.     Thy  heart  is  hard ;  I  know  it  * 


NATURE  AND  CONSEQUENCES  OF  LMPENITENCE. 


107 


but  there  is  one  that  can  soften  it.  Thou 
canst  not  repent !  Thou  7nusl  repent ; 
and  Christ  has  been  exalted  to  his  throne 
to  give  repentance  as  well  as  remission 
of  sins.  To-night,  begin  to-night.-  trifle 
no  longer ;  come  to  a  parley.  Thou  art 
not  happy ;  thou  canst  not  be.  There  is 
conflict  in  thy  bosom ;  there  are  warning 
voices  thou  must  hear,  and  checks  thou 
must  feel.  Oh,  come,  come  to  the 
Saviour  !  Except  thou  repent,  thou  wilt 
perish;  and  believing  in  Christ  thou  must 
be  saved.  But  if,  after  this  invitation, 
thou  continuest  still  impenitent  and  un- 
believing, the  hour  is  at  hand,  when  thou 
wilt  curse  the  day  of  thv  birth — when 
thou  wilt  curse  the  hour  in  which  thou 
didst  ever  hear  a  gospel  sermon;  but 
chief  of  all  thou  wilt  curse  thine  own 
folly,  under  all  the  poignancy  of  remorse, 
for  neglecting  the  invitations  of  mercy, 
and  continuing  in  sin.  God  in  mercy 
preserve  thee  from  this  misery,  which  is 
now  as  inconceivable,  as  when  it  comes 
it  will  be  intolerable  !     Amen. 


THE  PULPIT  GJkZ.IiZlIl'S'. 

NO.  IV. 


BISHOP    LATIMKR. 


Hugh  Latimer  was  born  in  the  year 
1470;  when  fourteen  years  old  he  was 
sent  to  Cambridge — at  the  usual  time  he 


eat 
30k 


took  his  degrees  in  arts,  and  entering  into 
priest's  orders,  was  remarkably  zealous 
in  defence  of  popery.  By  the  influence 
and  exertions  of  Mr-.  Thomas  Bilney  who 
favoured  the  reformation,  Mr.  Latimer 
was  led  to  examine  the  corrupt  features 
of  the  Romish  church,  and  at  the  ago  of 
fifty-three,  became  a  decided  protestant, 
and  was  as  active  in  supporting  and  propa- 
gating the  reformed  doctrine,  as  he  was  be- 
fore in  efforts  to  destroy  it.  He,  more  than 
any  other  man  promoted  the  reformation 
by  his  preaching.  The  straight  forward 
honesty  of  his  remarks,  the  liveliness  of 
his  illustrations,  his  homely  wit,  his  racy 
manner,  his  manly  freedom,  the  playful- 


ness of  his  temper,  the  simplicity  of  his 
heart,  the  sincerity  of  his  understanding, 
gave  life  and  vigour  to  his  sermons  when 
they  were  delivered,  and  render  them  now 
the  most  amusing  productions  of  that  age, 
and,  to  us,  perhaps  the  most  valuable. 
As  a  faithful  court  preacher  he  excelled. 
"  Bishop  Latimer,  having  preached  a 
sermon  before  Henry  VHL  in  which  he 
touched  on  some  topics  displeasing  to 
his  majesty,  was  commanded  to  preach 
again  the  following  Sunday,  and  to  intro- 
duce an  apology  for  the  offence  he  had 
given.  After  naming  his  text,  the  Bishop 
thus  commenced  his  sermon  : — '  Hugh 
Latimer,  dost  thou  know  to  whom  thou 
art  this  day  to  speak  1  To  tlie  high  and 
mighty  monarch,  the  king's  most  excel- 
lent majesty,  who  can  take  away  thy  life 
if  thou  offendest ;  therefore,  take  heed 
that  thou  speakest  not  that  which  may 
displease.  But  then,  consider  well, 
Hugh  Latimer,  dost  thou  not  know  from 
whence  thou  comest,  and  upon  whose  mes- 
sage thou  art  sent  1  Even  by  the  Great 
God,  who  is  all-present,  and  beholdeth 
all  thy  ways ;  who  is  omnipotent,  and 
able  to  cast  both  bod)/  and  soul  into  hell 
together ;  therefore,  take  heed,  and  deliver 
thy  message  faithfully.' 

"  He  then  proceeded  with  the  same  ser- 
mon he  had  preached  the  preceding  Sun- 
day, and  confirmed  it  with  redoubled 
energy.  The  sermon  being  ended,  the 
court  was  full  of  expectation  to  know  the 
fate  of  this  honest,  plain  dealing  Bishop. 
After  the  dinner  the  king  called  Latimer, 
and,  with  a  stern  countenance,  asked  him 
how  he  durst  be  so  bold  as  to  preach  in 
this  manner]  Falling  on  his  knees, 
Latimer  replied,  '  That  his  duty  to  his 
God,  and  to  his  prince,  had  enforced  him 
thereunto  ;  that  he  had  merely  discharged 
his  office  and  conscience  in  what  he  had 
spoken,  though  his  life  was  in  his  majes- 
ty's hands.'  The  king  raised  the  worthy 
prelate  from  his  knees,  embraced  him, 
and  exclaimed,  '  Blessed  be  God  that  I 
have  so  honest  a  servant!'  " 

He  died  at  the  stake,  with  Bishop  Rid- 
ley, October  15,  1555. 


SERMON  IX. 

THE  BEGINNING,  PROGRESS,  AND  END  OF  SIN,  OR  THE  HISTORY  OF 
TRANSGRESSION. 

BY  THE  REV.  T.  EAST 

OF    BIRMINGHAM. 


"  Then  when  lust  hath  conceived,  it  bringeth  forth  sin:  and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  hringeth 
forth  death." — James  i.  15. 


That  the  general  state  of  society  in 
this  kingdom  is  becoming  more  and  more 
alarming,  is  generally  acknowledged.  If 
we  go  among  the  lower  or  the  higher  or- 
ders ;  if  we  associate  with  the  young  or  the 
aged,  the  rich  or  the  poor,  we  find  our- 
selves approaching  a  considerable  degree 
of  moral  corruption.  Public  morality  is 
no  longer  a  fine,  vigorous,  blooming  tree ; 
but  it  is  smitten,  and  its  health  is  gradu- 
ally falling  away.  We  employ  our  pa- 
rental and  ministerial  influence  to  waird 
off  the  impending  evil,  yet  one  after  an- 
other is  brought  to  ruin.  If  the  course 
were  as  honourable  as  it  is  disreputable ; 
— if  it  led  to  peace  as  it  does  to  misery  ; 
we  need  not  wonder  at  its  influence  on 
the  heart.  But  when  we  consider  its 
awful  tendency,  we  are  astonished  and 
affected  to  see  what  it  has  done,  and  is 
doing,  among  the  race  of  man.  Those 
who  have  advanced  far  in  this  course, 
corrupt  and  corrupting,  frequently  attri- 
bute all  the  evil  to  the  Author  of  all  good. 
But,  "  let  no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted, 
I  am  tempted  of  God:  for  God  cannot  be 
tempted  with  evil,  neither  tempteth  he  any 
man :  but  every  man  is  tempted  when  he 
is  drawn  away  of  his  own  lust,  and  enticed. 
Then  when  lust  hath  conceived,  it  bring- 
eth forth  sin  j  and  sin,  when  it  is  finished, 
bringeth  forth  death." 

In  calling  your  attention  to  this  subject, 
I  propose  to  consider  the  beginning,  the 
progress,  and  the  end  of  sin,  in  the  history 
and  experience  of  the  transgressor. 
108 


First.    The  beginning  of  sin. 

"  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things, 
and  desperately  wicked."  This  is  the 
source  of  all  evil :  from  hence  all  evil 
takes  its  origin.  Before  the  act  can  be 
committed,  the  purpose  must  be  formed 
in  the  breast;  which  takes  time,  design, 
deliberation.  Seduction,  theft,  perfidy, 
drunkenness,  injustice,  murder,  the  popu- 
lar vices  of  the  day,  require  design, 
arrangement,  decision.  Lust  must  be 
conceived  before  the  act  can  be  per- 
formed. 

There  is  the  seducer.'  His  victim  is  not 
dragged  to  the  altar  at  once  : — no  ; — he 
must  form  a  thousand  artifices,  he  must 
lay  innumerable  plans,  he  must  make  vmv 
professions,  &c.  And  "  lust  when  it  hath 
conceived,  bringeth  forth  sin." 

There  is  the  thief.'  He  sees  what  he 
wants,  or  knows  where  he  can  get  it. 
He  forms  and  arranges  plans  with  his 
companion.  The  place,  the  time,  the 
circumstances  are  agreed  upon.  They 
go  forth,  and  "  lust  when  it  hath  con- 
ceived, bringeth  forth  sin." 

There  is  the  perfidious  !  The  man  who 
is  in  possession  of  all  the  secrets  which 
have  been  committed  to  him  by  his  friend, 
and  goes  about  to  betray  him.  It  is  true, 
the  fear  of  reproach  and  disgrace  keeps 
him  back  from  his  purpose  for  a  time ; 
but  actuated  by  lust  he  goes  forth,  and 
at  once  sacrifices  his  friend,  and  his  own 
honour.  Thus  "  lust  when  it  hath  con- 
ceived, bringeth  forth  sin." 


PROGRESS  OF  SIN. 


109 


Mark  the  drunkard!  How  cautiously 
he  puts  the  cup  to  his  lips!  He  tastes 
the  liquor,  and  professes  to  dislike  what 
has  overcome  thousands.  He  tastes 
again, — and  again, — and  again  : — the  ha- 
bit is  established.  Regardless  of  his 
own  happiness,  of  the  happiness  of  home, 
of  the  happiness  of  those  he  has  sworn 
to  protect,  he  indulges  in  it  habitually. 
"  Lust  when  it  hath  conceived,  bringeth 
forth  sin." 

See  the  artful,  ensnaring  man !  How 
he  entangles  his  victim  till  he  has  got  his 
property  within  his  grasp.  And  how 
does  he  act"?  Alas!  he  who  in  youth 
would  not  touch  any  thing  which  was 
not  his  own,  by  having  it  in  his  power, 
wishes  to  possess  it,  and  at  length,  ruins 
another,  while  he  dishonours  himself. 
Thus  "lust  when  it  hath  conceived, 
bringeth  forth  sin." 

Observe  the  murderer !  This  crime  is 
very  rarely  committed  but  after  cautious 
plans.  Here  are  two  individuals ;  sud- 
denly they  quarrel,  and  the  life  of  one  is 
sacrificed  to  the  other.  This  is  dreadful ; 
— but  it  is  nothing  compared  with  delibe- 
rate murder.  The  murderer,  in  this  case, 
fixes  on  time,  on  place,  has  the  weapons 
in  his  own  hands,  &c.  O  how  dreadful! 
The  sun  rises  and  sets  as  usual,  but  for 
the  last  time  as  it  respects  the  unfortu- 
nate victim  !  He  retires,  perhaps,  to  rest ; 
he  hears  the  footsteps  of  one  he  knows 
not ;  and,  ere  he  can  inform  himself,  he 
falls  to  rise  no  more !  "  Lust  when  it 
hath  conceived,  bringeth  forth  sin." 
Notice, 

Secondly.      The    progress  which   it 

MAKES  IN  ITS  INFLUENCE  OVER  THE  HEART 
AND  CHARACTER  OF   MAN. 

All  who  have  studied  human  nature 
with  the  Scripture  in  their  hands,  must 
confess  that  no  man  becomes  suddenly 
wicked.  God  has  made  man  naturally 
covet  the  welfare  of  those  on  whom  his 
welfare  depends.  Eflforts  are  therefore 
employed  to  make  them  wise,  and  virtu- 
ous, and  good.  Parents  who  are  them- 
selves corrupt  are  generally  anxious  that 
their  children  should  be  virtuous  and 
religious.  I  once  knew  a  swearer  who 
suddenly  abandoned  the  practice.  Why  ] 
was  it  because  God  commanded  him  not 


to  swear  1  No  ; — he  cared  not  for  God  ! 
— was  it  because  it  was  dishonourable? 
No ; — for  this  he  cared  not ! — But  he 
heard  his  child  swear  !  he  turned  pale, 
and  he  abandoned  the  practice.  If,  then, 
there  is  this  anxiety  to  make  men  wise 
and  good,  it  is  evident  that  evil  must  have 
its  preparatory  course  before  it  can  be 
perfected. — Let  us  consider, 

1.  The  causes  brought  into  operation  to 
produce  this. — One  is 

The  popular  reading  of  the  age. 
This  is  denominated  a  reading  age.  If 
we  have  not  now  many  giants  of  litera- 
ture, there  is  yet  much  intelligence  dif- 
fused throughout  all  classes  of  society. 
By  means  of  the  National,  the  Lancas- 
trian, and  other  schools,  an  appetite  for 
knowledge  is  excited ; — and  it  is  likely 
to  be  supplied.  But,  alas  I  alas !  the 
press  of  Britain  teems  with  publications 
which  are  calculated  to  do  immense  mis- 
chief. The  author  is  a  sceptic ; — he 
aims  to  throw  down  the  barriers  of  vir- 
tue ; — he  exhibits  vice  in  the  most  pleas- 
ing colours;  he  throws  much  wit,  skill, 
and  address,  into  the  character  of  his 
hero.  And  while  the  young  man  takes 
it  up  to  pass  away  a  leisure  hour,  he  im- 
bibes the  scepticism  it  contains  ;  and  if 
he  does  not  actually  rise  a  sceptic,  he  is, 
at  least,  prepared  to  become  one. 

Associations,  also,  are  a  cause.  As- 
sociations with  those  who  have  made  some 
advances  in  vice.  A  young  person  who 
has  had  something  like  a  pious  education, 
feels  respect  for  goodness  and  for  good 
men.  He  regards  the  Sabbath,  and  the 
means  of  instruction ;  he  is  often  deeply 
and  powerfully  impressed  by  the  terrors 
or  the  glories  of  the  world  to  come.  But 
let  him  go  abroad  into  company,  and  if 
he  be  not  instantaneously  disgusted,  as 
virtue  would  be  if  surrounded  by  the 
vices, — his  ruin,  if  not  sudden,  is  inevi- 
table. Relaxation  is  necessary  after  the 
labours  of  the  day  :  evening  parties  are 
formed  :  some  place  is  chosen  where  they 
may  spend  their  time  together.  And 
what  is  the  name  of  that  place  1  How  is 
it  situated  ]  Where  does  it  rear  its  head  1 
Where  stands  its  base  1  Shall  we  call 
it  the  tavern  ! — you  have  hit  the  name 
And  then  cards  are  introduced  ] — "  Well, 
K 


110 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


sir !  and  do  you  forbid  cards  ? — And 
would  you  abolish  places  of  innocent  re- 
sort?— Yes,  sir !  I  do,  sir  ! — As  I  would 
not  let  my  child  touch  a  jewel,  if  it  had 
been  on  the  finger  of  a  man  infected  with 
the  plague;  so  I  would  not  suffer  that 
which  may  end  in  an  association  with 
devils  and  damned  spirits !  It  is  the 
fruitful  source  of  almost  every  evil. 

The  THEATRE  is  another  cause.  Though 
its  interests  are  advocated  by  some  semi- 
Chrisflans,  and  even  from  the  pulpit  of 
the  present  day.  It  is  often  said  of  these 
places,  (where  some  Christians  go  before 
family  prayer !)  that  they  are  schools  to 
mend  the  genius,  and  exalt  the  heart ; — 
that  there  the  vices  are  portrayed  in  all 
their  hideous  characters,  and  the  virtues 
attired  in  all  their  beauty,  more  captivat- 
ing even  than  they  appear  in  real  life ; — 
that  there  they  learn  to  speak  elegantly 
and  correctly,  &c.  Sometime  ago,  I 
called  to  see  a  mother;  she  was  in  dis- 
tress ;  she  not  merely  wept,  but  wept 
aloud.  "  What  is  the  matter  V — "  O  my 
child  !" — and  she  wept  again.  "  O  my 
child  is  just  committed  to  prison !"  and 
she  wept  again.  "  O  my  child  is  just 
committed  to  prison,  and  I  fear  he  will 
never  return  to  his  father's  house  !"  and 
then  she  wept  again ;  and  with  all  my 
firmness  I  could  not  forbear  weeping  too. 
I  was  afraid  to  ask  the  cause  ;  I  did  not 
need ;  for  she  cried,  "  0  that  theatre  ! 
he  was  a  virtuous,  kind  youth,  till  that 
theatre  proved  his  ruin  !" — This  was  her 
testimony,  and  it  was  the  testimony  of 
the  young  man  himself. — Now,  if  all 
persons  who  attend  these  places  loved 
home,  and  respected  the  conjugal  charac- 
ter, and  cultivated  domestic  order,  we 
might  wonder  at  such  a  catastrophe.  But 
no ;  there  is  no  domestic  order,  there  is 
no  morality. — It  was  but  the  other  day 
that  a  bird  of  the  air,  or  something  else, 
whispered  in  my  ear  to  put  this  question 
to  such  persons  : — Do  you  go  before  prayer 
or  after?  If  after,  how  do  you  frame 
your  petitions'? — O  you  forget  it  altoge- 
ther that  night ! — 0  tell  me,  young  man, 
tell  me  honestly,  if  these  things  have  not 
an  influence  on  your  heart.  You  once 
prayed,  but  you  do  not  now.  You  once 
read  your  Bible;  but  you  do  not  now. 


You  once  thought,  but  you  do  not  now. 
Pardon  me ;  I  sometimes  mistake,  even 
in  the  pulpit ;  you  do  think ;  but  with 
what  pain ! 

2.  Let  me  show  how  these  principles  ad' 
vatice.  "  When  lust  hath  conceived,  it 
bringeth  forth  sin ;  and  sin,  when  it  is 
finished,  bringeth  forth  death."  No  man 
can  become  suddenly  wicked.  At  first 
there  must  be  awful  violence  done  to  the 
conscience.  When  the  child  of  religious 
parents  first  steps  over  the  line  which 
separates  good  from  evil,  conscience  con- 
demns,  conscience  alarms  : — the  book  is 
closed  with  disgust  and  thrown  at  the 
feet — companions  are  forsaken — and  he 
breaks  away  from  the  charm  which  is 
about  to  overcome  his  better  principles 
and  his  finer  taste.  Yes  !  it  is  hard  work 
to  force  himself  into  the  circle  of  damna- 
tion. Here  is  conscience  with  its  re- 
proaches— here  is  the  recollection  of  his 
father's  prayers,  and  his  mother's  tears — 
here  is  the  appalling  dream  by  night,  and 
here  is  the  waking  reality  of  the  morning 
— here  is  God — here  is  the  devil — here  is 
hell  with  all  its  terrors,  and  heaven  with 
all  its  glories  !  But  when  you  have  once 
gone  into  this  moral  contamination  ;  when 
you  cast  off  the  fear  of  man,  no  one  is 
astonished,  because  previously  to  this 
you  have  cast  off  the  fear  of  God.  And 
when  you  glory  in  your  shame ;  and  when 
you  take  a  letter  from  your  mother,  and 
turning  hastily  to  the  part  which  informs 
you  of  the  health  of  the  family,  throw  it 
away,  and  say  to  your  associates,  "  Well ! 
I  have  had  another  lecture  from  my  mo- 
ther, but  I  have  disregarded  it:''^ — when 
you  can  drag  yourself  for  half  an  hour  to 
hear  a  minister  to  whom  you  have  been 
accustomed,  that  you  may  hold  him  up 
to  ridicule ;  then — then — then  let  me  tell 
you,  you  may  sin  with  comparative  ease ! 
It  was  difficult  at  the  first,  but  now,  now 
you  may  go  on  and  take  your  rest.  God 
may  not  awake  'to  vengeance ;  but  the 
state  of  that  individual  is  most  alarming, 
of  whom  he  has  said,  "  Let  him  alone  !" 
Conscience,  let  him  alone! — Visions  of 
the  night,  cease  to  scare  him  with  your 
awful  forms  ! — Instances  of  goodness, 
charm  him  no  more ! — Appalling  effects 
of  vice,  cease  to  alarm  him !     O  yes  !  you 


PROGRESS  OF  SIN. 


Ill 


may  then  bless  the  triumphs  of  your  new 
notions  ;  you  may  then  hail  the  effects  of 
the  principles  you  have  embraced  !  But 
believe  me,  believe  me,  there  is  an  end 
coming!  "When  lust  hath  conceived, 
it  bringeth  forth  sin  ;  and  sin,  when  it  is 
finished,  bringeth  forth  death."  Notice, 
therefore, 

Thirdly.     The  end  of  sin. 

"  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold 
the  upright ;  for  the  end  of  that  man  is 
peace."  If  I  were  to  consult  my  taste, 
and  the  predominant  feelings  of  my  own 
heart,  I  should  proceed  to  describe  the 
end  of  the  good  man  :  which  is  peace.  I 
am  not  so  inured  to  danger,  as  to  laugh 
at  the  storm  ;  no,  I  would  rather  go  into 
the  calm  than  into  the  tempest;  no,  I 
would  rather  go  into  "  the  chamber  where 
the  good  man  meets  his  end,"  and  "  mark 
the  upright  man,  whose  end  is  peace." 
The  apostle  said  on  one  occasion,  "  I  am 
in  a  strait  betwixt  two  ;"  and  on  this  occa- 
sion I  feel  perplexity.  How  shall  I  de- 
cide 1  Shall  I  proceed  according  to  my 
usual  custom,  and  having  announced  my 
plan,  abide  by  if? — I  will.  "  Sin,  when 
it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death."  First, 
the  death  of  the  body.  Secondly,  the  death 
of  the  soul.  Both  must  die  : — but  there 
will  be  this  extraordinary  peculiarity 
connected  with  the  soul,  that  it  will  be 
dying  without  ever  being  extinct;  that  it 
will  ever  be  living  in  misery,  and  ever 
under  the  sentence  of  condemnation  ! 
"  Sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth," 

1.  The  death  of  the  body.  The  awful 
sentence  denounced  against  sin  was,  "  In 
the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt 
surely  die."  And  this  sentence,  with 
two  exceptions,  has  been  executed  on  all 
that  have  lived.  "  Death  has  passed  upon 
all  men,  for  all  have  sinned."  This 
sentence,  indeed,  stands  recorded  against 
the  saints  of  God,  as  well  as  against  the 
most  malignant  transgressor.  But  there 
is  a  natural  tendency  in  sin,  to  hasten 
this  end.  I  have  lately  read  an  account 
of  some  persons  who  chose  to  spend  the 
Sabbath  on  the  water.  The  party  went 
out  in  a  boat,  the  boat  upset,  and  most  of 
them  perished  !  O  what  a  transition  ! 
What  an  illustration  of  the  text !  Lust 
conceived  the  idea  of  violating  a  Sabbath, 


sin  caused  the  purpose  to  be  executed, 
and  when  finished,  it  ended  in  the  death 
of  most  of  the  party !  O  how  does  sin 
subject  its  devotees  to  dreadful  accidents, 
and  to  alarming  diseases  !  I  read  in  my 
Bible,  "  bloody  and  deceitful  men  shall 
not  live  out  half  their  days."  The  glut- 
ton, the  intemperate,  the  lascivious  per- 
son, the  debauchee,  all  these  men  shorten 
their  days.  And  why  is  this  1  Do  they 
want  to  be  damned  before  their  time  ? — 
Why]  Do  they  wish  to  hasten  to  the 
judgment-seat?  They  sin  against  their 
own  selves,  becoming  rotten  in  crime, 
and  by  awful  strides  they  force  their  pas- 
sage to  the  flames.  "  Sin,  when  it  is 
finished,  bringeth  forth  death."  If  I 
chose  to-night  to  proceed,  I  could  exhibit 
before  you  the  emaciated  state  of  the 
body,  and  the  rapid  influence  of  disease 
to  produce  this  effect ; — but  the  time  tells 
me  that  I  must  advance.     Sin  bringeth, 

2.  The  death  of  the  soul.  And  what  is 
that? — I  cannot  tell.  What  is  it  for  a 
soul  to  die  1 — I  cannot  tell.  What  is  it 
for  a  soul  to  die  eternally  ? — I  cannot  tell. 
There  are  some  facts,  I  believe,  which  I 
cannot  describe  :  there  are  some  truths  to 
which  I  assent,  that  I  cannot  explain. 
One  ministerial  qualification  I  do  not 
possess ; — I  do  not  know,  I  do  not  want 
to  know,  I  had  rather  sink  down  into  the 
grave  without  knowing,  how  to  describe 
the  feelings  of  a  soul  as  it  passes  from 
the  body.  I  do  not  want  to  know  the 
feelings  of  a  condemned  soul  as  it  passes 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death. 
I  do  not  want  to  know  how  a  soul  con- 
demned feels,  as  it  enters  the  regions  of 
the  lost !  When  a  little  boy,  I  went  out 
with  my  father ;  he  was  busily  employed, 
and  I  was  lost.  I  can  remember  some- 
thing of  my  emotions  :  I  burst  into  tears ; 
I  asked  several  persons,  "  Where  is  my 
father?"  And  I  shall  never  forget  the 
emotions  of  my  mind  when  my  eye  again 
caught  a  glimpse  of  my  father !  And 
why  do  I  mention  this  ?  Because  I  am 
not  aware  that  I  can  employ  an  illustra- 
tion more  natural.  When  you  are  con- 
demned, when  you  are  banished  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory 
of  his  power,  you  will  find  yourselves 
LOST  !     But  you  will  not  be  permitted  the 


112 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


consolation  of  asking,  "  "Where  is  my 
Father?"  The  answer  will  be,  "He  is 
there,  in  heaven  ; — he  is  your  Judge,  he 
has  banished  you,  justly  disdaining  to 
admit  you  into  his  presence  for  ever  !" — 
"Then  when  lust  hath  conceived,  it 
bringeth  forth  sin  ;  and  sin,  when  it 
is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death." 

The  consequences  of  transgression 
which  extend  themselves  into  the  eternal 
world,  as  far  exceed  the  powers  of  con- 
ception, as  the  eternal  state  of  the  happy. 
"  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nei- 
ther have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man," 
what  God  hath  reserved  for  them  that  sin 
against  him ! 

1 .  Allow  me  to  make  an  appeal  to  those 
who  are  invested  with  parental  authority. 
Beware,  lest  by  connivance,  and  with- 
holding due  restraint,  you  become  access- 
ories to  the  ruin  of  your  children.  I  give 
it  as  my  decided  opinion,  that  many  pa- 
rents may  trace  up  the  ruin  of  their  child- 
ren, to  a  lax  system  of  domestic  govern- 
ment. Therefore,  my  friends,  while  I 
would  not  have  you  become  domestic 
tyrants,  I  wish  you  to  exercise  due  disci- 
pline. And  endeavour  to  make  home  your 
children's  happiest  place.  Let  fathers 
and  mothers  live  in  harmony  and  peace, 
and  you  will  find  your  reward  in  the  vir- 
tue, if  not  in  the  religion,  of  your  children. 

2.  Let  me  warn  the  young  against  the 
danger  of  yielding  to  the  first  temptation. 
"I  think,  notwithstanding  all  that  you 
have  said  to-night ;  and  what  our  venera- 
ble friend  Mr.  Wilkes  says  from  time 
to  time;  and  what  the  departed  Hyatt 
so  often  said  ;  I  think  that  I  have  strength 
enough  to  resist  temptation.  I  have  no 
doubt  but  I  may  just  look  at  the  world, 
and  taste  of  its  pleasures,  without  being 
overcome."  Indeed  ! — Then  I  suppose 
you  have  acted  on  tWs  persuasion  ] — Then 
I  suppose  you  did  it  slily  1 — Then  I 
suppose  when  you  asked  the  other  night 
to  spend  an  hour  or  two  with  a  friend, 
you  went  to  Vauxhall,  or  to  Sadler's 
Wells  !  Well  then ;  let  me  ask  you  a 
question.  Did  you  meet  the  eye  of  your 
parent  as  formerly  ?  Did  you  join  the 
family  circle  as  usual  %  Did  you  sleep 
as  soundly  as  before  ?  Ah,  my  friend  ! — 
Stop,  ere  thou   art  ruined! — Stop,  ere 


thou  art  fallen  lower  than  the  lowest  !— 
Stop  at  once  ! — Stop  instantaneously  !— 
If  sinners  entice  you  to  go  where  you 
have  promised,  and  where  you  have  been 
before !  consent  not.  Let  them  laugh  as 
they  may;  go  not: — yield  not  to  be 
damned  for  compliment,  "/jf  sinners  en- 
tice thee,  consent  thou  not.^^  If  you  will 
not  believe  me,  believe  what  God  says, 
"Then  WHEN  lust  hath  conceived,  it 

BRINGETH  FORTH  SIN  ;  AND  SIN,  WHEN  IT 
IS    FINISHED,    BRINGETH     FORTH    DEATH.'* 

My  dear,  dear  known  or  unknown  friend 
or  brother,  possessing  with  myself  a  de- 
praved nature,  exposed  to  snares  most 
insinuating  and  destructive,  let  me  be- 
seech you,  when  you  retire  from  the 
tabernacle  to-night,  pray  to  be  kept  from 
the  evil  that  is  in  the  world.  But  besides 
prayer,  do  one  thing  as  most  effective  to 
resist  temptation,  and  to  purify  the  heart ; 
— apply  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  be 
saved  through  faith  in  his  most  precious 
blood.  Till  you  do  this,  you  will  strive 
against  the  power  of  sin  in  vain. 

Your  time  is  gone.  If  I  had  consulted 
my  own  convenience,  I  should  have  dis- 
missed the  congregation  before.  But  I 
will  trespass  still  longer  to  say,  "  This 

IS  A  FAITHFUL  SAYING,  AND  WORTHY  OF 
ALL  ACCEPTATION,  THAT  JeSUS  ChRIST 
CAME  INTO    THE  WORLD    TO  SAVE    SINNERS, 

EVEN  THE  CHIEF."  Look  by  faith  to  the 
efficacy  of  his  death,  and  then  you  will 
have  a  power  to  resist  evil,  while  its  in- 
fluence will  cleanse  you  from  all  impure 
associations,  and  make  you  "  partakers 

OF  THE  DIVINE   NATURE." 


TlS.il   PUZ.PIT  GiLX.I.Z:RTr. 

NO.    V. 

THE    REV.    TIMOTHY   EAST, 
Birmingham. 


I  love  a  plain  serious  preacher,  who  speaks 
for  my  sake,  and  not  for  his  own ;  who  seeks 
my  salvation,  and  not  his  own  vain  glory. 

Fenelon. 


Mr.  East  preaches  to  a  respectable 
independent  congregation  at  Birmingham, 
and  also  visits  London  every  year  as  one 
of  the  Tabernacle  preachers,  where  his 


THE  PULPIT  GALLERY. 


113 


sermons  and  labours  are  valued  and  ap- 
proved. 

He  is  the  reputed  author  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Rambler,  a  series  of  papers  so 
called,  and  which  are  written  to  enforce 
the  practice  of  pure  and  undefiled  religion. 
They  were  republished  in  this  country, 
with  some  slight  alterations,  by  the  late 
venerated  and  pious  Dr.  Bedell,  and  have 
had  a  considerable  circulation.  Al- 
though there  is  not  in  them  that  depth  of 
thought,  and  profound  knowledge  of  hu- 
man nature,  which  distinguish  the  essays 
of  Johnson,  yet  they  display  considera- 
ble power  of  observation,  and  many  of 
the  sketches  of  characters  and  scenes 
evince  a  great  felicity  of  illustration  and 
talent  for  easy  narrative. 

As  a  preacher  Mr.  East  is  variable — 
some  of  his  sermons  are  very  excellent, 
and  even  eloquent ;  others  are  said  to  be 
"  flat,  stale,  and  uninteresting."  At  times 
he  gives  a  degree  of  energy  to  his  state- 
ments which  commands  breathless  atten- 
tion, and  few  men  are  equally  successful 
in  making  a  deep  impression  by  the  de- 
livery of  a  few  sentences.  When  this  is 
the  case  his  voice  is  full  and  solemn,  his 
action  appropriate,  and  his  whole  manner 
strikingly  illustrative  of  his  zeal  to  win 

souls. 

♦ 

Hume's  account  of  Whitfield's  preachixg. 

An  intimate  friend  of  the  infidel  Hume, 
asked  what  he  thought  of  Mr.  Whitfield's 
preaching;  for  he  had  listened  to  the 
latter  part  of  one  of  his  sermons  at  Edin- 
burgh. "He  is,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Hume, 
"  the  most  ingenious  preacher  I  ever 
heard.  It  is  worth  while  to  go  twenty 
miles  to  hear  him."  He  then  repeated 
a  passage  towards  the  close  of  that  dis- 
course which  he  heard.  "  After  a  solemn 
pause,  he  thus  addressed  his  numerous 
audience: — 'The  attendant  angel  is  just 
about  to  leave  the  threshhold,  and  ascend 
to  heaven.  And  shall  he  ascend  and  not 
bear  with  him  the  nev/s  of  one  sinner, 
among  all  this  multitude,  reclaimed  from 
the  errors  of  his  ways'?' 

"  To  give  the  greater  effect  to  this  ex- 
clamation, he  stamped  with  his  foot, 
lifted  up  his  hands  and  eyes  to  heaven, 
and   with    gushing   tears,   cried    aloud, 

Vol.  I.— 15 


'  Stop,  Gabriel,  stop,  Gabriel !  Stop  ere 
you  enter  the  sacred  portals,  and  yet 
carry  with  you  the  news  of  one  sinner 
converted  to  God.'  He  then,  in  the  most 
simple,  but  energetic  language,  described 
what  he  called  a  Saviour's  dying  love  to 
sinful  men ;  so  that  almost  the  whole 
assembly  melted  into  tears.  This  address 
was  accompanied  with  such  animated  yet 
natural  action,  that  it  surpassed  anything 
I  ever  saw  or  heard  in  any  other  preach- 
er." Happy  for  the  church  would  it  be 
if  all  its  ministers  were  so  heartily  en- 
gaged in  their  work  as  to  feel  for  souls 
as  Whitfield  did ! 


PREACH   CHRIST. 

Our  hearers  need  only  examine  how 
we  preach  Christ,  to  form  an  idea  how 
far  we  are  evangelical.  Shall  we  glory 
in  the  beauty  of  our  composition — in  the 
flowers  of  rhetoric — in  the  force  of  ora- 
tory— in  the  harmony  of  periods — and 
leave  the  cross  out  as  unfashionable  f 
Thus  did  not  Paul. — Shall  we  glory  in 
the  teachings — in  the  example  of  Christ 
— and  not  in  the  cross  of  Christ  also  ? 
So  did  not  Paul.  See  !  he  is  going  into 
Greece,  the  eye  of  the  world — and  what 
did  he  do ?  "I  determined  not  to  know- 
any  thing  among  you,  but  Jesus  Christ, 
and  him  crucified."  He  is  going  to 
Rome,  the  imperial  city — among  sages, 
generals,  poets,  legislators,  and  states- 
men. Will  he  not  there  change  his 
theme?  Will  he  not  there  talk  of  the 
"  Supreme  being— eternal  providence, — 
destiny,"  &c.  ■?  No.  "  I  am  not  ashamed 
of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  for  it  is  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation,  to  every  one  that 
believeth,  to  the  Jew  first  and  also  to  the 
Gentile."  And  when  he  heard  that  the 
Galatians  were  about  to  conceal  the  cross, 
O  what  were  his  feelings  \  They  were 
about  to  blot  the  sun  out  of  the  firmament, 
and  what  would  they  have  left  but  dark- 
ness, desolation,  and  death  !  The  cross 
of  Christ  is  the  grand  luminary  of  the 
gospel  system,  from  which  all  its  parts 
derive  light,  life,  and  influence.  All  else 
is  darkness ;  and  God  forbid  that  we 
should  glory  in  earth  or  in  heaven,  in  life 
or  in  death,  save  in  Christ  our  crucified 
Lord  ! — Rev.  Robert  Newton, 
k2 


SERMON  X. 

PREACHED  AT  THE  PRIMARY  VISITATION  OF  THE  BISHOP  OF  LONDON. 
BY  THE  REV.  CHARLES  WEBB  LE  BAS, 

RKCTOR   OF    ST.    PAUl's,    SHADWELL. 


"He  taught  them  as  one  having  authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes." — Matt.  vii.  29. 


The  first  sight  of  the  contrast  here  pre- 
sented to  us  might  appear  somewhat 
remarkable  and  strange.  The  scribes,  it 
might  be  said,  and  the  doctors,  and  the 
wise  men  of  Israel,  taught  as  having  au- 
thority. They  sat  in  the  chair  of  Moses  ; 
they  seized  upon  the  key  of  knowledge ; 
and  when  obscure  and  humble  men  dared, 
for  an  instant,  to  question  their  judgment, 
they  were  always  ready  to  turn  upon 
them  and  to  ask,  "  Dost  thou  teach  us  ]" 
And  thus,  it  may  be  thought,  we  too, 
teach  with  authority.  A  prophet  could 
scarcely  exact  obedience  with  an  air  of 
loftier  command ;  nay,  many  a  prophet 
was  received  with  far  less  honour  than 
these  masters  of  Israel.  Jerusalem,  we 
know,  paid  implicit  obedience  to  the  ac- 
cents of  her  scribes  and  her  doctors,  but 
"  she  stoned  the  prophets,  and  slew  them 
that  were  sent  unto  her." 

In  order,  then,  to  enter  into  the  spirit 
of  this  contrast,  we  must  remember,  that 
if  the  scribes  spoke  as  with  authority, 
their  authority  was  not  their  ow7i  but  bor- 
rowed from  the  great  names  that  went 
before  them.  It  belonged  not  to  their 
present  chair,  nor  to  their  office,  but  rested 
upon  the  learning  or  wisdom  of  ancient 
days.  The  school  would  be  deaf  to  the 
words  of  the  scribes,  if  they  spoke  not  of 
the  traditions  of  the  fathers,  and  the  max- 
ims of  the  sages  of  old.  Even  the  light 
of  the  synagogue,  the  illustrious  Illel 
himself,  as  we  are  told,  might  teach 
wisely  and  learnedly,  but  he  taught 
wholly  in  vain,  unless  he  upheld  the 
doctrines  he  advanced  by  adding,  "  Thus 
114 


saith  the  tradition,  I  have  heard  it  from 
men  whose  praise  and  whose  glory  are 
in  Israel."  Not  so  the  teacher  of  Naza- 
reth. The  language  of  the  scribes  was, 
Thus  said  the  men  of  ancient  days  ;  but 
the  language  of  the  son  of  IMary  was, 
"  Verily,  verily,  /  say  unto  you ;"  and 
men  were  filled  with  amazement,  that 
one  reared  amid  the  care  and  the  toil  of 
an  obscure  craft,  should  come  forth  and 
teach  them  with  that  authority  which 
neither  scribe  nor  prophet  had  ever  taken 
to  himself;  and  who  told  them  that  if 
they  did  his  sayings,  they  should  build 
upon  a  rock  ;  and  that  if  they  did  them 
not,  they  should  build  upon  the  sand,  and 
be  at  the  merc}^  of  the  tempest  and  the 
flood.  When  they  heard  these  words 
their  souls  were  bowed  down,  as  it  were, 
with  the  hidden  majesty  which  might 
not  be  withstood,  and  the  people  were  lost 
in  wonder  at  the  thought,  that  virtue  and 
power  should  go  forth  from  the  lips  of 
one  who  had  never  approached  the  schools 
of  the  wise,  and  of  the  scribes,  and  of  the 
disputers  of  this  world. 

At  length  the  King  of  glory  threw  off 
the  fashion  of  a  servant,  and  ascended  up 
on  high,  and  sent  down  gifts  for  the  un- 
thankful and  the  rebellious;  and  "he 
gave  some  apostles,  and  some  prophets, 
and  some  evangelists,  and  some  pastors 
and  teachers,  for  the  perfecting  of  the 
saints  ;  for  the  work  of  the  ministry  ;  for 
the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ." 
How  did  these  fulfil  their  ministry? 
Did  they  call  up  the  wisdom  of  former 
days  to  avouch  the  truth  of  their  sayings  1 


THE  AUTHORITY  OF  CHRIST'S  TEACHING. 


115 


Did  they  lean  for  support  upon  the 
strength  of  the  schools  or  of  the  syna- 
gogue ■?  Did  they  fly  for  aid  to  the  de- 
crees of  the  doctors  or  of  the  sages,  while 
they  were  delivering  the  oracles  of  hea- 
ven— the  words  of  eternal  life  ]  Did 
tliey  not,  like  their  divine  Master,  speak 
with  authority  1  Did  they  not  speak  like 
men  who  were  conscious  that  their  au- 
thority was  delegated  to  them  from 
Christ]  And  what  was  the  effect  ?  Why, 
they  went  forth,  the  people  strengthening 
their  hands,  and  they  confounded  the 
wisdom  of  man,  by  that  simplicity  and 
foolishness  of  preaching  which  moved 
the  scorn  of  the  Greek,  and  excited  the 
hatred  of  the  Jew ;  but  which,  in  truth, 
was  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom 
of  God. 

Apostles,  and  prophets,  and  evange- 
lists, are  now  no  more;  but  pastors  and 
teachers  have  always  been  left  to  the 
church  in  their  several  orders  and  degrees. 
In  what  manner  have  they  discharged  their 
sacred  ofRce  to  the  souls  of  men  1  Have 
they  always  spoken  as  with  authority? 
Have  they  always  spoken  as  men  having 
less  to  do  with  flesh  and  blood  than  with 
the  eternal  and  invisible  Head  of  the  uni- 
versal church  1  The  history  of  the  church 
furnishes,  on  the  whole,  a  somewhat  per- 
plexing answer  to  this  question.  For 
some  time  the  church  spoke  with  that 
majestic  and  commanding  simplicity 
which  became  her  celestial  origin,  but 
policy  and  false  deceit  soon  conspired  to 
make  a  spoil  of  her,  and,  like  the  first 
traitor,  they  betrayed  her  with  a  kiss. 
They  induced  her  to  give  her  glory  to 
another  than  her  rightful  Lord,  and  they 
whispered  to  her  that  the  plain  word  of 
God  often  spoke  in  a  manner  unworthy 
of  the  nature  and  the  excellency  of  God, 
and  that,  therefore,  it  would  tend  to  the 
divine  honour  if  the  subtlety  of  man  werd 
called  in  to  unwrap  the  integuments 
which  disguised  its  hidden  wisdom. 
Under  this  treacherous  discipline  she  be- 
came at  last  almost  too  much  ashamed 
of  the  simple  words  of  eternal  life  to 
speak  them  with  authority ;  and  hence  it 
is,  that  if  we  listen  to  her  doctrines,  even 
before  the  footsteps  of  apostolic  men  were 
well  effaced  from  the  earth,  we  sometimes 


may  be  led  to  doubt  whether  Christ  oi 
Plato  were  the  master. 

Let  us  pass  onward  to  darker  times. 
The  season  was  advancing  when  the 
splendours  of  truth  were  overshadowed 
by  a  still  more  disastrous  eclipse ;  for 
while  Plato  held  and  defended  the  empire 
of  Christ,  Aristotle,  it  may  be  said,  for 
ages  usurped  the  supremacy  over  the 
church.  It  is  not  my  purpose  to  cast 
presumptuous  disparagements  on  the  stu- 
pendous labours  which  established  and 
maintained  the  dominion  of  the  schools 
(for  the  toil  of  a  whole  life  would  scarcely 
sufl[ice  to  estimate  rightly  and  duly  those 
prejudices  of  subtlety ;)  but  when  we 
survey  the  gigantic  appeals  to  the  law 
which  they  for  centuries  were  heaping 
up — when  we  think  of  the  weariness  and 
the  painfulness  to  which  they  condemned 
the  spirits  of  men,  and  when  we  reflect 
that  the  way  of  life  was  not  so  much  a 
steep  and  narrow  path  as  a  dark  and  be- 
wildering labyrinth ;  when  We  think  on 
these  things  do  they  not  force  one  ques- 
tion upon  us  1  Do  they  not  impel  us  to 
ask.  Can  these  be  the  works  of  men  who 
are  the  disciples  of  him  that  spoke  with 
authority  and  not  as  the  scribes'?  Can 
these  be  the  works  of  men  devoted  to  the 
pure,  serene,  omnipotent  wisdom  that 
came  forth  from  God  and  returned  to  God 
— of  that  truth  which  confounded  the 
great  and  the  wise,  but  proclaimed  com- 
fort to  the  poor  and  liberty  to  the  captive? 
Can  these  be  the  works  of  men  who  were 
followers  of  him  that  came  to  make  a  high 
way  for  our  God,  "  wherein  the  way-far- 
ing man  and  the  simple  should  not  go 
astray  V 

But  this  is  not  all,  nor  is  it  the  worst. 
If  Plato  were  seated  by  the  side  of  Christ, 
and  if  Aristotle  well  nigh  thrust  him  from 
his  throne,  what  shall  we  say  of  him  who 
clothed  himself  with  the  name  and  title 
of  Jesus,  and  yet  plucked  out  the  heart 
of  "  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ■?"  "What 
shall  we  say  of  him,  who  when  God  had 
said,  "  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it  nor  touch  it, 
lest  }'e  die,"  dared  neverthelesss  to  say, 
"Ye  shall  not  surely  die]"  Think,  I 
would  beseech  you,  for  a  mcment,  of 
the  sermon  on  the  mount,  in  which  we 
have  words  spoken  with  authority ;  words 


116 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


which  mere  man  never  spake ;  words 
which  come  home  to  the  heart,  and  bring 
it  into  captivity ;  and  then  think  of  the 
mystery  of  iniquity  which  grew  up  into 
deadly  strength  in  that  fatal  school  whtch 
beguiled  the  souls  of  men  from  the  sim- 
plicity that  is  in  Christ.  You  will  then 
see  what  it  is  to  desert  the  artless  style 
of  confidence  and  of  authority  in  proclaim- 
ing the  oracles  of  God.  You  will  then 
perceive  the  difference  between  the  say- 
ings of  one  who  spake  to  the  world  those 
things  only  which  he  heard  from  the 
Father,  and  the  sayings  of  them  who  took 
counsel  of  the  devices  and  of  the  desires 
of  man's  crafty  heart.  You  will  thus 
discern  between  the  power  and  wisdom 
which  binds  the  strong  man,  and  which 
spoils  him  of  the  armour  wherein  he 
trusted,  and  the  ignominious  craft  which 
parleys  with  the  strong  man,  and  which 
enters  into  stipulations  with  him,  till  he 
has  time  to  collect  his  might,  to  turn 
upon  his  adversary,  and  to  lead  him  cap- 
tive according  to  his  will.  With  autho- 
rity from  heaven  the  Saviour  declared, 
that  better  were  it  to  enter  into  life  halt 
and  maimed,  than  to  be  cast  whole  into 
hell  fire.  With  the  subtlety  that  became 
the  father  of  lies,  the  disciples  of  Leo 
have  told  us  that  we  may  well  enter  into 
life  with  whole  and  proper  limbs,  and  not 
only  so,  but  that  we  may  carry  thither 
the  adulterous  eye,  and  the  voluptuous 
heart,  and  the  hand  that  worketh  iniquity, 
and  the  feet  that  are  swift  to  shed  inno- 
cent blood.  It  was  thus  that  they  belied 
the  Lord,  and  turned  his  troth  into  a  lie. 
How  did  they  effect  this  1  How,  but  be- 
cause they  were  unfaithful  to  the  majesty 
of  the  divine  word,  and  contemned  the 
speaking  of  it  in  simplicity  and  with  au- 
thority. Hence  it  was  that  in  their  hands 
it  became  a  medium  through  which  the 
lusts  of  men  might  be  accompanied  with 
serpentile  craft,  and  whereby  they  might, 
as  it  were,  fall  away  from  the  grasp  of 
God's  eternal  and  undefiled  law.  Hence 
it  was  that  the  schools  of  divine  wisdom 
were  converted  into  secret  chambers, 
where  each  man  offered  incense  to  the 
abominations  of  his  heart,  and  learned  to 
believe  that  there  might  be  concord  be- 
tween   Christ   and    Belial.     The  time 


would  fail  were  we  to  attempt  to  describe 
the  evils  that  crept  into  the  chair  of  learn- 
ing, when  once  a  breach  was  made  in  the 
bulwark  of  authority  which  our  preaching 
derives  from  the  example  and  dignity  of 
Him  who  taught  not  like  the  scribes. 

Why  is  it  that  1  now  invite  you,  my 
revered  and  honoured  brethren,  to  medi- 
tate on  the  footsteps  and  on  the  dangers 
which  have  hence  befallen  the  cause  of 
truth  1  Why,  but  because  it  never  can 
be  unseasonable  for  us  to  call  to  mind  the 
direct  relationship  wherein  we  stand  to- 
wards God  and  man ;  and  because  such 
recollections  never  can  be  more  season- 
able than  when  we  come  together  as  a 
consecrated  brotherhood,  the  ministers 
and  stewards  of  the  manifold  mysteries 
of  God.  The  occasion  is  one  which  calls 
upon  us,  with  the  voice  of  deep  solemnity, 
to  reflect  that  we  are  not  the  teachers  of 
a  science,  but  the  messengers  of  the  Lord, 
the  ambassadors  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  ser- 
vants of  him  who  taught  with  dignity, 
and  power,  and  majesty  unutterable. 
Our  commission  is  not  to  recite  the 
words  and  sentences  spoken  by  wise  and 
thoughtful  men,  but  to  give  utterance  to 
the  oracles  of  heaven. 

Theology  may  well  indeed  be  called 
the  mistress  and  the  queen  of  sciences:  for 
all  the  sciences  are  bound  to  do  her  hom- 
age, to  bring  presents  unto  her,  to  honour 
her  with  their  frankincense,  with  their 
treasures,  and  with  all  their  pleasant  and 
their  brightest  things.  All  this  is  no- 
thing more  than  a  reasonable  service  due 
from  the  intelligent  faculties  of  men  to- 
wards her,  and  it  should  be  the  matter  of 
her  peace  and  joy.  But  when  she  speaks 
with  her  own  voice,  it  is  a  voice  like  that 
which  proclaims  "  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  on  earth  peace  and  good  will  to- 
wards men" — it  is  a  voice  like  that  which 
issued  from  the  excellent  glory,  and  pro- 
claimed to  the  world  the  beloved  of  the 
Father,  in  whom  he  was  well  pleased. 

Whenever  this  voice  calls  upon  us  it  is 
the  duty  of  reason  to  answer  and  to  say, 
"  Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth." 
But  it  is  not  the  business  of  reason  to 
start  forward  in  obedience  to  the  call 
with  an  impetuous  step,  and  to  rush  head 
]<»     ^to  deirk  and  perilous  extremities. 


THE  AUTHORITY  OF  CHRIST'S  TEACHING. 


117 


It  is  her  province,  in  obeying  the  call,  to 
advance  with  measured  and  sober  pace, 
lest  peradventure  the  same  voice  should 
again  be  heard  to  say,  "  Thus  far  shalt 
thou  go,  and  no  farther :  for  behold  thus, 
and  thus  also,  it  is  written.''''  If  reason 
had  been  content  thus  to  learn  and  thus 
to  teach,  what  unhallowed  strivings  might 
have  been  spared  to  the  church  of  Christ ! 
Had  this  spirit  of  humble  and  holy  dog- 
matism prevailed,  where  would  have 
been  the  mountain  loads  of  controversy 
which  have  so  long  oppressed  and  buried 
the  graces  of  the  gospel  1  Where  would 
have  been  the  mysticism  which  trans- 
formed the  throne  of  religion  from  the 
heart  to  the  imagination  ?  Where  would 
have  been  the  insane  presumption  which 
ascended  to  heaven  to  unfold  the  volume 
of  God's  decrees,  and  to  bring  them  down 
for  man  to  read  ?  Where  would  have 
been  the  impiety  which  made  the  eternal 
Son  of  God  to  sit  down  with  Confucius 
and  Socrates  1  Where  would  have  been 
the  strife  which  for  ages  has  distracted 
and  divided  the  church  of  Christ? 
Where  would  have  been  the  self-suffi- 
ciency which  delighted  in  raising  a  circle 
that  spread  in  time  to  a  vast  circumfer- 
ence of  devouring  heresy  ?  Where 
would  these  things  have  been,  if  the  min- 
isters of  the  truth  had  always  been  con- 
tent simply  to  teach  with  authority  what 
from  supreme  authority  they  had  learnt. 

I  have  said  that  the  remembrance  of 
these  things  can  never  be  unseasonable, 
and  that  it  never  can  be  more  seasonable 
than  when  we  are  gathered  together  at 
the  call  of  our  spiritual  governor  and 
father.  Why  is  it  that  we  are  here  this 
day,  but  that  as  iron  sharpeneth  iron,  so 
may  each  man  sharpen  the  countenance 
of  his  friend  and  brother  in  the  Lord — 
that  we  may  renew  our  vows,  and  think 
of  the  ties  and  bonds  that  are  upon  us, 
that  we  may  gladden  him  who  hath  the 
care  and  rule  over  us — that  by  our  willing 
obedience  we  may  strengthen  his  heart 
and  his  hands  in  the  exercise  of  his  sacred 
office — that  we  may  listen  to  his  voice 
-as  to  the  voice  of  one  whose  functions 
number  him  among  the  angels  of  the 
church  of  Christ,  whose  province  it  is  to 
guard  from  injury  the  church's  doctrines, 


and  to  see  that  her  ministers  act  fully  up 
to  the  genuine  dignity  and  spirit  of  their 
calling. 

Let  lis  then,  my  honoured  brethren, 
steadfastly  keep  in  mind,  that  we  are  ser- 
vants of  Him  that  taught  with  authority, 
and  that  consequently  our  instructions  in 
general  must  consist  not  so  much  of  dis- 
quisition  as  of  testimony.  The  spirit  of 
our  teaching  should,  indeed,  be  affection- 
ate and  mild  ;  avoiding  every  thing  that  is 
dogmatical,  we  are  to  speak  with  that  holy 
confidence  which  is  derived  from  an  en- 
tire simplicity  of  deference  to  the  written 
word.  We  are  to  testify  repentance  to- 
wards God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  The  language  of  doubtful  dispu- 
tation becomes  not  the  prophet  who  is 
declaring  the  oracles  of  God.  The  lan- 
guage of  angry  controversy  becomes  not 
a  sinful  man  when  he  is  delivering  the 
message  of  God  to  a  fallen  world  ;  but  the 
language  which  does  become  him  is  that 
of  steadfast  and  serene  peroration.  He 
is  warranted  to  say  with  the  apostle, 
"  We  know  that  we  are  of  God,  and  that 
the  whole  world  lieth  in  wickedness. 
And  we  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is 
come,  and  hath  given  us  an  understand- 
ing, that  we  may  know  him  that  is  true." 
What  though  the  winds  of  false  doctrine 
should  be  let  loose  from  every  quarter  of 
heaven,  to  fight  against  the  honour  of  the 
church — what  though  a  feverish  thirst 
should  come,  as  undoubtedly  it  has  come, 
upon  the  intellects  of  men,  so  that  many 
a  hand  shall  be  stretched  forth  to  the  tree 
of  knowledge  while  the  tree  of  life  shall 
be  passed  by — what  should  these  signs 
tell  us  but  that  we  are  fallen  upon  days 
when  the  word  of  authority  must  be 
uttered  with  no  faint  or  languid  voice? 
If  we  would  have  it  heard  by  the  people, 
it  must  be  uttered  as  if  it  came  forth  from 
a  heart  in  which  the  truth  of  God  is  en- 
grafted. It  must  sound  like  the  rhapsody 
of  the  sanctuary  inhabited  by  him  that 
sitteth  between  the  cherubim.  We  are 
accustomed  to  hear  much  of  the  perils 
that  array  themselves  against  the  bul- 
warks of  our  Zion,  but  the  sound  of  the 
warning  should  speak  to  us  only  of  in- 
creased faithfulness  and  zeal ;  and  it 
should  admonish  u?  not  to  pass  round  the 


118 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


towers  of  our  fortification  to  number  them 
with  pride  and  indolent  security.  It 
should  lead  us  to  adorn  and  strengthen 
them,  so  that  all  who  look  up  to  them 
may  say,  "  This  is  a  city  whose  walls 
are  salvation,  and  whose  gates  are 
praise." 

It  is,  my  brethren,  indeed,  a  cheering 
thought,  that  Christians  form  a  royal 
priesthood  to  the  whole  human  race,  and 
that  Christian  ministers  are  the  priest- 
hood to  this  holy  generation.  It  is  al- 
ways encouraging  to  think  that  Christian 
people  are  the  elect  of  God,  that  the 
Christian  clergy  are  the  chosen  of  his 
choice,  the  elect  of  his  favour.  But  what 
would  all  this  avail  if  those  that  are  in- 
vested with  the  sacred  office  of  the  min- 
istry were  to  cease  to  magnify  that  office 
to  which  they  have  been  consecrated. 
How  can  they  better  magnify  that  office 
than  by  showing  that  it  is  an  office  which 
hath  taught  their  own  spirits  to  live  in 
perpetual  communion  with  heaven — an 
office  which  hath  taught  them  to  glory  in 
the  things  that  pertain  to  their  own  infir- 
mity, and  to  go  forth  strong  and  boldly, 
in  the  majesty  and  the  power  of  God  ! 

But  I  will  cease  from  these  words  of 
exhortation,  which  it  would  perhaps  bet- 
ter become  me  to  listen  to  than  to  deliver. 
I  stand  in  the  presence  of  men  who  need 
not  that  we  should  tell  them,  that  if  the 
words  of  eternal  life  are  to  be  spoken 
with  authority,  they  should  be  uttered 
with  lips  that  would  seem  to  be  touched 
and  pervaded  by  the  fire  of  the  altar.  I 
stand  in  the  presence  of  men  who  need 
not  to  be  told  that  nothing  can  so  effica- 
ciously silence  the  thunders  of  a  Boaner- 
ges as  the  slightest  suspicion  among  the 
people  that  faintness  hath  come  upon  the 
spirits  of  his  brethren  and  fellow  workers 
in  the  Lord.  You  all  know  well  that 
nothing  can  strike  the  tongue  of  authority 
with  so  dead  a  palsy,  as  the  very  thought 
of  unworthiness  in  them  to  whom  the 
power  of  authority  is  committed.  You 
well  know  that  the  majesty  of  truth  her- 
self hath  not  always  more  power  than  the 
righteousness  and  the  sanctity  of  them 
who  are  called  to  be  ministers  of  the 
truth. 

One  moment  more,  and  my  words  are 


ended.  In  order  that  the  authority  of 
divine  truth  may  have  something  of  om 
nipresence  throughout  the  regions  which 
profess  to  receive  it,  it  hath  been,  as  you 
know,  the  wisdom  of  ancient  days,  to 
separate  these  regions  into  portions  and 
to  districts,  and  to  assign  to  each  its  pe- 
culiar and  local  minister.  The  ohjtd  ot 
this  arrangement,  of  course,  is  manifest 
to  the  whole  world.  It  was  that  the 
spiritual  wants  of  men  might  not  be  cur- 
sorily or  irregularly  supplied,  but  that  the 
living  waters  of  salvation  might  be  dis- 
tributed through  the  land ;  that  while 
some  portions  of  the  household  of  God 
had  the  bread  of  life,  in  fulness  and  abun- 
dance, there  might  not  be  others  left  to 
perish  for  lack  of  knowledge,  and  to  sink 
under  a  famine  of  the  word  of  God.  Our 
establishment,  therefore,  naturally  looks 
with  something  like  distrust  upon  a  wan- 
dering and  restless  piet}'  which  stretches 
beyond  the  boundaries  appointed  for  its 
exercise.  In  the  estimate  of  our  church 
the  voice  of  spiritual  authority  can  no 
where  be  heard  with  such  effect  and  bless- 
edness as  within  the  sphere  of  each  man's 
appointed  duty.  It  is  well  known  to  her, 
that  something  like  a  passion  of  excite- 
ment will  secretly  niingle  itself  with  the 
holiest  motives,  and  she  is  loath  to  leave 
the  eternal  interests  of  her  children  to 
principles  which,  perhaps,  resemble  the 
emanations  of  an  electric  element  more 
than  the  steady  influence  of  the  solar 
light.  It  may  be  well  for  us  to  recall 
our  thoughts  occasionally  to  this  wisdom, 
that  hath  marked  out  to  each  the  limits 
of  his  ministerial  usefulness.  The  pre- 
sent age  is  somewhat  adverse  to  sobriety 
and  order,  and  delighteth  in  the  out-pour- 
ings of  an  irregular  and  excursive  energy. 
The  church  is  cautious  of  stretching  forth 
her  hand  to  sanction  this  method,  lest, 
perchance,  evil  and  confusion  should  be- 
gin it,  and  it  should,  ultimately,  cause 
the  voice  of  authority  to  fail.  Where,  let 
me  ask  myself,  can  a  minister  speak  the 
words  of  eternal  life  with  such  dignity 
and  power  as  in  the  place  where  his  worth 
is  known  and  his  usefulness  is  felt.  To 
what  shall  we  liken  the  labours  of  one 
who  wanders  sometimes  into  the  territo- 
ries of  other  men,  but  to  a  river  which 


DYING  REGRETS. 


119 


breaks  tlirough  its  embankment,  per- 
chance to  be  lost  in  a  morass,  or  to  waste 
itself  in  an  unfruitful  channel"?  And  to 
what  shall  we  compare  the  practice  of 
one  who  gives  himself  entirely  to  his 
local  ministry,  but  to  a  stream  that  glides 
in  peace  through  its  own  channel,  whose 
course  is  marked  by  green  pastures,  by 
valleys  filled  with  corn,  and  by  trees  that 
rise  up  to  knowledge  with  the  increase  of 
God. 

That  such  may  be  the  fruit  of  your 
labours,  may  god  of  his  infinite  mercy 

GRANT  ! 


DYING   REGRETS. 


Oh  !  if  the  soul,  when  trembling  on  the 
verge  of  eternity,  when  the  last  fibre  of 
the  thread  of  life  is  parting,  can  only  look 
backward  with  tormenting  regret,  and 
forward  with  more  tormenting  doubt  and 
despair  !  What  a  state  for  an  immortal 
and  accountable  creature  to  feel  the  tor- 
turing conviction,  that  he  has  been  trifling, 
or  worse  than  trifling,  all  his  days  ;  that 
he  has  thrown  his  life  away  on  "  vanity," 
and  has  nothing  left  as  the  result  but 
"  vexation  of  spirit ;"  that  it  is  too  late  to 
make  provision  for  the  world  to  come, 
and  which  is  just  opening  to  him  in  all  its 
darkness  and  all  its  unknown  terrors  ; 
that  he  has  finished  and  sealed  the 
"  senseless  bargain,"  (oh  how  bitterly 
does  he  feel  it  to  be  so  !)  of  "  eternity  for 
bubbles;"  that  he  has  bartered  and  damned 
his  soul  for  the  "  pleasures  of  sin,"  and 
the  worthless  nothings  of  a  world  that 
has  passed  away  from  him  !  It  is  not 
necessary  that  a  man  should  have  "  seen 
no  good,"  or  should  have  had  "  no  power 
to  enjoy"  his  "  riches  and  wealth  and 
honour"  and  family,  in  order  to  his  feel- 
ing their  emptiness  in  his  latter  end,  when 
his  soul  is  absorbed  in  one  grand  concern, 
and  longs  for  a  peace  and  a  hope  which 
they  are  incapable  of  imparting.  Even 
though  he  had  derived  from  them  through 
life  the  whole  amount  of  pleasure  which, 


without  the  influence  of  true  religion,  it 
is  in  their  power  to  bestow ;  still  it  is 
pleasure  that  is  gone  with  each  passing 
moment,  and  leaves  the  soul  at  last  drea- 
rily desolate,  and  unprovided  for  the 
prospect  which  lies  before  it.  He  has 
"  received  in  his  lifetime  his  good  things," 
and  all  must  be  left  behind  him  ;  he  has 
lived  without  God,  and  without  God  he 
must  die ;  his  life  has  been  faithless,  and 
his  death  must  be  hopeless  ;  he  has  laid 
up  for  himself  treasures  on  earth,  and 
there  is  no  treasure  reserved  for  him  in 
heaven ;  he  has  said  to  his  soul,  "  Thou 
hast  goods  laid  up  for  many  years  ;  take 
thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry  ;" 
and  when  "his  soul  is  required  of  him," 
he  feels  himself  "a  fool ;"  he  "came  in 
with  vanity,"  and  he  departs  in  darkness. 
It  is  the  everlasting  existence  by  which 
it  is  followed  that  stamps  importance  en 
the  life  of  man.  Should  a  man  double 
the  age  of  Methuselah,  his  life  (though 
to  us,  with  our  narrow  span  of  three-score 
years  and  ten,  it  might  seem  a  little  eter- 
nity) would  still  be  vanity,  if  it  were  spent 
without  reference  to  the  endless  duration 
that  is  beyond  it. — Dr.  Wardlaw. 


IMPORTANCE    OF   PRAYER. 

It  is  perhaps  visionary  to  expect  an 
unusual  success  of  religions  concerns, 
unless  there  are  unusual  omens.  Now,  a 
most  emphatical  spirit  of  prayer  would  be 
such  an  omen  ;  and  the  individual  who 
should  solemnly  determine  to  try  its  last 
possible  efficacy,  might  probably  find 
himself  becoming  a  much  more  prevail- 
ing agent  in  his  little  sphere ;  and,  if  the 
whole,  or  the  greater  number  of  the  disci- 
ples of  Christianity  were,  with  an  earnest, 
unalterable  resolution  of  each,  to  combine 
that  heaven  should  not  withhold  one  sin- 
gle influence,  which  the  very  utmost 
efforts  of  conspiring  and  persevering 
supplication  would  obtain,  it  would  be  a 
sign  that  the  revolution  of  the  world  was 
at  hand. — Foster. 


SERMON  XI. 

CHRIST  THE  LIFE  OF  HIS  PEOPLE. 
BY  THE  REV.  JABEZ  BUNTING,  D.  D. 


Christ,  our  life. — Col.  iii.  4. 


"What  think  ye  of  Christ  1"  was  a 
question  once  addressed  by  our  Saviour 
to  the  unbelieving  Jews,  who  vainly  at- 
tempted to  entangle  him  in  his  talk.  By 
examining  Avhat  answer  wc  can  in  sin- 
cerity and  truth  return  to  this  question, 
we  might  at  once  ascertain  the  soundness 
of  our  principles,  the  rectitude  of  our  con- 
duct, the  safety  of  our  souls.  The  an- 
swer which  we  ought  to  return  is  con- 
tained in  the  text.  We  ought  to  say, 
"  Christ  is  our  life.''''  Any  thing  in  our 
principles,  or  experience,  or  conduct, 
which  contradicts  this  grand  principle  is 
so  far  dangerous.  There  are  many  scrip- 
tures which  go  to  prove  the  vitality  which 
subsists  between  Christ  and  all  Chris- 
tians. Sometimes,  to  represent  the  near- 
ness of  this  union,  it  is  illustrated  by  that 
which  subsists  between  the  vine  and  the 
branches,  and  then  we  learn  that  Chris- 
tians are  grafted  into  Christ,  and  so 
enabled  to  bear  fruit  to  him.  Sometimes 
the  figure  of  a  foundation  is  employed — 
the  foundation  which  God  has  laid  in 
Zion  ;  and  then  his  people  are  represented 
as  living  stones,  consecrated  unto  God  by 
him,  and  then  growing  up  into  a  holy 
temple  in  the  Lord.  Sometimes  Christ 
is  spoken  of  as  the  head,  and  then  Chris- 
tians are  instructed  that 

"  They  life  and  strength  from  him  derive, 
And  by  him  move,  and  in  him  live." 

But  in  the  text  this  doctrine  is  stated  in 
terms  yet  more  emphatic.  "  Christ  is" 
— what?  Everything.  You  cannot  be 
Christians,  you  can  perform  none  of  its 
duties,  enjoy  none  of  its  recompenses,  but 
in  proportion  as  "  Christ  is  your  life.'''' 
120 


It  is  not  said  merely  that  he  lives  in  us 
or  that  we  live  hy  him  or  through  him ; 
but  to  make  the  subject  more  instructive 
and  emphatic,  the  apostle  says,  "  Christ 
IS  OUR  LIFE."  Let  us  apply  this  senti- 
ment, 

First,    To   THE    RELATIVE    LIFE    OF    THE 

Christian — his  life  oi pardon  and  justifi- 
cation. We  are  all  naturally  dead  in  law, 
that  is,  our  natural  state  is  that  of  guilt  and 
transgression,  one  in  which  the  law  has 
already  pronounced  us  dead.  For,  as  the 
body  without  the  soul  is  dead,  so  the  soul 
that  is  destitute  of  the  life  and  favour  of 
God,  is  spiritually  dead — dead  to  all  the 
purj)oses_Jor  which  it  was  made.  Tliis 
sentence  the  law  pronounces  against  all 
sinners.  If  this  is  our  state,  we  are  as 
good  as  dead ;  we  are  doomed  to  death, 
and  there  remains  only  the  execution  of 
the  sentence  to  complete  our  misery.  In 
this  state  Christ  finds  us  all,  and  under- 
takes to  become  "  our  life.^^  When  the 
soul  is  truly  awakened,  the  first  inquiry 
is,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  V  One 
of  the  most  important  inquiries  which  can 
possibly  be  presented  is,  "  How  shall 
man  be  just  with  God  V  The  Scripture 
simply  and  plainly  says,  "  Believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved."  It  tells  us,  that  he  "himself 
bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the 
tree  ;"  that  "  all  we  like  sheep  had  gone 
astray,"  but  that  the  Lord  laid  on  him, 
Christ,  "  the  iniquities  of  us  all."  And 
there  was  such  infinite  merit  in  his  obedi- 
ence unto  the  death  of  the  cross,  that  God, 
though  just,  is  ready  to  become  a  Saviour. 
It  is  not  hy  loorks  of  law  that  we  are  thus 
saved,  restored ;  to  render  this  possible, 


CHRIST  THE  UFE  OF  HIS  PEOPLE. 


121 


the  law  would  require  absolute,  perfect, 
unbroken  obedience.  Nor  is  it  merely 
by  repentance  that  we  are  restored  to  fa- 
vour. Repentance,  indeed,  is  highly  be- 
coming our  situation.  It  is  quite  proper 
that  sinners  should  be  sensible  of  the 
enormity  of  their  conduct,  and  that  they 
should  confess  and  forsake  it  fully  and  for 
ever ;  but  repentance  cannot  atone  for  sin  ; 
the  atonement  is  to  be  found  in  the  sacri- 
fice of  Christ,  and  that  alone.  In  order 
that  we  may  be  justified,  this  atonement 
must  be  laid  hold  on,  and  it  is  thus  laid 
hold  on  by  faith.  We  are  justified,  how- 
ever, by  faith  only  insfrumentally ;  by 
Christ  Jesus,  meritoriously  ,•  because  he 
is  the  object  on  which  our  faith  relies.  It 
is  remarkable  how  strong  the  Scriptures 
are  on  this  point :  whatever  view  they 
take  of  the  blessing  itself,  they  always  re- 
cognise Jesus  Christ  as  the  author  of 
the  blessing;  they  always  direct  us  to 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  mediator  through 
whom  the  blessing  flows.  Sometimes 
this  blessing  is  spoken  of  as  a  release 
from  the  curse  of  the  law ;  and  then  we 
are  told,  that  "  Christ  hath  redeemed  us 
from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a 
curse  for  us  ;"  for  it  is  written,  "  Cursed 
is  every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree." 
Sometimes  it  is  spoken  of  as  including 
deliverance  from  wrath,  and  then  they  are 
careful  to  tell  us  that  it  is  "  Jesus  who 
delivereth  us  from  the  wrath  to  come.^' 
Sometimes  it  is  represented  as  the  remis- 
six)n  of  a  penalty  incurred,  and  then  they 
say,  "  Without  shedding  of  blood  there 
is  no  remission ;"  but  "  Christ  shed  his 
blood  as  a  remission  for  the  sins  of  many," 
They  sometimes  speak  of  this  blessing 
under  the  notion  of  acceptance  into  the 
favour  and  family  of  God ;  but  they  are 
sure  to  tell  us  that  we  are  accepted  thus 
in  Christ  the  beloved.  They  speak  of  it 
as  an  admission  to  a  state  of  security  in 
opposition  to  a  state  of  danger;  but  they 
represent  this  as  enjoyed  only  by  fleeing 
for  refuge,  to  lay  hold  on  Christ,  the  hope 
set  before  them  in  the  gospel.  Thus, 
whatever  view  they  give  us  of  this  grand 
blessing,  we  perceive  that  they  never  over- 
look this  truth,  that  Christ  is  the  source 
of  all.  Thus  Christ  is  our  relative  life. 
But  we  apply  the  sentiment, 
Vol.  I.— 16 


Secondly,  To  the  Christian's  actual 

LIFE    OF    SANCTIFICATION    AND     HOLINESS. 

For  our  death  by  sin  is  not  only  a  death 
in  law,  but  a  true  and  proper  alienation 
from  him  who  is  the  life  of  all  his  intelli- 
gent creatures.  Sin  has  not  only  exposed 
us  to  future  misery :  the  dreadful  punish- 
ment is  already  begun — the  present  state 
is  deeply  affected  by  it.  Though  we  are 
not  shut  out  from  all  hope,  yet  we  are 
shut  out  from  actual  communion  with 
God,  and  so  from  holiness.  There  must, 
therefore,  be  a  restoration  to  purity  ;  for 
this,  also,  we  are  indebted  to  Christ :  his 
death  is  the  cause  of  our  sanctification : 
Jesus  Christ  gave  himself  for  us  that  he 
might  have  a  right  to  purify  us.  We 
were  Satan's  lawful  captives  ;  for  we  had 
sold  ourselves  to  him ;  and  till  Christ 
bought  us  out,  we  were  not  properly  res- 
cued from  his  dominion.  The  death  of 
Christ  is  the  power  by  which  he  sets  us 
free;  and,  as  his  death  is  the  cause,  so  his 
Spirit  is  the  age7it ;  and  he  is  emphati- 
cally called  the  Spirit  of  Holiness.  His 
word  is  the  instrument  of  our  sanctifica- 
tion— "  I  am  made  clean  by  thy  woriV — 
"  Of  his  own  will  begat  he  us  with  the 
word  of  truth,''''  The  purit)'  of  Christ  is 
the  model  and  rule  of  our  sanctification. 
He  is  the  great  pattern  to  which  we  are  to 
be  conformed.  The  Holy  Spirit  works 
according  to  this  great  exemplar.  He 
sets  before  him  the  purity  of  the  Saviour ; 
and  his  aim,  so  to  speak,  is  to  make  us 
like  Christ ;  that  as  he  was,  so  we  may 
be  in  the  world,  and  that  we  may  be  able 
to  walk  as  he  also  walked.  O  what  a 
high  and  glorious  calling  is  the  Chris- 
tian's I  How  much  more  sublime  than 
the  standard  which  the  men  of  the  world 
generally  propose  ! 

We  are  purified  in  proportion  as  we 
believe  in  Jesus  Christ ;  not  by  poring 
over  our  own  corruptions — not  by  con- 
templating our  own  weakness,  but  by 
looking  unto  Jesus;  by  depending  upon 
him  to  restore  us  to  his  own  image — to 
prepare  us  for  his  service  upon  earth — to 
fit  us  for  his  glory  in  heaven. 

But  Jesus  Christ  is  the  life  of  our  sanc- 
tification, not  only  as  it  respects  the  way 
by  which  we  are  made  holy,  but  as  it  re- 
spects holiness  in  the  detail.     He  is  the 


122 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


life  of  all  Christian  graces — of  all  Chris- 
tian duties — of  all  Christian  ordinances. 

1.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  life  of  all  Christian 
graces.  These  all  proceed  from  Christ, 
and  tend  to  Christ,  and  determine  on 
Christ.  They  have  all  a  value  in  propor- 
tion as  they  are  connected  with  Christ, 
and  bring  us,  at  every  turn,  into  contact 
with  Christ.  Faith — Christ  is  the  life 
')f  this  grace.  How  can  it  possibly  exist, 
if  it  have  not  Christ  to  rest  on  1  Faith 
cannot  rest  on  peaceful  or  joyous  feelings 
— on  regular  and  consistent  conduct ;  these 
are  all  the  fruits  of  faith,  not  the  founda- 
tion. Faith  gives  life  to  good  works — to 
holy  tempers — to  joyful  affections;  but 
Christ  must  first  be  the  life  of  faith ;  then, 
and  then  only,  faith  gives  energy  to  all 
the  fruits  of  faith.  Faith  is  called  look- 
ing to  an  object;  the  object  of  faith  is 
Christ,  Faith  is  called  the  reception  of 
a  gift;  that  gift  is  Christ,  and  with  him 
all  good.  Hope — Christ  is  the  life  of 
hope.  If  we  have  hope,  it  is  because  we 
are  quickened  together  with  him.  Our 
anchor  is  cast  within  the  veil,  and  it  is 
both  sure  and  steadfast;  but  if  Jesus,  our 
forerunner,  had  not  entered  there  first  for 
us,  all  attempts  to  cast  our  anchor  there 
had  been  altogether  in  vain.  Lovk — 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  object  of  supreme  re- 
gard to  every  genuine  Christian  ;  so  it  has 
been  in  all  ages,  however  dirn  the  light 
the  individuals  may  have  enjoyed.  Yet, 
in  proportion  to  the  degree  of  knowledge 
which  they  possessed,  they  rejoiced  in 
Christ.  Simeon,  when  he  embraced  the 
Saviour,  seemed  to  be  fully  satisfied  with 
life ;  he  had  no  remaining  wish  as  to  this 
world,  and  he  said,  "  Lord,  now  lettest 
thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  accord- 
ing to  thy  word  ;  for  mine  eyes  have  seen 
thy  salvation."  Paul,  you  well  know, 
counted  all  things  but  loss  for  Christ; 
and  was  ready  to  suflfer  the  loss  of  all 
things,  if  he  might  but  win  Christ,  in 
winning  whom  he  thought  he  had  won 
all.  Christ  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the 
joy  of  these  ancient  saints. 

2.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  life  of  all  Chris- 
tian duties.  This  is  another  important 
branch  of  practical  godliness.  But  where 
will  you  find  these  duties  attended  to, 
spite  of  all  the  temptations  and  allure- 


ments of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil,  where  Christ  is  not  the  life  of  the 
soul?  Christians  are  said  to  "walk  in 
newness  of  life ;"  and  this  new  life  deve- 
lopes  itself  in  all  the  various  acts  of  god- 
liness. In  this  new  life  and  walk  is 
included  the  right  management  of  the 
thoughts  and  tempers — the  proper  govern- 
ment of  the  discourse — due  conduct  to- 
wards God  and  man.  Are  Christians  in 
any  degree  what  they  ought  to  be?  It  is 
because  they  are  made  like  Jesus  Christ. 
Is  the  Christian's  conversalion  holy,  and 
does  it  minister  any  portion  of  benefit  to 
those  who  hear  him  1  It  is  because  there 
is  so  much  of  Jesus  Christ  in  it, — in  what 
he  is — in  what  he  has  done — in  what  he 
has  suffered — in  what  he  waits  to  do — 
and  what  he  expects  in  gratitude  to  be 
done  to  and  for  him.  Are  the  actions  of 
the  Christian  holy  ]  They  are  so  in  virtue 
of  the  power  of  Christ  resting  upon  him. 
Christ  is  his  life  and  strength ;  hence,  all 
he  does  is  directed  to  the  glory  of  Christ. 
3.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  life  of  Christian 
ordinances.  Christian  graces  will  not  be 
maintained  with  vigour — Christian  duties 
will  not  be  performed  with  regularity,  if 
we  do  not  continue  to  implore  and  enjoy 
the  divine  influence,  through  the  medium 
of  the  various  means  of  grace.  Of  all 
these  ordinances,  Christ  is  the  life.  They 
would  be  all  wells  without  water,  if  he 
were  not  conveyed  through  them  in  his 
spiritual  and  comforting  influences.  What 
are  sacraments,  if  Christ  be  not  the  life 
of  them  ?  If  people  are  content  with  the 
outward  sign,  and  do  not  seek  after  the 
thing  signified,  they  may  become  the 
means  of  spiritual  delusion  and  eternal 
ruin.  What  is  Baptism,  but  a  figurative 
representation  of  our  moral  pollution — an 
ordinance  which  brings  to  our  very  eyes 
this  truth,  that  unless  Christ  wash  us,  we 
can  have  no  spiritual  part  in  him — a  rite, 
by  the  observance  of  which,  we  put  in 
our  claim  to  be  acknowledged  by  him, 
and  to  rejoice  in  the  blessings  of  his  love  1 
What  is  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lordh  Sup- 
per without  Christ?  It  derives  all  its 
significance  and  interest  from  its  bring- 
ing us  into  the  presence-chamber  of  Christ, 
and  what  is  it  but  the  communion,  of  his 
body  and  blood] 


CHRIST  THE  LIFE  OF  HIS  PEOPLE. 


123 


What  are  prayers  without  Christ?  Is 
not  he  the  chief  object  of  the  Christian's 
supplication,  that  we  may  be  more  like 
him — that  we  may  have  a  deeper  interest 
in  him  1  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Great  High- 
priest,  "  having-  the  golden  censer,"  to 
whom  there  is  given  "  much  incense,  that 
he  should  offer  it  with  the  prayers  of  all 
saints,  upon  the  golden  altar  which  is 
before  the  throne." 

What  are  thanksgivings  without 
Christ  ]  Offerings  which  God  will  re- 
ject, as  he  rejected  the  sacrifice  of  Cain. 
Cain  presented  a  thank-offering ;  but  it 
was  accompanied  by  no  recognition  of  a 
Saviour — there  was  no  blood-shedding  ; 
therefore,  it  was  rejected.  Cain's  was 
the  religion  of  nature,  about  which  some 
persons  make  such  a  mighty  fuss  !  But 
God  rejected  it.  If  sin  be  not  confessed, 
if  forgiveness  and  purity  be  not  suppli- 
cated, the  religion  of  nature  is  an  abomi- 
nation in  the  sight  of  God  !  The  religion 
of  sinners,  the  way  of  salvation  through 
Christ,  is  the  only  religion  that  suits  us. 
Our  praises  and  thanksgivings  will  never 
be  accepted,  but  as  they  are  presented  in 
and  through  Christ. 

And  what  is  preaching  without  Christ  1 
Indeed,  it  is  not  the  gospel  that  is 
preached  ;  it  is  not  good  news,  if  Christ 
be  not  the  subject  of  it.  He  is  the  princi- 
pal theme  of  all  evangelical  ministrations 
— "  We  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ 
Jesus,  the  Lord" — we  declare  "  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ."  There  may 
be  a  great  difference  as  to  the  form  in 
which  these  truths  are  presented ;  yet 
Christ  must  ever  be  the  centre  in  which 
all  the  lines  of  truth  meet.  If  we  preach 
,the  law,  it  is  to  show  you  your  need  of 
Christ;  for"  by  the  deeds  of  the  law  shall 
no  flesh  living  be  justified."  If  we  preach 
the  torments  of  hell,  it  is  to  induce  you  to 
make  haste  to  Christ,  lest  those  torments 
overtake  you.  If  we  preach  the  joys  of 
heaven,  it  is  to  encourage  you  to  come  to 
Christ,  that  he  may  give  you  a  title  and  a 
meetness  for  those  joys.  If  we  preach 
faith,  it  is  a  faith  of  which  Christ  is  the 
object,  the  author,  and  the  perfecter.  If  we 
preach  repentance,  it  is  that  you  may  go 
to  Christ,  whom  "  God  hath  exalted  as  a 
Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to  give  repentance 


and  remission  of  sins."  If  we  preach 
morality  or  holi7iess,  the  grand  elementary 
principle  is  love  to  Christ. 

"  Talk  they  of  morals  ? — O  thou  bleeding  love ! 
The  grand  morality  is  love  to  Thee !" 

But  it  is  not  merely  because  he  is  the 
principal  subject  of  preaching  which 
makes  preaching  nothing  without  him, 
but  because  the  very  commission  to  preach, 
is  derived  immediately  from  him.  He  said 
originally,  and  he  still  continues  to  say, 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature."  To  every  true 
minister  of  the  gospel  it  may  be  said,  as 
it  was  to  the  first  apostles,  "  Ye  have  not 
chosen  me" — as  some  men  choose  physic, 
and  others  law,  and  others  philosophy,  and 
others  trade — all  this  is  quite  out  of  place 
when  applied  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
in  which  Christ  claims  to  be  actual  and 
absolute  king — "  Ye  have  not  chosen  me, 
but  I  have  chosen  you,  and  ordained  you, 
that  ye  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit, 
and  that  your  fruit  should  remain." 

From  Christ  is  derived  also  the  poxver 
to  exercise  the  ministry  with  fruitfulness 
and  effect.  And  this  is  another  reason 
why  preaching  is  nothing  without  him. 
From  him  is  derived  all  that  unction 
which  at  any  time  accompanies  our  mi- 
nistrations. As  the  clouds  from  which 
the  rain  descends  have  not  that  rain  in 
themselves,  but  derive  it  from  the  sea  and 
various  moist  places  of  the  earth,  and 
having  thus  received,  are  able  to  disperse 
abroad  ;  so  all  the  efficacy  of  the  gospel 
which  is  preached,  is  derived  from  Jesus 
Christ,  who  is  the  overflowing  fountain 
of  all  that  is  good  and  holy.  But,  "  Christ 
is  our  life." 

Thirdly,  As  it  respects  the  promised 
resurrection  and  glorification  of  the 
bodv,  and  the  final  exaltation  of  the 

bodies  and  souls  of  HIS  PEOPLE  TO  END- 
LESS blessedness.  Even  when  Christ 
has  become  our  life  relatively,  as  it  re- 
spects our  justification,  and  our  life  really, 
as  it  respects  our  sanctification,  it  is  still 
an  awful  fact,  that  "  the  body  is  dead  be- 
cause of  sin."  Though  when  the  soul  is 
restored  to  spiritual  life,  the  body  becomes 
a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  is  nevet" 
theless  dead ;  and,  so  far,  remains  for  a 


124 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


time  under  the  divine  displeasure,  on  ac- 
count of  sin.  This  is  God's  badge, 
which  he  has  attached  to  transgression. 
He  who  carries  a  body  about  with  him, 
carries  about  with  him  a  proof  that  the 
Lord  is  righteous,  and  that  he  will  not  let 
sin  go  unpunished.  "  The  body  is  dead," 
at  present,  "because  of  sin;"  but  that 
same  body  has  the  assurance  of  life  here- 
after :  for  it  is  to  the  whole  man  that  the 
promise  of  eternal  life  is  made.  Jesus 
Christ  has  promised  that  he  will  restore 
it  to  vigour  and  immortal  youth.  Christ 
Is  the  author  of  this  life, 

1.  As  his  power  is  the  agent  to  effect  this. 
He  himself  will  perform  this  miracle  ,•  for 
it  is  a  miracle.  It  is  not  because  there 
remains  in  the  body  some  latent  principle 
of  life  to  be  wrought  upon ;  Scripture  con- 
tradicts this  philosophic  notion.  They 
tell  us  plainly,  that  it  will  be  a  miracle — 
a  miracle  resembling  that  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Christ  himself.  Now,  if  the  re- 
surrection of  Christ  was  a  mere  vegetative 
resurrection,  Christ  was  not  really  dead, 
and  his  resurrection  is  no  proof  of  his 
divinity.  In  order  to  prove  the  divinity 
of  that  operation,  we  must  admit  his  real 
and  absolute  death.  When  the  soul  is 
separated  from  the  body,  no  life  remains; 
and  no  life  will  ever  come  into  it,  but 
what  Christ  puts  into  it — "  who  shall 
change  our  vile  body,  according  to  the 
working  whereby  he  is  able  even  to  sub- 
due all  things  unto  himself."  There  is, 
therefore,  no  latent  principle  of  life  to  as- 
sist the  operation  ;  it  is  the  effect  of  Al- 
mighty power,  and  that  power  put  forth 
by  Christ. 

2.  Because  his  raised  and  glorified  body 
will  be  the  model  to  which  the  bodies  of  his 
people  will  be  conformed.  "  He  will 
change  our  vile  bodies,  and  fashion  them 
like  unto  his  own  glorious  body." 

3.  Inasmuch  as  his  appearance  the 
second  time  in  the  clouds  with  glory  will  be 
the  signal  for  our  resurrection.  He  will 
appear  again  in  power  and  great  glory, 
and  at  this  his  coming  lue  shall  live ;  we 
shall  then  all  be  summoned  from  our 
dusty-beds,  "  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air, 
and  so  shall  we  be  for  ever  with  the 
Lord." 


In  assurance  of  hope, 

We  to  Jesus  look  up, 
Till  his  banner,  unfurl'd  in  the  air, 

From  our  graves  we  shall  see, 

And  cry  out,  "  It  is  he  I" 
And  fly  up  to  acknowledge  him  there. 

Further — In  reference  to  that  eternai 
glory  to  luhich  we  shall  finally  be  exalted — 
Christ  is  the  life  of  this  also.  He  is  "  the 
Lord  of  heaven.'^  "  All  power  is  given 
to  him  in  heaven" — "  Angels  and  princi- 
palities are  made  subject  to  him" — "he 
has  the  keys  of  death  and  of  hades" — 
"  he  both  died  and  rose  again,  that  he 
might  be  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  of 
the  living."  As  the  king  of  heaven  it  is 
his  prerogative  to  admit  others  into  that 
world.  Hence  we  find  that  the  dying 
Stephen  said,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my 
spirit."  There  was  no  admission  even 
for  a  dying  martyr  into  heaven  but 
through  Jesus  Christ.  Christ  must  for- 
mally agree  to  the  admission  of  his  peo- 
ple before  that  admission  can  take  place. 

//  is  his  to  assign  to  each  of  his  saints 
their  proper  place  and  occupation  in  heaven. 
"  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  man- 
sions :  1  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you." 
From  this  it  is  clear  that  the  kingdom  cff 
Christ  extends  to  heaven;  and  all  that  is 
connected  with  the  bliss  and  glory  of 
heaven  will  be  dispensed  by  him. 

His  presence  mainly  constitutes  the  bliss 
of  heaven.  It  is  by  him,  and  through  him, 
that  all  the  glory  of  heaven  is  made 
known.  All  the  saints  will  shine  by  a 
reflection  of  his  glory :  their  union  to 
Christ  will  be  the  instrument  of  their 
realizing  the  promised  bliss ;  and  it  is 
through  this  medium  alone  that  they  can 
enjoy  the  vision  of  God.  Paul  knew  this ;. 
hence  he  said,  "  I  have  a  desire  to  depart 
and  to  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better." 
To  be  by  Christ  in  heaven  he  esteemed  to 
be  far  better  than  to  be  in  Christ  on  earth, 
even  under  the  most  favourable  circum- 
stances. 

We  have  good  reason  to  think  that  the 
degrees  of  heavenly  glory  will  be  regulated 
by  the  degrees  of  nearness  and  intimacy  to 
Christ  to  which  we  may  have  been  pre- 
viously exalted.  It  is  true,  that  on  this 
subject  the  Scriptures  speak  but  little; 


CHRIST  THE  LIFE  OF  HIS  PEOPLE. 


125 


more  by  hints  than  in  detail.  But  this 
much  we  may  learn,  that  there  will  be 
degrees  in  glory — "  One  star  differeth 
from  another  star  in  glory ;  so  also  is  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead."  The  saints, 
we  are  told,  will  be  made  like  angels,  and 
amongst  these  we  know  there  are  degrees ; 
we  read  of  "thrones,  dominions,  princi- 
palities, and  powers."  There  is  a  supe- 
riority, and  of  course  there  is  also  a  rela- 
tive inferiority.  The  chimerical  equality 
for  which  some  so  foolishly  and  zealously 
contend,  in  the  world  and  in  the  church, 
has  no  place  even  in  heaven.  We  may 
reasonably  infer,  that  in  proportion  as  we 
are  like  Christ,  and  near  to  him,  we  shall 
shine.  All  the  stars  of  heaven  shall 
shine  with  great  lustre,  but  those  will 
shine  the  most  brightly  who  most  resem- 
ble Christ,  and  who  are  most  near  to  him 
who  is  the  Sun  of  righteousness. 

Thus  have  we  illustrated  and  proved 
this  great  gospel  axiom,  that  Christ  is 
the  life  of  his  people. 

1 .  This  subject  addresses  itself  most  pow- 
erfully to  the  hearers  of  the  gospel.  We 
learn  from  it  what  is  the  design  of  the 
various  exhibitions  of  Christ  in  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  Christ  is 
preached,  to  the  end  that  he  may  be  your 
life.  Preachers  labour  in  vain,  hearers 
listen  in  vain,  if  there  be  no  communica- 
tion of  life.  When  a  man  of  common 
understanding  listens  to  a  plain,  faithful 
preacher,  if  he  be  not  grossly  inattentive, 
he  must  derive  some  light;  his  under- 
standing must  be  informed.  But  this  ac- 
cession of  knowledge  does  by  no  means 
answer  the  end  of  preaching.  This  ordi- 
nance is  not  intended  to  make  you  perfect 
theologians.  You  may  be  able  to  defend 
every  article  of  the  Christian  faith;  there 
may  not  be  a  speck  in  your  orthodoxy, 
and  yet  the  great  end  of  preaching  remains 
unaccomplished;  for  Christ  is  life  as  well 
as  light.  What  effect  has  been  produced 
by  your  former  hearing  ]  Has  Christ  be- 
come your  life  ]  Is  the  sentence  of  death 
reversed,  or  does  the  wrath  of  God  still 
abide  upon  you,  because  you  have  not 
fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  on  the  hope  set 
before  you?  And  has  Christ  become 
your  real  as  well  as  your  relative  life  ? 
Do  you  rejoice  in  purity  of  heart  ]  and  are 


you  following  Christ  in  the  way  of  holi- 
ness *?  01)  !  if  Christ  be  only  your  light 
and  not  your  Ife,  you  have  hoard  and  read 
in  vain.  The  first  thing  you  have  to  do 
is  to  come  to  God,  and  confess  your 
wicked  waste  of  former  opportunities ; 
you  must  obtain  pardon  for  the  past,  be- 
fore you  can  hope  for  future  good.  There 
are  many  who  go  to  hell  after  hearing  the 
gospel  for  years.  It  were  better  to  go  to 
hell  from  the  grossest  darkness  of  pagan- 
ism, than  thus  turn  your  knowledge  to  no 
account!  This  hearing,  this  knowledge 
is  a  talent  which  you  are  required  to  oc- 
cupy. If  you  neglect  to  improve  this 
light,  or  if  you  resist  it  by  the  indulgence 
of  worldly  tempers,  or  vain  and  foolish 
conversation  and  conduct,  it  will  greatly 
aggravate  your  doom  that  you  have  had 
light.  Wo  unto  them  who  have  the  key 
of  knowledge,  and  do  not  use  it  to  open 
the  door  of  truth  !  There  are  many  among 
all  our  congregations,  who,  when  the  gos- 
pel is  put  into  their  hands,  that  they  may 
open  the  door  to  pardon  and  salvation, 
turn  the  key  the  wrong  way,  and  actually 
lock  themselves  out.  What  madness  can 
equal  this  ?  To  hear  the  word  of  life,  and 
run  on  to  death,  without  pardon,  without 
any  effort  to  obtain  salvation !  O  !  be 
careful  not  to  make  this  perverted  use  of 
the  gospel !  Let  not  that  bring  you  down 
to  hell  which  was  designed  to  raise  you 
to  heaven  and  holiness.  So  it  will  he  if 
you  do  not  connect  faith  with  your  hear- 
ing, and  if  obedience  do  not  prove  the  sin- 
cerity of  your  faith. 

2.  To  earnest  shekers  of  salvation  this 
subject  affords  much  encouragement. 
When  you  think  of  your  numerous 
wants,  you  feel  shocked,  and  are  ready 
to  say, 

"  I  want — alas  !  what  want  I  not  ?" 

You  want  pardon — you  want  purity — 
you  want  strength — you  want  a  lively 
hope  of  glory — ami  all  this  is  in  Christ. 
Secure  Christ  for  your  life,  and  you  will 
have  all.  And  Christ  is  every  sinner's 
right;  Christ  is  God's  gift  lo  the  world — 
the  world  which  was  the  object  of  his 
pity,  shared  the  effects  of  his  pity.  Chris* 
is  therefore  every  sinner^s  right  ,•  and  if 
you  receiva  him,  you  have  all  that  cao 
l2 


126 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


conduce  to  your  present  safety  and  eter- 
nal life.  Be  careful  that  you  use  Christ 
for  all  the  purposes  for  which  he  is  offered 
to  you. 

3.  Let  Chrisiians  learn  a  lesson  from  this 
subject.  Be  grateful.  You  see  how 
much  you  owe  to  him ;  you  cannot  be 
Christians  without  him.  He  gave  you 
life,  but  he  gave  it  you  at  a  great  cost ! 
It  is  by  his  stripes  that  you  are  healed — 
he  died  that  you  might  live.  O  what 
thanks  then  are  due  to  him. 

"  Too  much  to  thee  I  cannot  give, 
Too  much  I  cannot  do  for  thee , 

Let  all  thy  love  and  all  thy  grief 
Grav'n  on  my  heart  for  ever  be !" 

Be  consistent  as  well  as  grateful. 
Live  to  Christ.  "  Glorify  him  in  your 
bodies  and  in  your  spirits  which  are  his. 
You  must  identify  yourselves  with  all 
that  belongs  to  him ;  his  cause  must  be 
yours,  his  people  yours.  You  are  re- 
quired, as  Christians,  not  only  to  live 
to  Christ,  but  to  live  like  him,  to  live  the 
life  of  Christ.  We  do  not  sufficiently 
consider  the  height  of  our  calling ;  we  are 
not  careful  to  live  up  to  the  standard.  As 
Christians,  we  ought  to  live  the  life  of 
Christ  over  again :  the  removal  of  his 
bodily  presence  was  no  doubt  a  great  loss 
to  the  world ;  but  mark  how  the  gospel 
repairs  this  loss.  Christians  are  to  be 
made  like  Christ,  that  they  may  be  his 
substitutes,  and  become  to  the  world  what 
he  would  be  were  he  still  upon  earth. 
We  are  called  to  be  his  visible  represen- 
tatives; every  Christian  is  a  sort  of  Christ, 
resembling  him,  going  about  doing  good, 
strengthening  the  weak  and  defenceless  ; 
bearing  testimony  meekly  and  mildly 
against  evil,  doing  good  in  every  possible 
way.  Then  will  it  be  seen  that  Christ 
is  indeed  our  life.  Let  us  set  about  this 
work  immediately  in  our  families  and  in 
our  neighbourhoods,  with  more  prayer 
than  we  have  ever  yet  done,  and  there- 
fore with  more  success. 

Be  useful.  You  may  have  to  contend 
with  difficulties,  to  encounter  enemies,  to 
make  struggles,  but  you  shall  be  ulti- 
mately successful.  May  God  grant  you 
this  grace. 


DUTIES   TO   THE    AFFLICTED. 

In  the  discharge  of  parochial  duties 
the  sick  and  afflicted  will  have  the  strong- 
est claims  upon  your  time  and  attention. 
Let  these  claims  always  be  held  sacred. 
Wait  not  to  be  sent  for.  Hasten  to  tliem 
as  soon  as  you  know  that  they  are  in  dis- 
tress. And  while  on  your  way  to  the 
sick  chamber,  or  the  house  of  mourning, 
lift  up  your  soul  in  prayer  to  God,  that  he 
will  put  thoughts  into  your  heart,  and 
words  into  your  mouth  ;  that  he  will  ena- 
ble you  to  be  faithful,  and  bless  your  visit. 
If  the  sickness  be  severe,  let  your  remarks 
be  few  and  direct,  and  your  prayers  com- 
monly short;  but  let  your  calls  be  fre- 
quent. When  there  is  imminent  danger 
in  the  case,  study  not  to  conceal  it;  but 
urge  upon  the  sick  man  the  infinite  im- 
portance of  immediate  preparation  for 
death.  If  it  is  one  of  the  sheep,  or  one 
of  the  lambs  of  Christ's  flock,  who  is 
about  to  be  called  home,  and  is  rejoicing 
in  the  prospect ;  talk  of  heaven,  of  delive- 
rance from  sin,  of  the  excellence  of  Christ, 
of  the  glory  of  God,  and  of  the  songs  of 
the  redeemed. 

If  it  is  the  dying  bed  of  an  impenitent 
sinner  to  Avhich  you  are  called,  and  he  is 
stupid  ;  O,  if  it  be  possible,  sound  a  note 
of  alarm  so  deep,  that  it  shall  awake  his 
slumbering  conscience  ;  and  at  the  same 
time  so  affectionate,  that  he  shall  thank 
and  love  you  for  your  faithfulness.  Hold 
no  fellowship  with  that  cruel  affection 
wnich  conceals  from  a  dying  friend  his 
danger,  or  which  cries,  "  Peace,  when 
there  is  no  peace."  If  the  dying  sinner 
is  alarmed,  and  his  transgressions  are  at 
least  set  in  order  before  him,  beware  that 
you  do  not  comfort  him  too  soon.  Many, 
I  fear,  have  been  destroyed  in  this  way. 
The  law  was  doing  its  work,  and  would 
have  brought  them  to  the  cross  of  Christ, 
but  for  the  pains  which  were  prematurely 
taken  to  convince  them  that  their  sins 
were  forgiven,  and  that  all  was  safe.  Re- 
joice in  it,  if  you  have  good  evidence  that 
a  sinner  has  been  plucked  as  a  brand  from 
the  burning  at  the  very  close  of  life ;  but 
in  your  preaching  and  conversation  lay 
very  little  stress  upon  a  death-bed  repent- 
ance.— Dr.  Humphreys, 


SERMON   XII. 

RESIGNATION  TO  THE  DIVINE  WILL. 

OCCASIONED    BY    THE    DEATH    OP    THE    LATE    REV.    R.    HALL,    D.D.,    PREACHED    AT 
BROADMEAD    CHAPEL,    BRISTOL,    MARCH    6,    1831. 

BY  THE  REV.  J.  HUGHES, 

OF   BATTERSEA. 


"  All  the  days  of  my  appointed  time  will  I  wait,  till  my  change  come." — Job  xiv.  14. 


We  are  assembled  on  an  occasion  of 
no  ordinary  interest.  Mortality,  through 
the  whole  of  its  vast  range,  has  not  of  late, 
furnished  a  more  affecting  monument, 
than  that  which  we  are  now  invited, 
urged,  and,  indeed,  compelled,  to  contem- 
plate. May  God  inspire  us  with  appro- 
priate feelings  !  A  voice  from  the  sepul- 
chre, and  from  heaven,  bespeaks  profound 
attention,  and,  in  accordance  with  it, 
several  impressive  views,  opening  before 
a  reflecting  mind,  call  for  deep  solemnity, 
prostrate  submission,  tender  condolence, 
warm  congratulations,  and  fervent  prayer. 
Many  more  things  are  recommended  by 
that  interesting,  sublime,  and  pathetic 
voice — especially  a  renewed  concern  for 
our  own  and  others'  spiritual  safety  and 
welfare.  If  these  be  duly  cherished,  the 
gifted  and  estimable  friend,  who  lived 
not  in  vain,  will  not  have  died  in  vain  ; 
but  we  shall,  one  after  another,  be 
prompted,  at  least  in  a  personal  reference, 
to  say — though  weeping — "  I  would  ye 
should  understand,  brethren,  that  the 
things  which  happened  unto  me  have  fall- 
en out  rather  unto  the  furtherance  of  the 
gospel." 

Assuredly  such  is  the  holy  and  merci- 
ful design  of  God  in  the  stroke  so  recently 
inflicted  here.  Oh,  that  it  may  be  accom- 
plished, in  respect  to  us,  to  you  all,  my 
esteemed  hearers,  and  to  the  cause  of 
God  in  general ! 


As  the  result  of  that  stroke,  a  task  has 
devolved  on  me,  honourable  indeed,  bu* 
far  too  arduous  for  my  mental  strength, 
on  which  it  presses.  I  speak  not  this 
from  false  humility,  or  with  the  mean 
and  worthless  hope  of  securing  a  courte- 
ous contradiction ;  I  speak  as  a  man 
claiming  no  superior  eminent  talents,  or 
Christian  worth,  is  bound  to  speak.  The 
fact  is,  I  could  not,  without  making  an 
ungracious  sacrifice,  turn  away  from  a 
request  preferred  by  the  bereaved  family, 
and  supported  by  the  representatives  of 
the  bereaved  congregation.  In  addition 
to  this  circumstance,  looking  back  more 
than  six  and  forty  years,  I  cannot  lightly 
reverence,  as  his  fellow  pupil,  what  our 
departed  friend  was  in  the  sanctuary,  and 
in  the  seminary,  even  at  that  early  period 
of  his  splendid  course.  Nor  can  I  ad- 
vert without  emotion  to  a  subsequent 
period,  during  which  it  was  my  lot  to 
occupy,  with  an  incompetency  quite  hu 
miliating,  the  very  same  department  of 
labour  and  responsibility.  It  may  also 
be  added  that  the  distinguished  indi 
vidual,  whose  removal  we  deplore,  never 
failed  to  indulge  me  with  a  prompt  and 
most  cordial  reception. 

By  these  and  similar  considerations 
my  reluctance  on  other  grounds  to  appear 
officially  before  you  this  morning  has 
been,  though  not  altogether  destroyed, 
yet  materially  diminished.  Instead, 
127 


128 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


therefore,  of  dwelling  on  conscious  ina- 
bility, I  will  proceed  in  the  present  ser- 
vice, assured  that  you  will  exercise  can- 
dour, and  be  anxious  to  enjoy  the  divine 
approval  and  blessing.  As  to  the  portrait- 
ure which  it  were  unavailing-  to  require 
of  me,  I  would  not  easily  resign  the  hope 
that  it  will  be  delineated  by  the  pencil  of 
some  accomplished  master.  There  is  an 
ambition  which  is  not  only  lawful,  but  is 
encouraged  by  that  sacred  Spirit,  who  at 
the  same  time,  would  have  us  to  recollect 
these  words  :  "  Be  clothed  with  humility ; 
for  God  resisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth 
grace  to  the  humble." 

Fain  would  I,  particularly  at  this  in- 
teresting hour,  be  inspired  with  an  ambi- 
tion to  do  good  :  and,  if  that  heaven-born 
principle  predominate  within  me,  then 
shall  I  accost  my  fellow  mourners  in  a 
right  spirit ;  and  He,  who  alone  can  in- 
fuse it,  will,  I  doubt  not,  prosper  my 
effort,  and  so  award  me  a  prize,  in  com- 
parison with  which  the  plaudits  earned 
by  literature,  philosophy,  and  eloquence, 
are  but  as  sounding  brass  and  as  a  tink- 
ling cymbal.  Alas  !  those  plaudits  are 
always  dangerous,  and  often  fatal. 

Death — preceded  by  intense  pain,  the 
silent,  solitary,  perhaps  needful,  monitor 
of  the  deceased,  with  slight  intermissions, 
from  his  youth  to  more  than  mature  age — 
death  has  at  length  been  commissioned 
to  despoil  your  circle,  my  brethren,  of  a 
costly  victim,  who  sunk  under  the  blows 
of  that  ruthless  assailant,  wliose  flesh  has 
in  consequence  seen  corruption,  and 
whose  form  we  shall  never,  while  so- 
journing here,  behold  again. 

If  a  man  die,  shall  he  live  again  1 — 
shall  he  not  utterly  perish,  and  become 
an  eternal  desolation*?  What  a  relief 
must  it  be  to  entertain  an  opposite  view 
of  the  case — to  feel  assured  that  this 
wreck,  so  far  from  being  total  and  irreme- 
diable, can,  in  no  degree  involve,  as  it 
regards  a  servant  of  God,  the  unspeaka- 
bly more  glorious  part  of  his  compound 
and  marvellous  nature  which  we  denomi- 
nate the  soul.  The  relief  would  in  anti- 
cipation, be  complete  had  we  equal 
authority  to  believe  that  the  body  also 
shall  live  again,  and  share  with  the  soul 
its    felicitous    immortality.       He    who 


avows  indifference  to  such  a  prospect  must 
surely  be  pronounced  either  a  hypocrite, 
an  idiot,  or  a  monster.  Yet,  in  this  field 
of  inquiry,  where  may  we  expect  to  reap 
satisfaction'?  Pagans  have  toiled  here 
with  laudable  diligence  and  solicilude, 
being  scarcely  less  anxious  to  kindle  a 
few  sparks  of  hope  into  a  bright  and 
steady  flame  than  our  modern  sons  of 
darkness  are  to  witness  and  promote  their 
extinction.  How  superior  in  the  contrast 
do  we  necessarily  account  a  Socrates,  a 
Plato,  a  Cicero,  and  a  Seneca!  Still 
these  sages  could  only  reason  well. 
They  ascended  not  above  the  regions  of 
happy  conjecture  and  high  probability. 
All  the  certainty  of  our  existence  in  an- 
other world  must  be  gathered  not  from 
argument,  but  from  infurmation  ;  and  that 
information  none,  except  "  the  high  and 
lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,"  can 
impart.  He,  however,  in  language  more 
or  less  full  and  distinct,  has  spoken  of 
invisible  and  lasting  realities.  In  mak- 
ing a  transition  especially  from  the  Old 
Testament  to  the  New,  the  subject  is 
exhibited  with  so  much  additional  clear- 
ness that — as  if  all  the  previous  discove- 
ries had  been  mere  varieties  of  shade — 
we  are  taught  by  an  apostle  to  say,  "  Life 
and  immortality  are  brought  to  light  by 
the  gospel.^'' 

The  great  question,  "  If  a  man  die,  shall 
he  live  again  T"  may,  I  trust,  be  now 
numbered  among  questions  which  have 
received  a  satisfactory  answer.  Such  a» 
admission  is  sure  to  be  made  by  all  who 
consider  the  Bible  to  be  a  communication 
from  the  supreme  Being : — with  others, 
I  enter  this  day  into  no  discussion. 

It  remains  for  me  to  illustrate  the  words 
first  read,  and  then  to  remind  you  afresh, 
and  more  specifically,  of  the  dispensation 
which  has  brought  hither  so  immense  a 
multitude,  and  will  elsewhere  rivet  the 
sadder  minds  of  so  many  aflTectionate 
hearers.  "  All  the  days  of  my  appointed 
time  will  I  wait,  till  my  change  come." 
So  spake  Job,  a  man  whose  excellency 
and  affection  were  alike  proverbial.  He 
spake  as  it  becomes  us  to  speak.  Let 
us,  with  the  evangelical  economy  before 
our  eyes,  expatiate  on  his  determination, 
and  adopt  it  too. 


RESIGNATION  TO  THE  DIVINE  WILL. 


129 


What,  thon,  is  the  nature,  and  what 
the  due  influence,  my  fellow  Christians, 
of  our  prospect  as  thus  referred  to  ■?  "  All 
the  days  of  my  appointed  time  will  I 
wait,  till  my  change  come." 

I.    We    have    the     prospect    of     a 

CHANGE. 

Many  changes  are  incidental  to  human 
beings,  but  there  are  three  which  stand 
out  with  prominence  above  the  rest. 

One  extraordinary  change  occurs  when 
human  beings  become  rational.  During 
infancy  they  are  conscious  of  sensation, 
but  unconscious  of  reflection.  Hence,  at 
that  period,  they  say  nothing — they  learn 
nothing;  they  neither  hear  nor  transgress 
any  commandment;  they  are  not  in  a 
state  of  probation.  Gradually,  however, 
and  in  a  manner  which  entirely  eludes 
our  notice,  the  thinking  faculty,  and  all  the 
passions,  develope  themselves.  Child- 
ren listen  to  sounds,  articulate,  and  con- 
verse. Young  persons  read,  write,  and 
learn  a  language  or  an  art.  A  little  after- 
wards they  go  into  business ;  they  provide 
for  their  families  ;  some  being  condemned 
to  the  meanest  drudgery,  and  some,  like 
him  whom  you  once  delighted  to  call 
your  minister,  shining  in  the  annals  of 
fame,  the  admiration  of  the  age  and  the 
country  which  they  contributed  to  adorn. 
Let  it  not  be  forgotten,  my  hearers,  that, 
as  reason  strengthens,  all  persons  become 
more  and  more  amenable  both  to  God  and 
to  man. 

A  change  more  momentous  occurs 
when  human  beings  become  religious. 
This  change  is  requisite  for  those,  uni- 
versally, who  have  not  already  experi- 
enced it.  Its  necessity  arises  from  the 
hereditary  contagion  which  corrupts  the 
race  and  taints  us  all — whether  we  have 
rendered  ourselves  obnoxious  to  our  ac- 
quaintances, or  have  conciliated  their 
good  will  and  affection — whether  we 
have  been  profligate  or  moral — whether 
we  have  neglected  sacred  ordinances  or 
outwardly  observed  them.  We  are  as- 
sured, by  an  inspired  writer,  that  "  if  any 
man  be  in  Christ  Jesus  he  is  a  new  crea- 
ture; old  things  are  passed  away  and 
behold  all  things  have  become  new." 
What  says  Christ  himself?  "  Except  a 
man  be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the, 
Vol.  I.— 17 


kingdom  of  God."  How  sharp  the  con- 
flicts, and  pungent  the  sorrows — how  rich 
and  diffusive  the  heavenly  light — how  im- 
portunate the  supplications — how  strong 
the  purposes — how  rich  the  comforts- 
how  warm  the  gratitude — how  exemplary 
the  whole  character,  when,  under  the  re- 
generating agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
fallen  creatures  justly  reckon  themselves 
to  be  "dead,  indeed,  unto  sin,  but  alive 
unto  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ :"  "  being  born  again,  not  of  cor- 
ruptible seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the 
word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth 
for  ever !" 

After  all,  the  great  consummation  is 
reserved  for  the  time  when  human  beings 
become  immortal — the  subjects  of  a 
change  of  which  the  being  made  first  ra- 
tional, and  then  religious,  are  but  the  in- 
dispensable preparatories.  "  This  cor- 
ruption (my  Christian  brethren)  must  put 
on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put 
on  immortality."  Then  will  the  term  of 
our  minority  expire,  and  M'e  shall  receive 
our  best  inheritance.  Then  shall  Ave  go 
to  another  world,  and  have  joyful  com- 
munion with  exalted  spirits,  thus  far 
invisible.  The  garden  of  Eden  never 
offered  such  beauty  to  the  eye,  such  mu- 
sic to  the  ear,  or  such  fruit  to  the  taste, 
as  will  delight  the  inhabitants  of  those 
more  glorious  regions.  They  are  "  be- 
fore the  throne  of  God,  and  serve  him  day 
and  night  in  his  temple  :  and  he  that  sit- 
teth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell  among 
them.  They  shall  hunger  no  more,  nei- 
ther thirst  any  more :  neither  shall  the 
sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  For  the 
Lamb,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne, 
shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto 
living  fountains  of  waters  ;  and  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes." 
They  who  ascend  from  the  earth,  thither, 
are  transformed  as  well  as  translated.  No 
residue  of  sin  cleaves  to  them  in  their 
wonders  of  delight.  Hence  it  is  written, 
"  They  are  without  fault  before  the  throne 
of  God."  And,  again,  "  Christ  loved  the 
church,  and  gave  himself  for  it;  that  he 
might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the 
washing  of  water  by  the  word :  that  he 
might  present  it  to  himself  a  glorious 
church,  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle,  or 


130 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


any  such  thing- ;  but  that  it  should  be  holy 
and  without  blemisli." 

Is  it,  however,  merely  the  soul  of  a 
believer  in  Jesus  Christ  that  enters  the 
kingdom  1  Must  its  ancient  partner — the 
body,  lie  always  in  the  dust,  or  roam  in 
a  separate  and  less  splendid  province  of 
the  divine  empire'?  No,  for  the  apostle, 
foretelling  its  resurrection  says,  "  It  shall 
be  raised  in  poAver;"  and,  using  an  epi- 
thet never  before  applied  to  that  sub- 
stance, and  even  now  inapplicable  among 
mortals,  he  calls  the  body  that  shall  be 
60  raised,  "  Aspiritual  body."  I  close  this 
statement,  relative  to  the  change  which 
the  body  is  to  undergo,  with  another  quo- 
tation from  the  same  apostle,  "  Our  con- 
versation is  in  heaven  ;  from  whence  also 
we  look  for  the  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ;  who  shall  change  our  vile  body, 
that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  his 
glorious  body,  according  to  the  working 
whereby  he  is  able  even  to  subdue  all 
things  unto  himself." 

II.  Let  me  describe  the  influence  of 
THIS  PROSPECT — the  influence  which  it 
ought  to  have  on  every  spectator — the 
influence  which  it  had  on  the  patriarch, 
who  said,  "  All  the  days  of  my  ap- 
pointed time  will  I  wait,  till  my  change 
come." 

1.  The  prospect  of  our  change  may  he 
viewed  in  connexion  with  the  general  cur- 
rent of  our  thoughts. 

Job  reckoned  on  a  great  change,  the 
result  not  of  accident  or  of  a  creature's 
energy,  but  of  a  divine  declaration.  He 
believed  that  the  time  for  its  taking  place, 
as  well  as  the  change  itself,  was  appoint- 
ed, and  the  interests  dependent  upon  it 
were,  in  his  apprehension,  so  numerous 
and  vast,  that  he  appears  to  have  been 
tenacious  of  the  theme,  as  one  which  he 
was  scarcely  willing  to  dismiss  for  a 
single  moment.  Accordingly,  he  in- 
tended in  our  text  to  renew  the  distant 
anticipation  of  it,  not  only  in  some  of 
those  of  his  own  day,  but  throughout 
■every  successive  age.  Let  us,  my  bre- 
thren, habitually  refer  to  that  eventful 
crisis,  and  often  retire  from  the  interrup- 
tions of  business  and  the  enjoyments  of 
society,  that  by  faith  we  may  gaze  on 
the  stupendous  scenes  which  shall  be- 


token its  arrival.  Shall  such  cotmsela 
need  to  be  enforced  "?  How  fares  it  with 
us  when  we  have  in  prospect  either  what 
is  most  common  in  the  troubles  of  the 
world,  or  what  is  most  exquisite  in  its 
gratifications  ?  The  subject  is  adhesive  ; 
it  absorbs  us  ;  its  claim  is  felt  to  be  irre- 
sistible; it  is  borne  into  our  parties ;  it 
haunts  our  solitude;  it  steals  our  slum- 
bers. IMy  brethren,  that  all-important 
change — to  which  I  pray  that  our  atten- 
tion may  be  duly  turned — had  long  se- 
cured the  attention  of  our  departed  friend  : 
his  mind  was  solemnly  familiar  with  it. 
You  who  most  remember  the  strain  of 
his  discourses  and  conversation  will  be 
most  prompt  to  testify  that  he  spoke, 
time  after  time,  "  as  seeing  him  that  is 
invisible,"  and  as  under  a  vivid  impres- 
sion of  those  serious  subjects — death, 
judgment,  and  eternity. 

2.  The  prospect  of  our  change  may  be 
viewed  also  in  connexion  with  our  estimate 
nf  all  earthly  good. 

God  may  have  brought  within  our  reach 
many  pleasant  and  profitable  things  ;  and 
as  yet  we  may  not,  like  Job,  have  been 
forced  with  terrible  emotions,  to  witness 
their  departure.  What,  then  !  shall  they 
make  us  blind  and  insensible  to  the 
future?  Shall  we  revel  heedless  amidst 
the  diversified  changes  of  others  '?  The 
claims  of  religion,  and  the  dictates  even  of 
mere  reason,  prescribe  another  course  ; 
for  riches,  and  health,  and  fame,  and 
friendship,  and  all  beside  which  can  ren- 
der a  sublunary  portion  valuable,  and  life 
itself  are  held  by  a  precarious  tenure. 
Let  us,  therefore,  while  retaining  our 
several  possessions,  and  in  them  the  ele- 
ments of  external  prosperit}^,  rebuke  in 
others,  and  chiefly  in  ourselves,  that  ex- 
travagant attachment  and  reliance  which 
would  imply  a  conviction  that  their  worth 
is  pre-eminent,  and  their  duration  sure. 
Let  us  use  them  like  those  who  know 
that  they  are  but  secondary  things,  and 
things  which  may  take  their  flight  to- 
morrow. Let  us  regulate  our  minds  not 
so  much  by  the  consciousness  of  their 
existence  as  by  the  foresight  of  their  re- 
moval, waiting  all  the  days  of  our  appoint- 
ed time  till  our  change  come — that  change 
which  shall  at  once  unveil  the  throne  of 


RESIGNATION  TO  THE  DIVINE  WILL. 


131 


heaven,  and  cast  all  the  glories  of  this 
world  into  perpetual  oblivion. 

3.  Again.  The  prospect  of  our  change 
may  be  viewed  in  connexion  with  our  in- 
dividual exertions  and  supplications.. 

The  sum  of  all  the  inquiry  thus  awaken- 
ed is,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 
Whence  comes  it  that  language  so  befit- 
ing  a  degraded,  condemned,  troubled,  and 
dying  race  prevails  so  little  ]  It  is  surely 
no  s-Ught  evil  to  be  the  enemy  of  God, 
the  slaves  of  Satan,  and  the  heirs  of  hell. 
Ilow  pitiable  are  all  they  who  remain  in 
such  a  case  !  The  more  pitiable  if  insen- 
sible of  its  horrors,  and  consequently  in- 
disposed to  cry.  Who  will  direct  me  to 
the  means  of  emancipation  ] 

Inquiry,  my  brethren,  must  be  followed 
up  with  corresponding  exertions,  not  in 
the  style  of  self-complacency,  as  though 
we  claimed  some  particles  of  merit,  or 
could,  in  the  least,  expiate  our  guilt — nor 
in  the  style  of  self-confidence,  as  though 
we  could,  in  any  wise,  repair  the  ruins 
of  our  desolated  nature.  Our  exertions, 
if  acceptable  and  availing,  must  emanate 
from  a  deeply  impressed  sense  of  worth- 
lessness,  self-misery,  and  danger,  issuing 
in  faith,  and  penitential  sorrow,  and 
watchfulness,  and  self-discipline,  and 
humble  trust,  and  pious  activity. 

If  inquiry  must  be  followed  up  with 
exertion,  faith  must  also  be  followed  up 
with  supplication.  W^e  are  all  dependant 
on  God  for  every  thing;  more  especially 
for  a  valid  title  to  an  inheritance  above, 
and  for  the  hearty  assurance  of  an  admis- 
sion there.  Let  us  wait,  in  these  various 
ways,  until  our  change  come.  No  sooner 
shall  we  fix  our  minds  intently  on  the 
sacred  volume,  than  we  shall  find  that 
there  is  forgiveness  with  God,  his  adora- 
ble Son  having  suffered  the  just  for  the 
unjust,  that  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself 
he  might  put  away  sin — we  shall  find 
that  through  him  we  have  access,  by  one 
Spirit,  to  the  Father.  It  is  the  sacred 
volume  that  describes  and  urges  the  ex- 
ertion in  which  this  inquiry  must  termi- 
nate— the  strivings  of  our  lives — the 
wrestling  with  principalities  and  powers 
—the  denial  of  ungodliness  and  worldly 
lusts — the  taking  of  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven by  violence — the  being  faithful  unto 


death.  In  our  supplications,  let  us  be 
fervent,  copious,  and  unwearied — still, 
however,  presenting  them  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  our  advocate  within  the  veil. 
Then  shall  we  be  brought  into  closer  and 
closer  union  with  his  Father  and  our 
Father,  and  be  made  more  and  more 
"  meet  for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in 
light." 

4.  The  prospect  of  our  change  may  yet 
further  be  viewed,  in  connexion  with  all 
our  intervening  pains  atjcl  distresses. 

Job's  case  was  severely  complicated. 
His  mind,  his  body,  and  his  circum- 
stances, demanded  the  pity  of  all  around 
him.  Adverting,  however,  to  his  expected 
change,  he  seems  to  have  subsided  into 
a  temporary  calm,  and  to  have  resolved 
that,  instead  of  yielding  to  fretfulness  and 
fear,  he  would  cultivate  patience  and  sub- 
mission. This  is  one  of  the  constructions 
which  may  fairly  be  put  on  these  words, 
"  All  the  days  of  my  appointed  time  will 
I  wait,  till  my  change  come."  May  we 
not  naturally  suppose  that  your  late  min- 
ister— excruciating  as  his  agonies  often 
were — often  repeated  these  words,  and  in 
the  sense  here  attributed  to  them  !  Let 
us,  while  "we  groan,  being  burthened," 
imitate  him.  Let  us  chide  every  tenden- 
cy to  complain  of  Him,  "  in  whom  we 
live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being." 
Let  us  be  comforted  with  reflecting  how 
few  are  the  years  which  shall  revolve 
before  this  scene  of  tribulation  shall  be 
annihilated. 

5.  Finally.  The  prospect  of  our  change 
may  be  viewed  in  connexion  with  all  that 
is  grand  and  joyful. 

Immediately  after  Job  had  uttered  the 
text,  he  said,  "Thou  shalt  call,  and  I 
will  answer  thee:  thou  wilt  have  a  desire 
to  the  work  of  thine  hands."  But  he 
rose  to  a  higher  elevation,  when  he  said, 
"  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and 
that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon 
the  earth:  and  though  after  my  skin, 
worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh 
shall  I  see  God."  Let  us,  my  brethren, 
through  the  obedience,  the  atonement, 
and  the  intercession  of  our  high-priest, 
seek  for  partnership  in  this  triumphant 
confidence,  giving  "  all  diligence  to  make 
our  calling  and  election  sure,"  by  adding 


132 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


to  our  "  faith,  virtue  ;  and  to  virtue,  know- 
ledge;  and  to  knowledge,  temperance; 
and  to  temperance,  patience ;  and  to  pa- 
tience, godliness  ;  and  to  godliness,  bro- 
therly kindness  ;  and  to  brotherly  kind- 
ness, charity."  Then  shall  we  joyfully 
aid  each  other,  at  every  renewal  of  our 
intercourse — our  moral  atmosphere  will 
become  purer  and  purer  as  we  approach 
the  land,  the  inhabitants  of  which  shall 
never  say,  "  I  am  sick" — and  at  length 
an  entrance  shall  be  ministered  to  us 
abundantly  into  the  everlasting  kingdom 
of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ, 

It  is  now  my  duty  to  request  your  par- 
ticular notice  to  the  dispensation  which 
has  clothed  this  assembly  in  the  attire  of 
mourning.  The  voice  of  our  departed 
friend  has  been  sounding  in  the  public 
ear  for  almost  half  a  century,  and  will 
sound  through  the  nation  for  ages  yet  to 
come.  A  more  eminent  man  seldom  oc- 
cupies the  sphere  of  human  agency.  His 
reasoning  powers  were  of  the  highest 
order.  To  him  it  was  given,  if  I  may  so 
speak,  to  penetrate  subjects  as  by  a  mo- 
mentary intuition,  and  to  fetch  into  view, 
soon  after  he  had  commenced  his  search, 
those  deeply  hidden  treasures  of  the  intel- 
lectual mind,  to  the  discovery  and  the 
display  of  which  most  men,  even  of  ac- 
knowledged talent,  must  have  employed 
an  elaborate  process.  According  to  the 
best  import  of  the  term,  he  gave  the  im- 
pression of  his  being  a  profound  meta- 
physician, who,  had  he  thought  it  proper 
to  pursue  the  science  of  the  mind — so 
great  was  his  acumen — would  probably 
have  been  rivalled  by  few,  and  surpassed 
by  none.  Sound  judgment,  and  finished 
taste,  and  rich  imagination,  accompanied 
with  real,  unaffected  piety  and  earnest- 
ness, together  with  touching  pathos,  per- 
vaded his  compositions  in  general,  and 
rendered  those,  particularly  of  a  religious 
nature,  inimitably  grand.  He  had  all  the 
attributes  of  genius — that  rare  and  mas- 
terly faculty  which  it  is  more  easy  to 
appreciate  tlian  to  define.  His  erudition 
was  that  of  the  elegant  scholar.  He  had 
formed  his  style  on  the  purest  models  of 
Greece,  Italy,  and  his  native  land.  He 
took  pains  with  it,  and  wrought  it  into 
that  force,  and  beauty,   and  plainness, 


which  placed  him  high  in  the  first  class 
of  the  most  admired  writers.  With  but 
a  small  compass  of  voice,  the  character 
of  his  ideas,  their  lucid  order,  his  happy 
choice  of  expressions,  the  melody  of  his 
tones,  the  rapidity  of  his  utterance,  the 
fire  of  his  eye,  and  the  ardour  of  his  feel- 
ings, drew  from  our  lips,  and  from  oui 
hearts,  the  testimony  which  can  be  nei- 
ther controverted  nor  suppressed,  "  This 
is  eloquence — this  is  eloquence  indeed .'" 

Had  it  been  his  destination  to  speak  in 
the  senate,  or  to  plead  at  the  bar,  with  a 
few  exceptions,  he  would  have  eclipsed 
every  competitor.  But  God  gave  him  a 
better  promotion.  Not  most  certainly  of 
that  kind  to  which  avarice  and  ambition 
aspire,  but  that  which  infinitely  exceeded 
all  that  was  ever  reached  by  her  most  pros- 
perous votaries.  His  Saviour  "  counted 
him  faithful,  putting  him  into  the  minis- 
try," and  thus  honoured  him  with  the 
weighty,  yet  delightful  commission,  "  I 
send  thee  among  the  people,  to  open  their 
eyes,  and  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to 
light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God,  that  they  may  receive  forgiveness 
of  sins,  and  inheritance  among  them 
which  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is  in 
me." 

My  esteemed  hearers,  attend  me  now 
in  the  survey  and  estimate  of  Mr.  Hall 
as  occupying  the  department,  in  which, 
through  the  influence  of  divine  grace,  he 
shone  to  the  greatest  advantage  ;  and  that 
not  for  his  own  sake  merely,  but  for  that 
of  others.  May  you  especially  that  are 
young,  cherish  into  a  devout  and  firm 
purpose,  as  it  regards  yourselves,  the 
recollection  that  he  could  say,  with  Oba- 
diah,  "  I  feared  the  Lord  from  my  youth." 
It  was  before  he  had  attained  his  sixteenth 
year,  that  he  publicly  professed  the  reli- 
gion which  continued  to  be  the  guide, 
and  the  stay,  and  the  ornament  of  his 
truly  Christian  life.  There  are  nany 
who,  as  if  the  Creator  stood  low  on  the 
list  of  claimants — as  if  his  service  were 
perfect  drudgery — and  as  if  he  might  be 
neglected  with  impunity,  pass  the  meri- 
dian of  life  without  the  least  care  to  hon- 
our or  to  glorify  him,  or  even  to  be  ac- 
cepted in  his  Son.  At  length,  it  may 
that  some,  satiated  with  the  world's  luxu- 


RESIGNATION  TO  THE  DIVINE  WILL. 


133 


ties— some  oppressed  by  disappointment 
—some  stung  with  remorse,  and  dreading- 
God's  fiery  judgments,  tender  him  a  few 
quivering  sparks — a  fragment  or  two  of 
time — the  mere  wreck  of  what  they  once 
vere  both  in  body  and  in  mind,  as  they 
approach,  doubtful  and  tremulous,  the 
dark  confines  of  eternity.  How  different 
was  it  with  our  departed  friend  !  He 
began  his  pilgrimage  and  warfare  at  the 
very  dawn  of  life's  cheerful  years.  Some 
present  may  recollect  and  will  appreciate 
the  joy,  which  must  have  quickened  into 
an  enlivened  warmth  of  gratitude,  of  the 
heart  of  his  excellent  and  gifted  father  on 
the  day  which  witnessed  the  baptismal 
recognition  of  such  a  son's  surrender  and 
dedication  of  himself  to  God.  Are  none 
of  you,  in  such  manner,  at  least,  as  con- 
science dictates,  found  substantially  walk- 
ing in  his  steps.  A  portion  of  you,  who 
acknowledge  Him  to  whom  you  are  in- 
debted, could  furnish  me  with  an  answer, 
which  I  pray  that  God  would  make  uni- 
versal. Why  should  not  all,  during  the 
vernal  season  of  the  moral  year,  discover, 
amidst  the  gardens  of  Zion,  those  fair 
blossoms,  which,  cherished  by  the  dew 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  rays  of  the  Sun 
of  righteousness,  shall  expand  till  the 
weeks  of  an  abundant  harvest  arrive — that 
harvest  of  which  so  sweet  a  specimen 
has  lately  been  conveyed  from  earth  to 
heaven.  Allow  me  this  morning,  to  ad- 
vance a  plea  for  God.  Indeed,  he  is  wor- 
thy to  be  adored,  and  trusted,  and  loved, 
and  obeyed.  O  that  I  felt  towards  him 
what  it  becomes  me  to  feel,  and  had  ability 
and  leisure  to  express  myself  accordingly  ! 
But  I  advance  not  a  plea  for  God  alone ;  I 
am  also  your  advocate.  Come  and  join 
yourselves  to  him  in  an  everlasting 
covenant.  He  waits  to  receive  you ; 
already  his  paternal  heart  melts  over  you ; 
and,  on  your  first  approach,  he  will  smile, 
and  declare,  "  From  this  day  will  I  bless 
you."  Did  it  once  enter  the  mind  of  him, 
whose  voice  and  countenance  will,  in  this 
vale  of  mortality,  arrest  your  attention 
no  more — did  it  once  enter  into  his  mind 
to  regret  that  he  was  too  early  in  avouch- 
ing the  Lord  to  be  his  God  ■?  Accept  my 
tribute  of  aff"ectionate  solicitude  thus  cor- 
dially, though  at  the  special  instigation — 


truth  requires  me  to  add — of  one  who  said 
with  emphasis,  which  my  heart  venerated, 
"  Do  not,  in  your  discourse,  overlook  so 
opportune  an  occasion  of  pressing  a  life 
of  thoughtfulness  and  piety  on  the 
young." 

It  has  been  intimated  by  me,  that  in 
becoming  a  Christian  minister  Mr.  Hall 
not  only  obeyed  the  divine  will,  but  en- 
tered upon  the  most  useful,  and  therefore 
the  noblest,  career.  I  had  not  such  an 
acquaintance  with  his  spiritual  history, 
at  that  period,  as  would  enable  me  to 
speak  concerning  it  with  minuteness,  or 
in  positive  terms.  The  pleasing  proba- 
bility, however,  is  that  he  had  previously 
abased  himself,  as  a  perishing  offender, 
before  the  Holy  One  of  Israel — that  he 
had  believed  in  Jesus  to  the  saving  of  the 
soul,  and  that  he  was  moved  with  com- 
passion for  a  world  lying  in  wickedness. 
That  he  was  afterwards,  at  least,  strongly 
marked  with  these  characteristics,  there 
can  be  no  question.  He  belonged  to  what 
is  called  the  evangelical  school,  a  school 
which,  owing  to  the  speculations  and  col- 
lisions of  modern  partizans,  cannot  be  so 
exactly  described  as  it  might  have  been 
thirty  years  ago.  Still,  it  may,  and  it 
will,  be  represented  as  the  depository  of 
those  expositions  and  confessions  in 
which  the  protestant  churches,  according, 
at  least,  to  their  respective  acknowledg- 
ments, are  mainly  united.  It  asserts,  in 
plain  language,  the  corruption  of  human 
nature — the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
of  the  Holy  Spirit — together  with  the 
vicarious  pains  and  sorrows  of  the  former, 
and  the  renewing  influence  of  the  latter. 
The  venerable  and  bold  Archbishop 
Leighton  announces  the  system  well,  in 
language  which  has  long  since  been  made 
common,  and  which  marks  it  distinctly. 
He  says,  "  It  lays  low  the  sinner,  exalts 
the  Saviour,  and  promotes  holiness."  I 
speak  it  to  the  credit  of  Mr.  Hall,  that 
he  knew,  as  a  theological  speculator,  where 
to  stop — that,  having  arrived,  through 
divine  assistance,  farther  and  farther, 
after  reasoning  appeared  to  fail,  he  re- 
joiced to  sit  a  humble  learner  at  the  feet 
of  Jesus — that  he  shrank  from  scholastic 
subtleties — and  that  he  was  too  wise,  too 
modest,  and  too  scriptural,  to  attempt 
M 


134 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


becoming  the  founder,  or  the  factious  pa- 
tron, of  a  sect.  As  a  biblical  critic  he 
was  capable,  after  all  that  has  been  af- 
firmed in  Britain  and  on  the  continent,  of 
throwing  much  additional  light  on  obscure 
passages  and  disputed  doctrines.  As  an 
expositor  he  was  clear,  perspicuous,  and 
most  energetic ;  and,  in  his  social  addresses 
from  the  pulpit,  he  did  indeed  speak  as 
the  oracle  of  God,  and  held  up  truth  in 
its  interesting — its  solemn — its  encourag- 
ing, and  its  alarming  aspects.  There,  in 
a  style  peculiarly  his  own,  he  warned, 
rebuked,  and  remonstrated.  There,  he 
disclosed  the  enormity  of  sin,  its  varie- 
ties, its  windings,  and  its  worthlessness. 
There  he  unfolded  the  richness  of  divine 
grace,  the  beauties  of  holiness,  and  the 
felicities  of  our  eternal  home.  There  he 
constantly  renewed  his  purpose  to  expa- 
tiate on  Jesus  Christ,  as  our  wisdom,  and 
righteousness,  and  sanctification,  and  re- 
demption. I  have  no  doubt  that  many 
have  been  compelled  to  acknowledge  that 
the  gospel  had  no  charms  for  them,  or 
none  that  conquered  their  sceptical  indif- 
ference and  carnality,  before  they  beheld 
it  through  the  medium  of  his  illustration. 
The  simple  text  of  the  Bible,  when  he 
was  the  reader,  was  elucidated  I  had  al- 
most said,  more  than  by  the  extended 
commentary  of  an  ordinary  man.  He 
quoted  well ;  so  that,  like  a  celebrated 
female  writer  within  your  own  circle, 
and  a  preacher  of  high  reputation  in  a 
neighbouring  city,  he  has  often  impressed 
me  with  the  beneficial  dexterity  which 
may  be  evinced  in  detaching  portions  of 
the  Bible,  so  as  to  set  them  like  "  apples 
of  gold  in  pictures  of  silver." 

The  exordiums  of  his  discourses  were 
conducted  deliberately,  and  not  without 
a  degree  of  hesitation.  His  divisions 
were  always  natural,  and  nearly  always 
simple.  He  kindled  as  he  proceeded, 
till,  borne  upwards  on  the  wings  of  sera- 
phic delight,  he  seemed  as  if  he  could 
spare  only  a  single  glance  even  for  his 
beloved  flock,  and  that  for  the  purpose  of 
stimulating  them  to  share  with  their  pas- 
tor in  the  joy  of  their  common  Lord  ;  and 
that  moment  he  shut  the  book  and  finished 
his  discourse,  leaving  them  to  regret  that 
he  had  finshed  it  so  soon. 


Need  I  remind  you  of  his  humility,  his 
simplicity,  and  his  importunity  in  prayer. 
He  gathered  up  himself  to  take  hold  of 
the  strength  of  God,  and  to  enjoy  it  for 
his  own  benefit  and  that  of  all  others. 
Perhaps  we  could  have  no  view  of  liim 
more  striking,  and  more  conducive  to  our 
improvement,  than  when  we  saw  him 
drawing  nigh  to  the  throne  of  the  hea- 
venly grace,  and  heard  him  imploring 
mercy  there.  What  a  spectacle  for  the 
eye,  what  sounds  for  the  ear,  of  men  who, 
without  a  tenth  part  of  his  talent  or  of  his 
virtue,  think  it  useless  to  pray  and  need- 
less to  repent ! 

In  the  divided  state  of  Christendom  we 
necessarily  show  our  respective  prefer- 
ences. He  did.  Mr.  Hall  was  decidedly 
a  Protestant  dissenter ;  but  who  has  mere 
warmly  eulogized  the  "  Liturgy  of  the 
established  Church  T"  His  expressions 
are  these,  "  I  believe  that  the  evangelical 
purity  of  its  sentiments,  and  the  chastened 
fervour  of  its  devotion,  and  the  majestic 
simplicity  of  its  language,  have  combined 
to  place  in  it  the  very  first  rank  of  unin- 
spired compositions."  He  was  an  un- 
compromising Baptist,  but  he  respected 
the  rights  of  conscience.  He  conceded 
that  liberality  which  he  required  and  ex- 
ercised. He  recoiled  from  the  thought 
of  augmenting,  as  he  would  have  deemed 
it,  the  ritual  peculiarity  of  so  small  a  de- 
nomination into  a  barrier  that  should 
exclude  from  sacramental  fellowship  the 
members  of  every  denomination  besides, 
when  a  Howe,  an  Owen,  a  Baxter,  a 
Wesley,  a  Whitfield,  a  Doddridge  a 
Watts,  were  entreating  to  be  admitted. 
So,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  to  be  lamented 
that  such  a  saint  and  such  a  preacher  as 
he  was,  should  have  been  disqualified, 
either  by  law  or  by  convention,  from  visit- 
ing wherever  a  sanctuary  was  prepared 
and  a  congregation  was  eager  to  receive 
him.  At  the  end  of  each  Sabbath  he  re- 
turned to  bless  his  household  ;  and  day 
after  day,  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  his 
advice,  his  sympathy,  his  bounty,  and 
his  spiritual  gifts,  awaited  those  who  had 
need  of  what  it  was  in  his  power  to  com- 
municate. 

I  have  remarked  with  some  surprise, 
not  unconnected   with   admiration,    that 


RESIGNATION  TO  THE  DIVINE  WILL. 


135 


neither  at  Cambridge,  nor  at  Leicester, 
nor  at  Bristol,  was  he  understood  to  fre- 
quent, with  an  undue  zest,  the  society  of 
the  learned  or  the  opulent,  notwithstand- 
ing he  must  have  met  the  eager  invita- 
tions of  all  who  were  qualified  to  enjoy 
the  feast  of  reason.  That  he  was  es- 
teemed by  a  ]Mackintosh,  and  such  men, 
some  of  you  are  aware.  Disease,  I  am 
sensible,  tends  to  lessen  the  literary  ap- 
petite for  fame ;  yet,  if  the  love  of  fame 
had  been  his  unconquerable  passion,  it 
would  have  overwhelmed  the  banks 
within  which  prudence  and  piety  sought 
to  confine  it.  He  had  an  early  passion, 
but  it  was  generous  and  sacred,  and  hence 
he  condescended  to  men  of  low  estate. 
It  was  enough  for  him  that  he  perceived 
there  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  and  he  im- 
mediately attempted  to  accelerate  their 
growth  for  immortality. 

From  tills  adulatory  account  are  there 
no  deductions  to  be  made  on  the  score  of 
failings'?  He,  decidedly,  would  have 
exclaimed,  "  Yes,  and  they  are  serious 
and  many."  He  had  his  failings,  but 
your  candour  traces  even  these  admix- 
tures, in  part  to  his  temperament,  and  in 
part  to  the  very  source  of  his  eminence. 
The  gay  and  satirical  strain  of  his  juve- 
nile communications — the  exuberance  of 
that  wit  which  was  dignified  and  pure, 
as  well  as  original,  and  his  occasional 
vehemence  of  expression,  sometimes  de- 
generate from  the  energy  with  which  he 
wielded  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  against 
the  army  of  the  aliens.  There  were  a 
few  points  of  singularity,  and,  now  and 
then,  a  want  of  precision  in  minute  ar- 
rangements. Attaching,  however,  chiefly 
to  his  early  years,  were  they  not  resolva- 
ble into  those  habits  of  sublime  abstrac- 
tion which  are  scarcely  compatible  with 
a  full  measure  of  attention  to  the  affairs 
and  usages  of  common  life] 

As  to  his  reluctance  to  become  an  au- 
thor, and  so  to  extend  the  sphere  of  his 
usefulness,  he  was,  indeed,  physically 
disabled ;  and  the  ground  which  he  would 
have  preferred  was,  in  his  opinion,  and 
according  to  his  modest  estimate,  pre- 
occupied by  his  superiors. 

Whatever  he  was,  it  has  pleased  God 
to  remove  him  from  us.     Many  a  storm 


had  beaten  vehemently  upon  his  earthly 
tabernacle  without  destroying  it;  again 
and  again  it  was,  as  it  were,  repaired,  so 
as  to  continue,  though  incommodious, 
yet  tenantabls  by  its  immortal  occupant. 
At  length,  after  only  four  years  spent 
here,  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  dispensa- 
tion, which  said,  "  These  are  your  last 
public  labours.  Your  warfare  is  all  but 
accomplished.  One  stroke  more  and 
your  tabernacle  shall  be  dissolved  ;  and 
thou  shalt  be  elevated  to  thy  destined 
state,  among  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect."  In  the  course  of  his  illness, 
when  the  nature  of  it  did  not  interfere  to 
prevent,  he  showed  where  his  thoughts 
were.  That  he  had  embraced  the  gospel 
was  manifest  by  signifying,  in  a  whisper 
to  his  dearest  relative,  his  need  of  Christ, 
and  his  reliance  on  him. 

Now  I  turn  to  you,  his  deeply  afllicted 
sisters,  and  to  you,  the  still  more  deeply 
afllicted  widow.  You  have  lost  much, 
but  you  mourn  not  without  encourage- 
ment, from  the  pleasing  recollection,  and 
the  more  pleasing  hopes,  that  to  him  "  the 
bitterness  of  death  is  past."  He  is  con- 
scious of  no  sin — he  endures  no  pain — he 
fears  no  evil.  He  is  where  and  what  he 
would  be,  and  shall  be  for  ever  and  ever. 
You  cannot  wish  to  recall  him.  I  trust, 
however,  that  you  are  following  him — 
that  you  will  be  comforted  from  stage  to 
stage,  and  finally  be  united  to  him  more 
intimately  and  more  happily  than  could, 
under  the  most  gratifying  circunistances, 
have  been  permitted  here. 

I  am  not  unmindful  of  you,  the  surviv- 
ing orphans.  Bereaved  of  so  good  a  pa- 
rent, what  can  you  do]  I  would  recom- 
mend you — contemplating  God,  who  is 
most  wise,  most  mighty,  and  most  merci- 
ful— from  this  time,  if  never  before,  to 
say,  "  Thou  art  my  Father,  thou  shalt  be 
the  guide  of  my  youth."  Were  the  indi- 
vidual whom  you  have  so  much  reason 
to  love  and  venerate  again  to  call  you 
around  him,  would  he  not  allure,  encou 
rage,  and  admonish  you  to  choose  God  fo 
your  Father,  and  serve  him  with  a  per 
feet  heart  and  willing  mind  ]  All  secrets, 
all  hearts,  all  understandings,  and  all  the 
imaginationsof  the  thoughts  are  open  and 
naked  before  him.     "  If  thou  seek  hia. 


136 


THE  BRITISH  PULPlT. 


he  will  be  fouml  of  thee,  but  if  thou  for- 
sake him  he  will  cast  thee  off  for  ever." 
Many  a  prayer  has  been  and  will  be 
offered  on  your  behalf;  and  the  substance 
of  them  is,  that  you  may  be  the  children 
of  God,  the  members  of  Christ,  and  the 
heirs  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Then, 
instead  of  being  mentioned  as  samples  of 
that  degeneracy  which  so  often  stigma- 
tizes a  minister's  children,  you  will  love 
one  another — you  will  prove  comforts  to 
your  surviving  parent — you  will  rejoice 
the  church — you  will  elicit  the  friendly 
attestation.  Thy  son  and  thy  daughters 
are  worthy  of  their  parentage.  Is  there 
not  already  found,  in  more  than  one  of 
you,  some  good  thing  towards  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel  1 

Next  I  appeal  to  you,  the  members  of 
this  church,  and  the  rest  of  the  stated  con- 
gregation. When  recollecting  what  I 
have  either  known  or  seen  recorded  of 
Mr.  Hall,  Dr.  Ryland,  Dr.  Evans,  Dr. 
Hugh  Evans  his  father,  and  Mr.  Fawcett, 
I  rehearse  the  ministerial  progress  of  five 
Buch  men  as  have  seldom  presided  in 
uniform  succession  over  any  one  of  our 
churches.  Thankfully  resign  what  the 
universal  proprietor  has  demanded.  Main- 
tain your  oneness  with  the  Saviour. 
Treasure  up  the  things  which  your  late 
pastor  has  taught  you.  Be  anxious  to 
deepen  the  impressions  w^hich  he  has 
made.  Tremble  at  the  idea  of  being  lost 
after  so  long  an  attendance  on  such  means 
of  grace  and  salvation,  and  pray  that 
every  succeeding  reference  to  tbe  name 
of  Hall  may  conduct  you  to  that  of  the 
chief  Shepherd,  may  bring  a  reinforce- 
ment to  your  faith,  to  your  charity,  to 
your  spiritual-minded ness,  and  to  your 
holy  zeal.  As  it  regards  your  loss,  may 
God  supply  all  your  need,  according  to 
his  riches  in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus. 

As  for  you,  my  esteemed  friend,  once 
the  delighted  and  admiring  colleague  of 
him  whom  you  will  serve  in  the  gospel 
no  more,  you  will,  I  am  persuaded,  seri- 
ously repair  to  the  everlasting  spring  of 
consolation. 

And  you,  the  candidates  for  the  sacred 
office,  deprived  now  of  the  finest  specimen 
of  ministerial  address,  I  mourn  with  you, 
but  justify  him  who  hath  said,  "Have  I 


not  a  right  to  do  what  I  will  with  mine 
own  V  Walk  as  Mr.  Hall  did,  closely 
and  humbly  with  God.  Take  heed  unto 
yourselves  and  to  your  doctrine.  Search 
the  Scriptures.  Serve  your  generation 
according  to  the  will  of  God.  Be  strong 
in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his  might ; 
and  keep  in  view  the  assurance  given  by 
our  Lord's  apostle,  "  When  Christ  who 
is  our  life  shall  appear,  then  shall  we 
also  appear  with  him  in  glory."  You 
may  be  wanting  in  those  accomplish- 
ments which  rendered  Mr.  Hall  one  of 
the  phenomena  of  the  age — his  depth,  his 
sublimity,  his  mental  vigour,  his  breath- 
ing thoughts,  his  burning  words  ; — but 
you  may  hope,  by  the  divine  aid,  to  ap- 
proach him  in  sanctification,  in  kindntjss, 
in  devotedness  to  God,  and  in  a  concern 
for  the  salvation  of  men.  You  may  also 
hope  to  make  an  effectual  display  of 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ;  and,  singling 
out  some  of  the  great  assembly  that 
shall  be  converted  hereafter,  it  may  be 
yours  to  exclaim,  "  Behold,  here  am  I, 
and  the  children  whom  thou  hast  given 
me." 

All  Christian  ministers  are  impressed 
by  this  solemn  event.  Many  of  them  feel 
as  though,  in  partnig  with  this  one  bro- 
ther, they  had  parted  with  many.  They 
look  down  on  the  dreary  chasm  produced 
by  the  ascent  of  his  triumphant  spirit, 
and  ask  despairingly,  When  will  it  be 
filled  as  it  was  before  he  left  it]  They 
are  dispersed  through  a  diversity  of  reli- 
gious connexions,  but  they  were  wont  to 
claim  him  as  a  fellow  member  with  them, 
applying  to  him  the  encomium  first  ap- 
plied to  another  minister,  "  Such  he  was 
as  every  Christian  church  would  have 
rejoiced  to  have  adopted." 

Some  have  never  heard  him,  but  they 
have  read  his  printed  productions,  and  in 
them  they  recognise  the  illuminated  and 
strenuous  asserter  of  divine  truth,  or  they 
have  heard  of  him  as  a  preacher  who 
scorned  the  tinsel  of  heartless  eloquence. 
Various  individuals  have  sunk  in  the 
most  important  kind  of  reputation  as  they 
have  advanced  in  years,  or  have  suffered 
shipwreck  even  within  sight  of  the  har- 
bour ;  but  you  have  perceived  that  hie 
doctrine  and  his  example  shone  "  more 


THE  PULPIT  GALLERY. 


137 


and  more  unto  the  perfect  day."     So  may 
.it  be  with  you  ! 

A  document  has  been  prepared  by  the 
medical  friend  to  whom,  under  God,  he 
owed  so  much  mitigation  of  pain  in  the 
last  days  of  his  life ;  and  it  is  so  minute 
and  interesting  that  I  can  only  lament  its 
having  come  into  my  possession  too  late 
for  the  use  which  might  have  been  made 
of  it  on  the  present  occasion.  On  read- 
ing it,  I  was  distressed  to  think  of  the 
torture  which  agitated  his  body ;  but  I 
was  proportionately  relieved  by  his  calm- 
ness and  serenity  of  mind,  and  by  his 
tender  but  solemn  allusions  to  Him  who, 
amidst  the  pangs  of  crucifixion,  cried  out 
in  agonies  resulting  from  a  bitter  source, 
"  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  for- 
saken me  !"  and  also  his  most  refreshing 
persuasion  that  all  would  soon  be  well  with 
him — for  he  would  soon  be  with  his  God  ! 
The  church,  at  large,  could  ill  spare  him ; 
but  he  is  happy.  INlay  every  preacher, 
who  had  the  opportunity  of  appreciating 
him,  and  may  all  here,  and  elsewhere, 
that  ever  had  the  privilege  of  his  ac- 
quaintance or  ministry,  follow  him  as  he 
followed  Christ,  and  be  associated  with 
him  in  the  service  and  the  bliss  of  eter- 
nity.    Amen. 


THE   PUZiPIT  GJLZiIiZiaV. 

NO.    VI. 


THE    REV.    ROBERT   HALL,  D.D. 
Late  Pastor  of  Broadmead  Meeting,  Bristol. 


Robert  Hall  was  a  son  of  the  Rev. 
Robert  Hall,  a  Baptist  minister,  and  was 
born  at  Arnsby,  in  Leicestershire,  in  the 
year  1764.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  Mr. 
Hall  entered  himself  a  student  at  King's 
college,  Aberdeen,  where  he  highly  dis- 
tinguished himself.  In  his  twentieth 
year,  he  took  his  degree  of  master  of  arts, 
and  became  assistant  to  Dr.  Evans  in  the 
labours  of  the  Bristol  Academical  Insti- 
tution, and  in  the  exercises  of  the  pulpit. 
At  this  time  he  was  visited  with  a  severe 
affliction,  which  for  a  season,  suspended 
his  valuable  labours.  In  the  year  1791, 
he  became  the  successor  of  Robert 
Robinson  of  Cambridge ;  and  soon  after 
his  settlement,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of 

Vol.  L— 18 


seeing  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  prospei 
in  his  hand. 

In  1803,  Mr.  Hall  was  again  afflicted 
and  obliged  to  suspend  all  public  duty; 
but  his  mind  having  regained  its  accus- 
tomed powers,  he  was  subsequently  in- 
vited to  become  the  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  Leicester,  which  offer  he  ac- 
cepted. Here  he  laboured  for  more  than 
twenty  years  beloved  by  his  flock — es- 
teemed by  the  inhabitants  of  the  town, 
and  revered  by  the  clergy  of  the  esta- 
blished and  protected  churches. 

In  the  year  1825,  Dr.  Ryland  the  pre- 
sident of  the  Bristol  academy,  and  pas- 
tor of  Broadmead  meeting,  died,  when 
Mr.  Hall  was  unanimously  chosen  to 
succeed  him  in  both  offices.  A  sense  of 
duty,  after  due  deliberation,  induced  him 
to  accept  this  arduous  and  important  post. 
How^  he  was  esteemed  and  loved,  and 
what  were  the  opinions  formed  of  him, 
during  the  last  years  of  his  life,  may  be 
seen  by  the  following  extract  from  a  let- 
ter which  appeared  in  the  Bristol  Journal, 
a  few  days  after  his  decease. 

"  To  consign  in  silence  to  the  weekly 
record  of  death  the  sudden  removal  from 
our  world  of  a  man  so  pre-eminent  in 
whatever  has  the  strongest  claim  on  in- 
tellectual, moral,  or  religious,  admiration, 
would  leave,  we  feel,  a  degree  of  reproach 
on  that  city  which  has  been  blessed  and 
honoured  by  his  presence  during  the  last 
five  years  of  his  invaluable  life.  On  such 
an  occasion,  were  we  to  hold  our  peace, 
the  very  stones  in  our  streets  would  cry 
out  against  us.  By  this  melancholy 
event  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude  anr 
splendour  has  been  eclipsed ;  and  death 
has  seldom  claimed  a  richer  spoil.  To 
speak  of  this  incomparable  man  in  lan- 
guage proportioned  to  his  merit,  is  far 
beyond  the  pretension  of  this  hasty  me- 
morial :  his  just  eulogy  would  require  an 
eloquence  like  that  which  his  generous 
spirit  had  so  often  displayed  at  the  grave 
of  departed  excellence;  like  that  with 
which  he  has  represented  the  feelings  of 
the  nation  on  the  death  of  the  Princess 
Charlotte — the  feelings  of  Leicester  on 
the  death  of  Mr.  Robinson — or  those  of 
Bristol  on  that  of  Dr.  Ryland  ;  an  elo- 
quence like  that  which  has  so  long,  and 
M  2 


138 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


nere  so  lately,  charmed  into  admiring' 
attention  the  thousands  who  hung  upon 
his  lips.  The  tones  of  that  hallowed 
oratory  haunt  us  at  this  moment  with  a 
mental  echo  that  will  not  soon  die  away  : 
but  alas !  the  living  voice,  or  another  like 
it,  will  be  heard  no  more !  In  the  sub- 
lime and  boundless  themes  of  religious 
contemplation,  this  sacred  orator,  this 
Christian  Demosthenes,  triumphed,  as  in 
an  element  congenial  with  the  amplitude 
and  grandeur  of  his  mind.  His  preach- 
ing (it  may  be  truly  said,  and,  now  that 
he  has  ceased  either  to  preach  or  to  hear, 
said  without  impropriety)  was  as  far 
superior,  in  magnificence  of  thought  and 
expression,  to  ordinary  preaching,  as  the 
'  Paradise  Lost'  is  superior  to  other  poe- 
try. It  was,  if  such  an  image  may  be 
allowed,  like  harmony  poured  forth  by  a 
harp  of  a  thousand  strings.  But  he  has 
himself  unconsciously  portrayed  it  in 
his  exquisite  remarks  on  the  preaching  of 
Mr.  Robinson  : — '  You  have  most  of  you 
witnessed  his  pulpit  exertions  on  that 
spot  where  he  was  accustomed  to  retain 
a  listening  throng,  awed,  penetrated,  de- 
lighted, and  instructed,  by  his  manly, 
unaffected  eloquence.  Who  ever  heard 
him  without  feeling  a  persuasion  that  it 
was  the  man  of  God  who  addressed  him, 
or  without  being  struck  by  the  perspicu- 
ity of  his  statements,  the  solidity  of  his 
thoughts,  and  the  rich  unction  of  his 
spirit  ]  It  was  the  harp  of  David,  which, 
touched  by  his  powerful  hand,  sent  forth 
more  than  mortal  sounds ;  and  produced 
an  impression  far  more  deep  and  perma- 
nent than  the  thunder  of  Demosthenes,  or 
the  splendid  conflagrations  of  Cicero  I' 
The  energies  of  this  great  spirit  were 
concentrated  in  devotion ;  consecrated, 
through  a  long  course  of  years,  to  the  re- 
ligious benefit  of  man,  and  the  glory  of  a 
redeeming  God.  The  intellectual  sub- 
limity and  beauty  of  his  mind  were  in 
perfect  harmony  with  the  moral  elevation 
and  spiritual  grace  of  his  character.  The 
singular  humility  of  his  heart,  the  remark- 
able modesty  and  affability  of  his  deport- 
ment, presented  an  affecting  contrast  to 
the  splendour  of  his  genius  ;  his  consci- 
entious and  unearthly  indifference  to  fame 
or    emolument  was    rendered  the  more 


striking  by  his  ability  to  command  them, 
had  he  wished,  with  his  tongue  and  with 
his  pen.  Combining  the  intellect  of  a 
Pascal  with  the  oratory  of  a  Massillon, 
he  retained  through  life  a  transparent 
simplicity  and  sincerity,  as  inimitable  as 
the  wonders  of  his  reason  and  eloquence  ; 
while  all  his  endowments  were  embalmed 
and  crowned  by  a  seraphic  piety.  But 
praise  is  useless  here  :  '  his  praise  is  in 
all  the  churches  :'  so  long  as  genius,  hal- 
lowed and  sublimed  by  devotion,  shall 
command  veneration,  the  name  of  Robert 
Hall  will  be  remembered  among  the 
brightest  examples  of  sainted  talent :  and 
above  all,  '  his  record  is  on  high  :'  he  has 
passed  from  a  state  of  protracted  suffering 
into  that  glory  to  which  he  had  long  and 
fervently  aspired,  and  which  he  had  often 
portrayed  with  the  vividness  of  one  who 
had  caught  an  anticipating  glimpse  of  the 
beatific  vision. 

'  His  saltern  accumulen  donis,  et  fungar  inani 
Munere.' " 


R.    T.    WILSON 

Late  Bishop  of  Sodor  and  Man. 

This  eminent  prelate  was  venerable  in 
his  aspect,  meek  in  his  deportment,  his 
face  illuminated  with  benignity,  and  his 
heart  glowing  with  piety  :  like  his  divine 
Master,  he  went  about  doing  good.  His 
ear  was  ever  open  to  the  tale  of  woe,  and 
his  hand  ready  to  relieve.  His  palace  was 
a  temple  of  charity.  Hospitality  stood  at 
his  gate,  and  invited  the  stranger  and 
beggar  to  a  plenteous  repast.  The  day 
he  devoted  to  benevolence,  and  the  night 
to  piety.  His  revenue  was  dedicated  to 
the  poor  and  needy:  and,  not  contented 
with  relieving  the  wants,  and  mitigating 
the  woes  of  mankind,  he  was  solicitous, 
by  precept  and  example,  to  conduct  his 
little  flock  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven.. 
He  died  in  the  ninety-third  year  of  his 
age,  and  the  fifty-eighth  of  his  consecra- 
tion, justly  revered  and  lamented  by  the 
whole  island ;  while  his  grave  was  wa- 
tered with  the  tears  of  those  whom  his 
bounty  had  supported,  his  benignity  had 
gladdened,  or  his  eloquent  piety  had 
turned  into  the  paths  of  righteousness. 


SERMON  XIII. 

THE  CHARACTER  OF  RELIGIOUS  ZEAL. 
BY  THE  REV.  A.  THOMSON,  D.  D. 


"  ft  IS  good  to  he  zealously  affected  always  in  a  good  thing." — Gal.  iv.  18. 


I  TAKE  it  for  granted  that  the  good  thing 
here  mentioned  is  true  religion  ;  and  I  will 
not  suppose  that  any  of  you  are  alarmed 
at  the  idea  of  religious  zeal,  nor  that  you 
think  it  injurious  or  inconsistent.  And  I 
will  suppose  that  you  consider  it  as  a 
character  which  essentially  belongs  to  a 
disciple  of  the  Saviour ;  and  that  when 
we  say,  a  zealous  Christian,  we  speak 
with  as  much  propriety  as  when  we  say, 
a  zealous  friend,  a  zealous  patriot ; — that 
it  is  a  grace  of  the  Christian  life  ;  and 
that  it  gives  to  all  other  graces  of  the 
Christian  character  their  highest  tone, 
and  their  highest  effect.  But  while  zeal 
ts  as  necessary  in  religion  as  in  any  other 
pursuit  which  is  difficult ;  yet  religion,  as 
it  is  superior  to  all  else,  and  as  its  diffi- 
culties are  inconceivably  greater,  it  is  of 
greater  importance  to  be  zealous  in  reli- 
gion than  in  any  thing  beside.  There 
may,  indeed,  be  exceptions;  as  when  it 
operates  for  opinions  in  religion  only — or 
for  a  part  of  religion,  and  not  the  whole — 
or  in  the  use  of  means  which  religion 
does  not  sanction.  But  it  is  most  evident 
that  it  cannot  be  excessive  when  it  is  di- 
rected to  a  right  object,  and  by  right 
means,  and  in  its  own  spirit.  We  cannot 
be  too  zealous  in  working  out  ourown  salva- 
tion— or  in  glorifying  the  God  who  made 
us — or  in  serving  the  Redeemer  who  died 
for  us  to  procure  our  redemption  :  we  can- 
not be  too  zealous  in  preparing  for  eter- 
nity :  we  cannot  be  too  zealous  in  assist- 
ing our  fellow-creatures  to  save  their 
immortal  souls.  We  may  be  satisfied, 
from  the  example  of  Christ,  and  from  the 
example  of  his  disciples,  and  from  the 
example  of  the  best  men  in  the  Christian 


church,  that  in  all  these  things  we  cannot 
be  too  zealous.  We  are  in  danger  only 
on  the  other  side :  we  cannot  go  beyond 
due  bounds :  and  those  who  are  so  con- 
tinually cautioning  their  friends  against 
being  too  zealous  in  religion,  are  persons 
who  are  themselves  uninfluenced  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  How  can  we  be  too  zeal- 
ous to  become  Christians  indeed,  or  too 
zealous  to  obtain  a  meetness  for  the  eter- 
nal kingdom  of  God  T  But  we  shall  not 
dwell  longer  on  this  point. 

There  are,  however,  many  things  to  be 
attended  to,  in  order  that  our  zeal  may  be 
as  efficient  as  possible.  Though  it  cannot 
be  too  great  in  its  degree,  yet,  in  order 
that  it  may  adorn  the  Christian  character, 
and  that  it  may  produce  its  intended 
effects,  our  zeal  must  be  regulated  by 
certain  principles  and  maxims  ;  that  it 
may  not  be  injurious,  but  acquire  a  pro- 
per tone,  and  be  made  useful  to  ourselves 
and  to  others.  The  want  of  judgment  in 
some  who  have  exercised  it  has  brought 
it  into  bad  reputation ;  and  by  their  reck- 
lessness they  have  hindered  their  own 
progress  in  Christianity,  and  prevented 
their  usefulness  to  those  around  them. 
By  putting  our  zeal  under  proper  direction 
and  management,  we  shall  not  only  add 
to  its  ardour  in  our  own  particular  case, 
but  be  beneficial  in  any  place  where  its 
influence  pervades. 

I.  Our  zeal  for  true  religion  should 

BE     A     REAL    AND    CONSCIENTIOUS    ZEAL. 

There  is  a  zeal  of  sympathy,  which  is 
awakened  by  the  zeal  of  others  with 
whom  we  associate.  We  catch  their 
spirit — we  follow  what  they  begin — we 
assume  the  same  aspect  which  they  wear 
139 


140 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


— we  share  in  the  credit  which  they  ob- 
tain. There  is  a  constitutional  zeal ;  a 
warmth,  an  ardour,  which  enters  into  all 
we  say  and  do — which  pervades  all  we 
engage  in — and  which  induces  us  to  un- 
dertake what  others  would  tremble  at. 
And  there  is  a  zeal  of  sentimentaliiy, 
which  will  not  influence  us  when  things 
are  looked  at  in  their  plain  form ;  which 
throws  a  sort  of  romantic  glow  over  our 
object,  and  which  leads  to  exercises  which 
are  too  often  the  language  of  the  pas- 
sions; and  which  are  too  loose,  and  too 
random,  to  produce  a  decided  effect.  And 
there  is  a  zeal  of  affectation.  It  has  no 
counterpart  in  the  affections  of  the  heart. 
It  is  coupled  with  indifference,  and  even 
with  hostility,  to  the  cause  it  affects  to 
serve.  It  courts  attention ;  like  Jehu,  who 
took  Jehonadab  up  into  his  chariot,  and 
drove  through  the  streets  to  Samaria,  say- 
ing, "  Come,  see  my  zeal  for  the  Lord  I" 
Now,  all  this  is  wrong :  this  is,  properly 
speaking,  not  zeal  in  religion  ;  religion  is 
not  the  thing  in  view  :  there  is  no  wish  for 
religion — no  desire  to  promote  its  interests 
— in  those  who  thus  exercise  it.  The  zeal 
of  sympathy,  for  instance,  is  only  that  of 
a  soldier,  who,  though  himself  a  coward, 
is  urged  on  to  battle  by  the  example  of 
the  general  who  is  at  his  head.  The  zeal 
of  constitution  is  a  mere  animal  warmth, 
and  is  no  more  allied  to  our  spirits,  than 
are  our  arms  or  our  feet.  The  zeal  of 
sentimentality  does  not  reciprocate  with 
religion,  as  it  is  found  in  men  who  have 
not  religion.  It  must  have  some  power- 
ful excitement,  and  dies  away  when  that 
is  gone.  And  the  zeal  of  affectation  is,  in 
fact,  hypocrisy ;  and  is  not  more  con- 
demned in  Scripture  than  it  is  odious  in 
itself,  and  pernicious  in  its  consequences. 
The  zeal  that  is  proper,  is  a  fair  demon- 
stration of  what  is  felt  within  us.  It  seeks 
not  the  eye  of  man,  but  acts  under  the 
keen,  all-searching  eye  of  God.  It  is  in- 
fluenced by  what  is  real  and  true  ;  it  is  fed 
by  the  real  and  great  blessings  which 
Christianity  has  to  bestow ;  and  then  it 
becomes  a  constituent  part  of  our  charac- 
ter— it  becomes  a  part  of  our  duty — it 
constitutes  a  portion  of  our  blessedness. 
It  maintains  its  dominion  in  our  souls ; 
and  it  appears  without  what  it  is  really 


within,  and  what  we  are  anxious  to  prove 
it  to  our  own  consciences,  and  to  Him 
who  sees  what  passes  within. 

And  now,  my  friends,  are  you  zealous  1 
Do  you  think  j' ourselves  so  ?  Are  you  so 
esteemed  by  your  fellow-men  1  Do  not 
imagine  )^ou  are  so,  because  men  are  satis- 
fied with  you,  or  because  you  have  done 
much  that  is  accounted  good.  Be  not 
satisfied  with  this  ;  but  examine  your- 
selves— see  that  you  have  real,  heartfelt 
zeal.  Seek  to  be  renewed  in  the  spirit  of 
your  minds.  .Be  strong  in  your  faith  in 
that  system  which  has  God  for  its  author, 
and  salvation  for  its  end.  Meditate  on  all 
which  that  religion  requires  you  to  believe 
— on  all  it  commands  you  to  do.  Think 
of  its  value  to  every  human  being.  Pon- 
der on  the  misery  it  stoops  to  relieve. 
Reflect  on  your  own  personal  guilt  and 
danger,  and  cordially  embrace  the  salva- 
tion it  reveals.  Dart  your  views  and 
thoughts  forward  into  eternity,  and  let 
every  feeling  be  roused,  and  every  pas- 
sion called  forth  into  exercise  ;  and  let  re- 
ligion, and  your  zeal  for  it,  be  as  firmly 
united  in  your  hearts  as  they  are  in  the 
will  of  God. 

II.  Our  zeal  for  remgion  must  also 

BE       INTELLIGENT,       ACCOMPANIED      WITH 

KNOWLEDGE.  There  is  no  subject  on 
which  we  ought  to  be  zealous,  if  we  are 
ignorant  of  that  with  which  it  is  conver- 
sant. In  such  case,  it  may  do  injury  in- 
stead of  good.  Zeal  is  a  feeling  of  much 
potency  :  its  exercise  is  strong,  and  may 
be  resistless  ;  so  that  it  requires  to  be 
operated  only  as  to  what  is  good.  If  it 
be  employed  in  what  is  evil,  it  may  do 
great  injury  by  its  success ;  if  it  be  em- 
ployed in  what  is  good,  the  result  may  be 
greatly  beneficial.  We  must,  therefore, 
be  well  acquainted  with  what  it  proposes, 
and  also  with  the  means  by  which  it  is  to 
be  brought  about.  We  must  not  speak 
of  religion  in  its  more  comprehensive 
term,  but  by  a  particular  examination  of 
its  component  parts.  We  may  say  that 
it  is  religion  in  general  we  are  anxious  to 
promote — to  propagate  it  in  geiwral — to 
be  zealous  for  it  in  general.  But  it  is 
only  as  we  correctly  understand  its  im- 
port, that  we  can  be  zealous  in  believing, 
in  loving,  in  obeying,  what  it  reveals  and 


RELIGIOUS  ZEAL. 


141 


enjoins.  We  may  else  be  only  pursuing- 
a  shadow  instead  of  the  substance,  and 
devoting  to  error  what  is  due  to  truth 
alone.  And,  even  if  we  know  ils  nature, 
what  will  this  avail,  if  we  be  ignorant  of 
the  proper  meaiis  to  spread  it?  We  may 
prove  injurious;  and,  though  we  only  in- 
tended good,  nothing  but  evil  may  arise. 
We  must  take  care  that  our  minds  be  en- 
lightened on  both  these  subjects  ;  that  we 
may  well  understand  the  nature  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  the  best  modes  of  makiiig  it 
available  to  the  great  purposes  it  is  de- 
signed to  effect.  • 

Many  instances  might  be  adduced  to 
prove  this.  Paul  says  of  his  countrymen, 
"  I  bear  them  record,  that  they  have  a  zeal 
of  God,  but  not  according  to  knowledge.'''' 
You  see  that  he  testifies  to  the  sincerity 
of  their  zeal,  and  to  the  general  goodness 
of  that  as  to  which  their  zeal  was  em- 
ployed ;  and  yet  they  were  quite  wrong — 
their  zeal  went  for  nothing  ;  or,  rather,  it 
served  to  increase  their  delusion,  and  to 
accelerate  their  ruin.  "For  they  being 
ignorant  of  God's  righteousness,  and  go- 
ing about  to  establish  their  own  right- 
eousness, have  not  submitted  themselves 
to  the  righteousness  of  God  ;" — they  were 
desirous  of  being  saved,  and  that  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  God,  but  they  were  mis- 
taken as  to  the  way  of  salvation — as  to 
the  nature  of  that  will ;  they  wished  to  be 
saved  by  their  own  works;  they  were 
strangers  to  his  righteous  mode  of  saving ; 
they  depended  on  the  ceremonial  observ- 
ances of  the  Mosaic  ritual,  instead  of 
coming  in  the  way  of  mercy  which  God 
had  provided  for  the  redemption  of  the 
world  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The 
consequence  was,  they  could  not  be  ex- 
empted from  wrath  and  obtain  salva- 
tion ;  and  at  the  very  time  they  had  so 
much  zeal,  Paul  was  pouring  forth  his 
earnest  prayer  "  that  they  might  be  saved,'''' 
— that  they  might  be  led  aright,  and 
brought  to  obtain  the  salvation  they  de- 
sired. 

And  this  was  not  peculiar  to  the  Jews  : 
the  same  thing  is  to  be  feared  of  many  in 
our  own  day,  of  whose  sincerity  we  dare 
not  doubt.  Zealous  as  they  may  be  in 
their  own  way,  yet,  as  that  is  the  wrong 
way,  they  cannot  obtain  any  good  by  the 


exercise  of  all  their  zeal,  however  warm- 
If  they  would  be  zealous  so  as  to  profit 
themselves,  it  becomes  them,  with  all 
humility,  to  go  to  the  fountain  of  know- 
ledge to  obtain  all  that  information  by 
which  it  is  God's  will  they  should  come 
to  salvation.  How  many  of  our  Roman 
Catholic  brethren,  for  instance,  are  exer- 
cising the  warmest  zeal ;  but  they  are  ig- 
norant of  the  only  true  guide — the  word 
of  God.  They  are  directed  falsely  by 
those  who  should  guide  them.  Their 
zeal  is  zeal  for  the  infallibility  of  human 
councils,  for  the  traditions  of  men,  for 
trifles,  for  will-worship,  and  for  all  the 
absurd  mummery  of  superstition.  The 
persons  of  whom  I  now  speak,  with  sin- 
cerest  pity  for  their  ignorance,  have  the 
same  feelings  and  passions  in  com'mon 
with  ourselves ;  but  they  have  not  received 
the  truth  in  its  purity ; — and  while  we 
behold  them  so  zealousfor  all  tlie  fooleries, 
in  the  belief  of  which  they  have  been 
brought  up,  it  well  befits  us  to  take  warn- 
ing by  their  example,  and  to  avail  our- 
selves of  all  the  truth  which  God  has  re- 
vealed, and  all  the  records  of  his  saving 
grace.  In  proportion  as  we  are  mistaken 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  mistaken 
as  to  the  means  of  its  propagation,  will 
be  the  injurious  nature  of  that  zeal  which 
we  cultivate  in  ourselves,  and  which  we 
aim  to  promote  in  our  fellow-men. 

And,  to  be  impartial,  I  will  adduce  in 
further  illustration,  the  treatment  which 
has  been  given  to  that  sect,  and  to  the 
members  of  that  sect,  as  to  their  civil  and 
religious  capacity.  I  believe  that  these 
two  points  are  not  separated  as  they 
should  be  ;  and  there  is  often  a  zeal  exer 
cised  against  them,  that  they  may  never 
possess  a  greater  extension  of  their  civi- 
privileges,  because  we  know  that  they 
have  a  system  of  religion  which  we  are 
quite  sure  is  wrong.  If  the  persons  who 
are  thus  zealous  against  them,  believe 
that  they  shall  be  exposed  to  danger  by 
that  extension,  they  are  right  in  acting  as 
they  do ;  and  if  I  thought  as  they  do, 
which  I  most  certainly  do  not,  I  should 
act  the  same.  W^e  suppose,  that  simply 
because  they  are  educated  in,  and  make 
profession  of,  a  very  bad  system  of  reli 
gion, — for  this,  and  for  no  other  reasoa 


142 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


we  ought  to  degrade  and  to  disfranchise 
all  who  liold  that  system.  This  zeal  may 
be  very  sincere,  but  it  is  not  zeal  accord- 
ing to  knowledge.  I  believe  that  the  sys- 
tem of  popery  is  bad — that  it  is  prejudi- 
cial to  the  spread  of  knowledge  and  the 
cause  of  true  religion — that  we  should  do 
all  we  can  to  beat  it  down — and  that  it  is 
wrong  for  any  man  to  be  cold  or  chary  in 
acting  against  it :  still,  it  comes  clearly  to 
my  mind,  that  this  does  not  form  a  disqualt- 
ficalinn  for  the  enjoyment  of  civil  privi- 
leges ;  and  that  zeal  against  the  system  is 
not  incompatible  with  a  willingness  for 
the  increase  of  those  privileges  ;  and  that 
this  extension  of  their  privileges  is  the 
very  way  to  do  them  good,  to  open  their 
minds,  and  to  remove  those  barriers  which 
have  hitlierto  prevented  free  inquiry. 
What  is  perilous  at  one  time  may  be  safe 
at  another ;  and  I  believe  that  our  zeal 
against  the  system  shall  be  greater  and 
more  effective,  by  granting  an  extension 
of  civil  liberties  to  men  who  have  been 
imder  the  influence  of  early  prejudices 
and  education,  and  who  have  too  fre- 
quently been  borne  down  by  the  ungener- 
ous restrictions  of  a  selfish  policy.  In 
saying  this,  I  mean  no  offence :  I  only 
crave  the  liberty  which  I  grant  to  others. 
I  only  contend  that  our  zeal  in  religion, 
must  be  zeal  according  to  knowledge ; 
and  that  in  order  to  have  it  according  to 
knowledge,  we  must  go  to  the  Scriptures, 
which  alone  can  enlighten.  For  want  of 
this,  we  find  men  zealous  in  asserting 
dogmas  which  have  no  foundation  but  in 
their  own  heated  fancies ;  and  which  have 
no  more  resemblance  to  truth  than  the 
most  absurd  fictions  of  pagan  mythology. 

If  any  of  you,  my  brethren,  have  hith- 
erto been  zealous  without  light,  be  zeal- 
ous now,  and  repent.  Examine  the  Scrip- 
tures ;  and  let  your  zeal  be  directed  to  a 
worthy  end,  and  exerted  in  the  use  of 
suitable  means  :  then  shall  it  be  useful  to 
yourselves,  and  useful  to  all  around. 

III.    There  must  be  prudence  in  the 

EXERCISE  AND  MANIFESTATION  OF  OUR  RE- 
LIGIOUS ZEAL. — 1  am  well  aware  that  many 
Christian  people  are  afraid  of  this  ;  they 
are  afraid  that  it  springs  from  indifference 
to  the  great  cause.  They  are  all  zeal 
without  prudence ;  just  as  another  class 


of  persons  are  all  prudence  without  zeal. 
Those  to  whom  I  now  allude,  are  chiefly 
young  persons :  they  are  all  alive  to  the 
power  and  excellency  of  the  gospel ;  their 
ordinary  judgment  and  feelings  are  laid 
aside  ;  they  see  religion  as  the  one  thing 
needful.  And  in  the  struggles  of  their 
souls  to  escape  the  evil  which  threatens 
them  ;  and  in  their  desires  to  obtain  the 
salvation  which  has  been  wrought  out  for 
them ;  and  in  their  anxiety  to  snatch  others 
from  the  ruin  which  aw^aits  them  ;  and  in 
the  alacrity  with  which  they  proceed  in 
the  course  of  obedience;  and  in  the  joy 
with  which  they  look  forward  to  the  glory 
which  awaits  them  ; — there  is  a  warmth 
and  impetuosity  of  feeling  which  makes 
them  wonder  how  any  who  feel  what  they 
feel,  and  know  what  they  know,  and  who 
see  what  they  see,  should  set  any  bounds 
to  their  zeal.  While  we  rejoice  in  all 
these,  as  proofs  of  real  religion,  we  yet 
wait  earnestly  for  the  period  when  their 
zeal  shall  become  tempered  with  pru- 
dence, which  shall  be  at  once  their  safe- 
guard and  their  impetus,  and  enable  them 
effectually  to  accomplish  the  very  object 
which  they  propose. 

We  should  be  careful  to  adopt  those 
measures  which  are  best  in  themselves, 
and  most  likely  to  accomplish  the  object 
we  propose.  This  is  what  we  call  Pru- 
dence. Prudence  does  not  damp  our 
zeal,  but  enables  us  better  to  accomplish 
our  own  object.  It  teaches  us  to  bring 
our  zeal  into  action  at  those  times  which 
are  most  seasonable  ;  and  in  that  manner 
which  is  most  likely  to  produce  the  great- 
est quantity  of  good.  And  as  it  teaches 
this,  and  nothing  else,  we  should  cultivate 
it  with  all  humility,  and  practice  it  with 
all  diligence.  It  is  said  of  the  good  man, 
that  "  he  will  guide  his  affairs  with  dis- 
cretion ;"  and  surely,  if  he  should  do  this 
in  all  his  concerns,  he  should  do  it  espe- 
cially in  religion.  It  was  predicted  of 
Christ,  whose  zeal  was  so  strong  that  it 
was  said  to  consume  him,  that  he  should 
"  deal  prudently ;"  and  it  is  added,  "  he 
shall  be  exalted,  and  extolled,  and  be  very 
high  ;"  and  what  was  thus  his  own  con- 
duct, he  presses  on  his  followers.  Solo- 
mon, who  was  a  very  wise  man,  has  said, 
"  Reprove  not  a  scorner,  lest  he  hate  thee : 


RELIGlOLrS  ZEAL. 


143 


he  tliat  reproveth  a  scorner,  getteth  to 
himself  shame."  And  a  greater  than 
Solomon  has  said,  "  Give  not  that  which 
is  holy  unto  the  dogs,  neither  cast  ye  your 
pearls  before  swine ;  lest  they  trample 
them  under  their  feet,  and  turn  again  and 
rend  you."  Persecution  is  what  the 
Christian  is  told  he  must  expect;  and  he 
sometimes  seems  more  ready  to  cope  with 
it  than  avoid  it,  lest  any  should  doubt  his 
sincerity.  But  Jesus  Christ  has  taught 
us  that  we  should  not  provoke  this,  nor 
avoid  the  ordinary  means  of  safety. 
"  Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in 
the  midst  of  wolves  :  be  ye  therefore  wise 
as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves.  But 
beware  of  men.  When  they  persecute 
you  in  this  city,  flee  ye  into  another." 
The  Christian  feels  deeply  concerned  for 
the  honour  of  God,  and  is  sometimes 
ready  to  imagine  that  the  profane  and  the 
wicked  should  be  swept  away  by  an  act 
of  violence  :  but  Christ  did  not  so  ;  and 
lest  his  followers  should  desire  to  go  into 
the  field  to  gather  out  the  tares,  he  has 
said,  "  Nay  ;  lest  while  ye  gather  up  the 
tares,  ye  root  up  also  the  wheat  with 
them." 

The  zeal  of  Paul  was  great :  it  led  him 
to  meet  every  hazard — to  encounter  every 
danger ;  he  was  "  instant  in  season,  out 
of  season  ;"  he  stood  constantly  prepared 
to  make  a  sacrifice  of  his  life.  Yet  he 
was  prudent  ,•  he  practised  himself  what 
he  advised  ; — "  Walk  in  wisdom  toward 
them  that  are  without ;" — "  Let  not  your 
good  be  evil  spoken  of;" — cautions  these, 
which,  while  they  check  no  zeal,  are 
salutary  to  those  who,  if  they  did  not  act 
so,  would  be  less  excellent  in  themselves, 
and  less  useful  to  others.  You  cannot  be 
too  zealous  in  obtaining  personal  religion  ; 
but  at  the  same  time  you  cannot  be  too 
prudent  in  the  means  you  adopt  to  pro- 
mote it ;  and  at  the  same  time  that  this 
will  enable  you  to  abound  in  all  the  fruits 
of  righteousness,  it  will  cause  you  to  be 
instrumental  in  making  others  safe  and 
happy. 

IV.  The  exercise  of  Christian  zeal 

MUST  ALWAYS  CONSIST  WITH  MORAL  INTE- 
GRITY.— We  said  at  the  first  that  you  can- 
not be  too  zealous  to  obtain  religion  ;  and 
this  particular  may  seem  to  contradict  it. 


But  we  spake  of  trtie  religion  ;  and  if  in 
your  zeal  you  act  contrary  to  moral  inte- 
grity, it  is  not  true  religion:  you  may  think 
so,  but  you  mistake.  True  religion  em- 
braces the  whole  will  of  God ;  and,  as 
moral  and  responsible  agents,  it  is  not 
more  necessary  that  we  should  seek  a 
lawful  end,  than  that  we  should  seek  the 
gaining  of  that  end  by  lawful  means.  It 
is  never  right  to  do  wrong  that  good  may 
come.  Christianity  in  our  own  hearts 
cannot  be  supported  by  that  which  is  in 
itself  contrary  to  its  own  nature  and  ob- 
ject. A  deliberate  or  systematic  disobe- 
dience to  any  one  command  of  God,  is  con- 
trary to  the  very  design  of  the  holy  God 
who  gave  us  his  gospel  to  make  us  holy. 
We  must  "  abstain  from  all  appearance  of 
evil,"  and  do  that  which  is  pleasing  in 
the  sight  of  God. 

A  striking  instance  of  this  false  zeal  is 
furnished  by  the  conduct  of  the  Pharisees, 
in  the  days  of  our  Lord.  "  Ye  say,  who- 
soever shall  say  to  his  father  or  his  mother, 
it  is  a  gift,  by  whatsoever  thou  mightest 
be  profited  by  me,  and  honour  not  his 
father  or  his  mother,  he  shall  be  free." 
These  men  were  very  zealous  in  making 
vows  as  to  the  temple  of  God,  and  in  de- 
voting property  to  that  eflTect ;  but  at  the 
same  time  they  kept  back  that  which  was 
due  to  the  support  of  their  parents,  and 
thus  brake  the  fifth  commandment.  Our 
Lord  would  commend  love  and  zeal  mani- 
fested to  his  house;  but  he  condemned  it 
when  done  at  the  expense  of  duty.  He 
could  not  but  be  displeased  at  their  pre- 
tending to  please  him  by  what  Avas  diame- 
trically opposed  to  his  will  :  and  had  the 
Pharisees  been  acquainted  with  the  word 
of  God ;  had  they  depended  less  on  the 
traditions  of  men  and  the  teachings  of  the 
scribes,  and  more  on  the  pure  word  of 
God  ; — they  had  not  so  mistaken,  nor  pre 
tended  to  honour  God,  while  they  diso 
beyed  his  will.  This  is  one  instance 
only ;  but  it  contains  the  principle  we 
would  impress  upon  you.  Christ  has 
here  taught  us  that  our  zeal  is  unsound 
and  unavailing,  when  it  prosecutes  its 
objects  by  wrong  means.  It  is  not  exces 
sive,  but  altogether  wrong;  it  is  not  zeal 
for  true  religion.  It  requires,  not  to  be 
regulated  in  its  ardour,  but  to  be  changed 


144 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


in  its  object.  To  please  God  by  break- 
ing his  will,  and  to  save  the  soul  by  an 
act  of  disobedience,  is  one  of  the  strangest 
ideas  that  can  possibly  enter  into  the 
mind  of  man. 

If  you,  my  brethren,  have  bad  such  a 
zeal;  if,  you  have  disregarded  honesty 
and  sincerity  in  search  of  religion  ;  if  you 
have  acted  under  the  influence  of  the 
sentiment,  that  "^we  may  do  evil  that 
good  may  come ;"  if,  under  the  idea  of 
making  the  vpord  of  God  known  more 
extensively,  you  put  up  with  it  something 
which  is  not  Gocfs  word  ;  if,  in  attempting 
to  promote  the  truth  of  God,  you  resort  to 
means  which  God  does  not  approve  ; — O, 
"  be  zealous,  and  repent ,-"  and  be  assured, 
that  without  this  integrity  to  accompany 
your  zeal,  you  can  never  prosper,  be  the 
object  you  aim  at  never  so  great  and  well 
conceived. 

V.  Our  religious  zeal  must  be  under 

THE        INFLUENCE       OF       CHARITY. Great 

things  are  said  of  charity ;  and  while  to 
be  destitute  of  it,  is  to  be  destitute  of  the 
chief  ornament  of  the  Christian  charac- 
ter ;  so  to  have  it  and  to  exercise  it  aright, 
is  to  have  the  heart  purified  and   made 
meet  for  God.     And  charity  is  of  vast  im- 
portance to  religious  zeal.     If  we  have  it 
not,  we  shall  take  no  pains  to  do  good  to 
those  around  us  ;  if  we  see  them  in  dark- 
ness and  in  danger,  yet,  not  loving  them, 
we  shall  make  no  effort  to  do  them  good  ; 
whereas,  if  we  have  charity  towards  them, 
we  shall  do  them  all  the  good  we  can. 
And  when  we  are  zealous  for  their  good, 
then  charity  comes  in  to  mould  it  into  a 
better  form,  and  to  bring  about  more  effec- 
tually the  end  we  propose  to  accomplish. 
If  we  have  not  been  taught  to  love  God, 
"  and  to  hate  sin — to  hate  sin,  because  we 
love  him  who  first  loved  us ;  when  we 
meet  with  those  who  are  opposed  to  the 
plans  of  God  and  his  salvation,  we  are 
apt  to  think  harshly  of  them,  and  would, 
by  one  act,  cast  them  out  at  once.     Such 
a  zeal  is  unworthy  the  professors  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.     The  more  sinful  and 
wretched    men   are,   the    more    anxious 
should  we  be  to  bring  them  into  the  ways 
of    Christ.      We    should    exercise    the 
charity  that  "  hopeth   all   things  ;"  and 
hope  that  a  change  may  take  place,  how- 


ever bad  things  seem  at  present.  By  the 
exercise  of  this  disposition,  we  shall  con- 
ciliate the  hearts  we  are  anxious  to  win 
to  the  obedience  of  Christ.  Charity  will 
sublime  our  zeal ;  it  will  enable  us  to  use 
the  means  with  greater  effect,  and  bring 
them  to  bear  on  the  circumstances  and 
situations  of  those  whom  we  wish  to 
benefit. 

This  charity,  however,  does  not  require 
us  to  mingle  the  wicked  and  the  right- 
eous ;  to  imagine  there  is  holiness  where 
there  is  only  sin ;  or  to  suppose  that  men 
are  the  servants  of  God,  when  they  are, 
in  fact,  the  servants  of  Satan.  This 
would  be  but  imbecility;  and  it  would 
injure  others, because  it  would  lead  them 
to  practise,  without  compunction,  the 
very  things  they  ought  to  avoid.  Some 
there  are,  of  whom  we  cannot  speak  but 
with  aversion,  or  of  their  practices  but 
with  abhorrence.  Here,  however,  is 
room  for  the  exercise  of  charity  ;  in  quali- 
fying the  circumstances  which  have  given 
rise  to  the  evil,  and  in  finding  room  for 
aiming  at  their  conversion,  whatever  may 
be  the  nature  of  their  case.  And  while 
charity  will  lead  us  to  pity  them,  and  to 
aim  at  their  salvation  ;  it  will  prevent  us 
from  confounding  with  habits  what  has 
only  originated  in  mistake,  and  from  keep- 
ing at  a  distance  from  that  which  only 
waits  for  the  exercise  of  Christian  exer- 
tion and  instruction,  to  make  all  proper 
and  Christian.  Charity,  therefore,  so  far 
from  checking  our  zeal,  prompts  us  to  the 
immediate  use  of  proper  means,  and  gives 
those  means  their  due  effect. 

If  we  be  zealous  for  religion,  we  shall 
be  zealous  for  charity,  which  is  an  essen- 
tial part  of  true  religion.  We  therefore 
exhort  you,  in  the  exercise  of  j'our  zeal 
for  true  religion,  for  the  sake  of  others  to 
invest  your  zeal  with  charity.  I  would 
especially  enforce  this  on  those  who  have 
but  lately  been  brought  into  the  ways  of 
God.  You  are  apt  to  consider  your  for- 
mer associates  as  bad  persons ;  you  are 
even  ready  to  consider  them  as  outcasts 
from  God's  favour,  and  as  something  too 
vile  to  be  mended  or  saved.  O,  my  friends, 
consider  that  it  is  but  a  very  little  while 
since  you  also  were  "  in  the  gall  of  bitter- 
ness and  in  the  bond  of  iniquity ;"  you 


RELIGIOUS  ZEAL. 


145 


are  but  just  rescued  from  "  the  horrible 
pit,  and  the  miry  clay ;"  and  if  God  had 
dealt  with  you  as  you  deserved,  you  had 
been  plunged  into  the  pit  of  destruction. 
It  was  by  no  merit  of  yours  that  you  were 
saved.  Many  of  you  were  in  the  same 
state  as  those  on  whom  you  now  look  with 
supercilious  scorn.  Think  that  they,  also, 
may  be  saved  as  well  as  you  ;  and  even 
outstrip  you,  and  be  taken  to  the  realms  of 
bliss,  while  you  are  struggling,  toiling, 
and  fighting,  here  below !  O  take  heed ! 
Be  zealous,  be  very  zealous,  to  avoid  your 
former  evil  associates,  that  with  them 
you  may  not  be  carried  down  the  stream 
of  ruin  ;  be  zealous,  be  very  zealous,  in 
urging  on  your  course  in  the  path  that 
leads  to  heaven  ;  but  let  charity  also  have 
its  perfect  work.  Be  zealous  to  save 
them ;  be  zealous  to  bestow  on  them  a 
boon  richer  far  than  any  other  they  can 
receive.  Let  them  see  that  you  love 
them ;  give  them  no  proofs  of  resent- 
ment or  hostility.  So  act  and  speak,  that 
they  may  see  you  have  not  forgotten 
"  the  rock  from  whence  you  were  hewn, 
and  the  hole  of  the  pit  from  which  you 
were  digged."  Let  them  see  that  your 
"  heart's  desire  and  prayer  is  that  they 
may  be  saved."  Let  them  see  that  you 
will  gladly  do  all  you  can  to  serve  them, 
consistently  with  your  duty  to  God.  Let 
them  see  that  yours  is  not  the  zeal  of  sus- 
picion, or  of  ill  will,  but  the  zeal  of  charity ; 
that  of  which  the  apostle  speaks  so  beau- 
tifully, when  he  says,  it  "  suffereth  long, 
and  is  kind ;  envieth  not ;  vaunteth  not 
itself,  is  not  puffed  up,  doth  not  behave 
itself  unseemly,  seeketh  not  her  own,  is 
not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no  evil ; 
rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but  rejoiceth  in 
the  truth;  beareth  all  things,  belie reth 
all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all 
things." 

But  let  me  not  be  misunderstood. — I 
do  not  inculcate  zeal  for  charity  hy  itself. 
It  is  too  much  the  practice  in  the  world  at 
present  to  wish  for  charity  and  peace. 
But  the  charity  so  greatly  in  vogue  is  a 
spurious  charity,  and  not  the  charity  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that 
it  "  thinketh  no  €vil ;"  but  it  is  also  true 
that  it  "  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but 
rejoiceth    in    the   truth  j''^ — it  is  charity 

Vol.  I 19 


"  out  of  a  pure  heart,  and  a  good  con- 
science, and  of  faith  unfeigned  ;" — it  re- 
gards purity  as  the  object  which  it  is  to 
promote  and  secure  :  it  is  "  out  of  a  good 
conscience," — a  conscience  renewed — 
a  conscience  trembling  at  God's  word — 
a  conscience  zealous  for  his  will  in  all 
things;  and  it  proceeds  from  " faith  un- 
feigned,"— faith  in  the  truth  of  God,  on 
which  it  places  its  unalterable  reliance. 
Such  is  the  charity  of  the  gospel ;  and 
under  the  guidance  of  this,  religious  zeal 
assumes  its  fairest  character,  and  obtains 
its  greatest  success.  Very  different  is 
the  charity  of  the  world ; — all  soft  and 
mild, — a  forgiving  spirit,  a  good  disposi- 
tion, and  a  generous  hand.  They  have 
no  charity  but  that  which,  from  the  fear 
of  doing  what  is  disagreeable,  looks  on 
the  righteous  and  the  wicked  with  equal 
complacency  ;  which,  out  of  kindness  to 
the  sinner,  encourages,  in  fact,  the  sin  he 
has  committed;  and  which,  rather  than 
put  on  a  frown  which  might  disturb  his 
happiness,  will  let  him  pursue  the  course 
of  danger ;  and  which,  rather  than  distress 
him,  will  let  him  go  on,  provided  he  goes 
on  smiling  and  happy,  to  his  ruin  ! 

And  so  with  regard  to  peace.  There 
is  much  puling  and  whining  after  this  in 
the  world.  If  by  any  word  or  action  we 
break  in  upon  the  harmony  which  is  only 
purchased  by  what  is  subversive  of  divine 
truth ;  if  we  do  any  thing  of  this  kind, 
they  say  directly — "  O,  all  this  is  very 
true  ;  the  thing  is  much  to  be  lamented  ; 
— but  do  not  you  kindle  war  among  us  ; 
let  us  alone — let  us  abide  in  peace !" 
Brethren;  this  is  not  the  peace  of  the 
gospel :  it  is  the  peace  of  delusion — it  is 
the  peace  of  death  I  This  cannot  promote 
the  cause  of  God  in  your  own  souls,  nor 
advance  the  glory  of  God  in  the  world 
around.  "  The  wisdom  that  is  from  above 
IS  first  pure,  then  peacea&Ze  ,■"  and  we  are 
to  "  follow  peace  with  all  men,  and  holi- 
ness ;"  and,  without  these,  "  no  man  shall 
see  the  Lord."  "As  for  such  as  turn 
aside  to  their  crooked  ways,  the  Lord 
shall  lead  them  forth  with  the  workers  of 
iniquity  :  but  peace  shall  be  upon  Israel ;" 
upon  those  who  seek  to  do  his  will,  and 
in  whom  is  no  guile.  Away,  then,  with 
this  false  peace,  and  charity,  and  zeal ! 
N 


146 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


Be  zealous  for  the  truth :  "let  all  your 
deeds  be  done  in  charity," — but  remem- 
ber that  truth  is  the  basis  on  which  it 
should  rest.  And  while  you  are  zealous 
for  peace,  let  it  be  in  connexion  with  that 
truth,  without  which  there  can  be  no 
peace.  Let  truth  be  established;  let  it 
be  placed  on  the  throne  on  which  it 
should  reign,  and  then  there  shall  be 
peace.  Then,  peace  is  our  watch-word  : 
Peace  with  all  men — peace  in  all 
things and  peace  for  ever  ! 

divine  revelation 

There  was  a  time  when  each  revela- 
tion of  the  word  of  God  had  an  introduc- 
tion into  this  earth,  which  neither  per- 
miued  men  to  doubt  whence  it  came, 
nor  wherefore  it  was  sent.  If,  at  the 
giving  of  each  several  truth,  a  star  was 
not  lighted  up  in  heaven,  as  at  the 
birth  of  the  prince  of  Truth,  there  was 
done  upon  the  earth  a  wonder,  to  make 
her  children  listen  to  the  message  of 
their  Maker.  The  Almighty  made  bare 
his  arm,  and,  through  mighty  acts 
shown  by  his  holy  servants,  gave  de- 
monstration to  his  truth,  and  found  for 
it  a  sure  place  among  the  other  matters 
of  human  knowledge  and  belief. 

But  now  the  miracles  of  God  have 
ceased,  and  nature,  secure  and  unmo- 
lested, is  no  longer  called  on  for  testi- 
monies to  her  Creator's  voice.  No 
burning  bush  draws  the  footsteps  to  his 
presence-chamber ;  no  invisible  voice 
holds  the  ear  awake;  no  hand  cometh 
forth  from  the  obscure  to  write  his  pur- 
pose in  letters  of  flame.  The  vision  is 
shut  up,  and  the  testimony  is  sealed,  and 
the  word  of  the  Lord  is  ended  ;  and  this 
solitary  volume,  with  its  chapters  and 
verses,  is  the  sura  total  of  all  for  which 
the  chariot  of  heaven  made  so  many 
visits  to  the  earth,  and  the  Son  of  God 
himself  tabernacled  and  dwelt  among  us. 

The  truth  which  it  contains  once  dwelt 
undivulged  in  the  bosom  of  God ;  and, 


on  coming  forth  to  take  its  place  among 
things  revealed,  the  heavens,  and  the 
earth,  and  nature,  through  all  her  cham- 
bers, gave  it  reverent  welcome.  Beyond 
what  it  reveals,  the  mysteries  of  the  fu- 
ture are  unknown.  To  gain  it  accepta- 
tion and  currency,  the  noble  army  of  mar- 
tyrs testified  unto  the  death.  The  general 
assembly  of  the  first-born  in  heaven  made 
it  the  day-star  of  their  hopes,  and  the 
pavilion  of  their  peace.  Its  every  sen- 
tence is  charmed  with  the  power  of  God, 
and  is  powerful  to  the  everlasting  salva- 
tion of  souls. — Irving. 


HORRORS   OF   WAR. 

When  war  is  awakened,  the  judgments 
of  God  are  abroad  in  the  earth.  Thus 
have  we  seen  to-night  a  people  distin- 
guished for  their  religious  privileges,  for 
their  prosperity,  and  for  their  separation 
from  all  other  nations,  devoted  to  destruc- 
tion because  of  their  transgressions.  Let 
us  learn,  that  whenever  the  sword  is 
permitted  to  devour,  it  is  to  chastise  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  for  their  iniquity. 
War  is  horrible  in  its  nature  and  in  its 
effects.  It  separates  the  dearest  and  the 
closest  connexions  of  human  nature.  One 
battle  renders  thousandsofwives,  widows: 
thousands  of  children,  fatherless  :  thou- 
sands of  parents,  childless  :  thousands  of 
spirits  ruined  beyond  redemption  !  See, 
pressing  into  yonder  slippery,  impurpled 
field,  throngs  of  all  ages,  seeking  their 
own  among  the  dead  !  In  this  disfigured 
countenance  the  child  discerns  with  diffi- 
culty the  features  of  his  father.  In  that 
mangled  body  dwelt  the  spirit  which  was 
the  prop  and  the  glory  of  yonder  silvery 
head,  now  bowed  down  over  it  in  silent, 
unspeakable  sorrow.  There  the  widow 
washes  the  wounds  of  her  husband  with 
her  tears.  And  how  few  of  that  dreadful 
list  of  slaughtered  men  were  fit  to  die ! 
Surely  war  was  let  loose  upon  the  world 
as  a  curse,  in  the  just  anger  of  God. — 
Collyer, 


SERMON  XIV. 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  TRUE  WISDOM. 

PREACHED    FOR    THE    PAROCHIAL    SUNDAY    SCHOOLS,  AT    ST.    BARNABAS,  KING    SQUARE, 

ST.  Luke's, 
BY  THE  RIGHT  REV.  DR.  SUMNER, 

BISHOP   OF   WINCHESTER. 


"  Take  fast  hold  of  instruction ;  let  her  not  go :  keep  her,  for  she  is  thy  life." — Prov.  iv.  13. 


The  contents  of  this  passage  show  that 
instruction  is  not  here  used  for  acquisition 
of  knowledge  or  intellectual  enlargement, 
but  that  it  is  synonymous  with  wisdom, 
understanding,  heavenly  teaching.  It  is 
introduced  in  a  manner  singularly  strik- 
ing and  affectionate  :  "  Hear  ye  children, 
the  instruction  of  a  father,  and  attend  to 
know  understanding.  For  I  give  you 
good  doctrine;  forsake  not  my  law.  For 
I  was  my  father's  son,  tender  and  only 
beloved  in  the  sight  of  my  mother.  He 
taught  me  also,  and  said  unto  me,  let 
thiae  heart  retain  my  words;  keep  my 
commandments  and  live.  Get  wisdom, 
get  understanding,  forget  it  not;  wisdom 
is  the  principal  thing,  and,  therefore, 
with  all  thy  getting,  get  understanding. 
Take  fast  hold  of  instruction  ;  let  her  not 
go ;  keep  her,  for  she  is  thy  life." 

1.  The  first  thing  that  strikes  the  mind 
on  the  perusal  of  this  passage,  is  the  ex- 
treme earnestness  which  the  wise  son  of 
David  displays  in  pressing  his  advice. 
There  is  an  urgency  in  his  language, 
which  if  employed  on  a  subject  of  less 
paramount  consequence,  would  be  deemed 
importunate.  He  recurs  again  and  again 
in  the  most  forcible  terms  to  his  favourite 
topic,  and  shoots  arrow  after  arrow  at  the 
same  mark,  that  the  shafts  may  not  be 
sped  in  vain,  or  launched  into  the  air  at 
a  venture.  "  Get  wisdom,  get  under- 
standing; forget  it  not;  neither  decline 


from  the  words  of  my  mouth ;  forsake  her 
not — love  her — take  fast  hold  of  instruc- 
tion, let  her  not  go,  keep  her."  This  is 
not  the  style  of  some  cold  advocate,  en- 
forcing with  decent  seriousness  a  truth 
which,  though  it  cannot  be  gainsayed,  is 
not  necessary  and  indispensable.  They 
are  the  words  of  a  father  who  feels  that 
his  son's  soul  is  at  stake — in  danger  of 
perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge — irreme- 
diably lost  if  it  be  not  led  in  right  paths, 
and  taught  in  the  ways  of  wisdom. 

Would  that  there  were  such  a  heart  in 
us  in  these  matters  !  Do  we  feel  for  our- 
selves any  of  this  stirring  anxiety  1  Are 
we  eagerly  watching  for  the  first  ray  of 
divine  light  to  illumine  the  heart  of  our 
child — the  first  stirring  of  the  waters, 
denoting  the  presence  of  the  angel  of 
mercy,  and  the  gracious  provision  of  God 
for  healing  the  diseased  soul.  Are  we 
pointing  to  instruction  as  the  essential 
good  which  is  to  be  first  gotten,  and 
wrestling  in  prayer  for  the  blessing  which 
is  to  give  it  effect  1  Do  we  look  around 
us,  first  into  the  bosom  of  our  own  fami- 
lies, then  into  that  larger  circle  which 
God  has  providentially  placed  under  our 
influence,  or  within  our  reach,  to  see 
whether  its  younger  members  are  child- 
ren of  God — led  by  his  grace — ruled  by 
his  will — instructed  by  his  word — living 
in  his  fear^  Brethren,  we  have  a  heavy 
responsibility  in  this  respect.  Rich  and  • 
147 


148 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


poor,  the  highest  and  the  lowest,  alike 
incur  it.  It  would  be  a  fearful  thing- 
hereafter,  when  some  poor  lost  soul  shall 
stand  at  the  bar  of  God's  judgment,  to 
hear  him  put  in  the  plea  of  justification — 
"No  man  cared  for  my  soul,"  and  then 
to  be  conscious  that  it  was  we  ourselves 
who  withheld  from  him  that  blessed 
knowledge  which  might  have  made  him 
wise  unto  salvation — that  it  was  we  who 
were  verily  guilty  concerning  our  brother, 
in  that  we  saw  him  groping  in  the  depths 
of  spiritual  darkness,  and  lent  him  no 
lamp  to  guide  his  feet  into  the  way  of 
life.  Our  earnestness  in  the  discharge 
of  this  duty  will  doubtless  be  in  propor- 
tion to  our  sense  of  its  importance.  He 
who  values  not  his  own  soul,  will  unques- 
tionably have  little  concern  for  the  souls 
of  others.  He  who  desires  not  instruc- 
tion for  himself,  will  not  care  to  impart  it 
to  the  rising  generation  around  him. 
Measure  your  own  state,  brethren,  by  this 
criterion ;  try  your  hearts  by  this  test. 
None  can  be  indifferent  to  the  eternal 
welfare  of  others,  but  those  who  have  not 
yet  learnt,  by  the  experience  of  their  own 
individual  case,  that  God  desireth  not  the 
death  of  a  sinner,  but  rather  that  he  should 
turn  from  his  ways  and  live. 

2.  The  text  suggests,  secondly,  the 
natural  alienation  of  the  heart  from  in- 
struction. It  does  not  receive  it  willingly. 
It  does  not  retain  it,  if  received,  without 
difficulty.  This  is  strongly  intimated  by 
the  earnest  language  of  the  sacred  writer : 
"Take  fast  hold  of  instruction;  let  her 
not  go ;  keep  her." 

That  these  reiterated  counsels  are  not 
superfluous,  I  need  not  demonstrate. 
Folly  is  bound  up  in  the  heart  of  a  man. 
He  cleaves  to  it  as  to  an  hereditary  pos- 
session, endeared  to  his  mind,  and  con- 
genial to  him,  and  divine  grace  alone  can 
eradicate  the  evil.  How  reluctantly  does 
the  understanding  submit  itself  to  divine 
truth  I  How  unwillingly  does  it  surren- 
der its  own  preconceived  notions  and 
favourite  prepossessions.  Take,  for  in- 
stance, any  of  the  great  doctrines  of  the 
gospel ;  the  heart  will  embrace  none  of 
them  without  a  struggle.  It  disputes,  as 
'  it  were,  each  step  of  the  ground,  and 
yields  its  conviction,  not  like  a  willing 


convert,  but  as  a  vanquished  enemy,  in- 
capable of  further  resistance.  Thus  it  is 
witli  the  doctrine  of  human  corruption. 
The  natural  man  loathes  the  doctrine,  and 
either  disputes  it  altogether,  or  qualifies 
it  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  less  un- 
palatable to  the  pride  of  the  unrenewed 
heart.  Man  is  represented  as  liable  to 
temptation,  instead  of  being  prone  to  evil 
continually  ;  weak  and  infirm  of  purpose, 
instead  of  unable  of  himself  to  think  or 
do  any  good  thing;  fallen,  indeed,  and 
imperfect,  but  not  as  our  church  repre- 
sents him,  in  accordance  with  Scripture, 
very  far  gone  from  original  righteousness, 
and  while  yet  unregenerate,  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sin.  Thus  it  is  with  that  car- 
dinal article  of  belief  which  has  been 
emphatically  denominated  the  test  of  a 
standing  or  a  falling  church — ^justification 
by  faith ;  we  are  slow  to  admit  it  in  all 
its  scriptural  integrity  ;  we  embrace  it 
partially,  or  indistinctly,  sometimes  vir- 
tually, though  without  confessing  it; 
sometimes  with  an  open  and  distinct 
avowal,  we  mix  up  with  the  merits  of 
Christ  our  own  supposed  works  and  de- 
servings,  and  compile  for  ourselves  an 
imagmary  system,  neither  law  nor  gospel, 
but  partaking  of  both,  and  enjoying  the 
privileges  of  neither.  So  it  is  also  with 
the  doctrines  of  grace.  We  naturally 
look  to  ourselves,  and  not  to  God :  we 
rely  on  our  own  innate  power,  and  not  on 
that  effusion  of  spiritual  strength  which 
is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  through  the 
Holy  Ghost.  It  is  not  until  after  repeated 
experience  of  our  own  helplessness  and 
inability  that  we  learn  to  stay  ourselves 
on  an  everlasting  arm,  and  are  taught  the 
presumptuousness  and  miserable  folly  of 
self-confidence. 

To  correct  all  false  views  of  this  kind 
is  the  promise  of  that  instruction  of  which 
the  text  speaks.  But  suppose  it  effected, 
or,  in  other  words,  suppose  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God,  through  the  medium  of  the 
preached  or  written  word,  or  by  a  bless- 
ing upon  some  other  means  of  grace,  has 
enlightened  the  heart,  and  given  it  a  true 
view  of  the  way  of  salvation  and  of  God's 
dealings  with  mankind,  another  difficulty 
arises  which  renders  the  energetic  lan- 
guage of  the  text  no  Iv'^ss  seasonable. 


THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  TRUE  WISDOM. 


149 


We  are  disposed  to  fall  from  the  truth 
which  we  have  once  received,  or  to  cor- 
rupt its  intecrrity,  or  to  waver  and  be  un- 
stable, carried  away  with  every  blast  of 
vain  doctrine.  We  need  renewing  day 
by  day,  lest  temptations  overcome  us,  or 
the  love  of  heavenly  things  wax  cold,  or 
the  pleasures,  or  the  cares,  or  the  troubles 
of  the  world,  make  shipwreck  of  our  faith. 
If  the  hands  flag,  as  those  of  Moses,  the 
enemies  of  our  salvation  take  advantage 
to  prevail  against  us  ;  and  if  the  lips  cease 
to  worship  in  prayer,  Satan  enters  into 
that  which  should  be  swept  and  garnished, 
fit  for  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
our  last  state  becomes  worse  than  the 
first.  Hence  the  wise  man's  repeated 
injunction,  "Take  fast  hold  of  instruc- 
tion ;  let  her  not  go  ;  keep  her."  Though 
she  flee  thee,  yet  abide  thou  in  her  pur- 
suit ;  though  the  heart  struggle  to  be  freed 
from  her  bands,  yet  suffer  not  thou  its 
escape ;  though  the  old  man  within,  and 
the  world  without,  conspire  to  make  her 
teaching  of  none  effect,  yet  submit  thou 
thy  will, and  understanding, and  affections, 
to  her  influence — "  Take  fast  hold  of  her ; 
let  her  not  go ;  keep  her." 

3.  The  last  clause  of  the  text  resolves 
the  whole  question  into  a  simple  and  in- 
telligible proposition.  It  brings  the  mat- 
ter to  a  point.  "  Take  fast  hold  of  in- 
struction, ....  for  she  is  thy  life." 
Dost  thou  desire  to  live — not  the  life  that 
now  is,  the  transient  and  ephemeral  ex- 
istence of  a  corruptible  body,  which 
withereth  like  the  grass,  and  fadeth  as  a 
flower — but  in  that  never  ending  state, 
when  a  thousand  years  will  be  as  one 
day  ?  Then  take  fast  hold  of  instruction 
— in  obtaining  her  thou  hast  secured  thy 
object,  for  she  is  thy  life. 

And  here  I  may  remark  the  succinct- 
ness and  plainness  of  Scripture,  where 
the  great  truths  which  are  necessary  to 
salvation  are  concerned.  "  Repent  and 
be  converted,  and  your  sins  shall  be  blot- 
ted out."  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  "  By 
grace  are  ye  saved,  through  faith." 
"  Take  fast  hold  of  instruction,  for  she  is 
thy  life."  O  that  men  would  listen  to 
the  words  of  the  heavenly  teacher,  which 
thus  strikingly  bring  home  the  business 


of  life  to  men's  bosoms!  How  would  the 
shipwrecked  sailor  prize  a  compass  in 
the  midst  of  an  unknown  ocean !  How 
would  the  pilgrim  watch  the  rising  of 
some  well  remembered  star  to  guide  his 
feet  in  his  wanderings  through  a  trackless 
wilderness !  How  would  the  fainting 
traveller  be  revived  in  his  journey  through 
the  desert  at  the  sight  of  some  well  of 
water,  springing  forth  in  the  midst  of 
rocks  and  sands,  and  providing  needful 
relief  when  the  whole  head  is  weary  and 
the  whole  heart  sick !  What  the  com- 
pass would  be  to  the  sailor,  or  the  star  to 
the  pilgrim,  or  the  well  of  water  to  the 
traveller,  is  the  precept  in  the  text  to  the 
soul  of  him  that  thirsts  for  divine  instruc- 
tion. Vainly  would  he  wait  for  direction 
from  other  teachers.  As  there  is  but  one 
good,  so  there  is  but  one  wise.  Would 
he  ask  the  sensualist  what  is  life  ■?  He 
would  tell  him,  "  Let  us  eat  and  drink, 
for  to-morrow  we  die."  Would  he  ask 
the  covetous  manl  He  would  tell  him 
that  to  lay  field  to  field,  and  to  heap  up 
many  good  things  in  store,  and  to  multi- 
ply the  sum  of  his  possessions, — this  is 
life.  The  ambitious  man  would  tell  him 
that  life  consisted  in  the  increase  of  ho- 
nours— the  worldly  man  in  the  success  of 
his  earthly  pursuits  and  projects — the 
lover  of  pleasure  in  the  satisfaction  of  his 
heart's  desire,  and  in  drinking  to  the  dregs 
the  cup  which  seems  so  sweet  to  his  dis- 
ordered palate.  But  the  language  of 
Scripture  is  very  different.  "  To  be  car- 
nally-minded is  death."  "  He  that  liveth 
in  pleasure  is  dead  while  he  liveth."  On 
the  other  hand,  "Take  fast  hold  of  in- 
struction— for  she  is  thy  life."  "  I  Wis- 
dom dwell  with  prudence — whoso  findeth 
me,  findeth  life,  and  shall  obtain  favour 
of  the  Lord." 

There  is,  indeed,  in  that  word  life,  a 
comprehensiveness  which  ccmveys  the 
fulness  of  joy  to  the  penitent  soul.  When 
the  heart  has  been  roused  to  a  knowledge 
of  its  danger  in  an  unrenewed  state,  and 
the  sinner  sees  for  the  first  time  the  pre- 
cipice on  which  he  stands — judgment 
before  him,  pollution  and  guilt  in  all  his 
actions,  and  no  mediator  to  stand  between 
himself  and  his  offended  God — the  whole 
impossibility  of  atoning  for  his  sin,  or  of 
n2 


150 


THE  BRITISH  PULHT. 


making  satisfaction  for  the  past,  is  pressed 
with  awful  conviction  on  his  mind.  The 
final  consequences  of  ungodliness  are 
opened  to  his  view.  He  sees  written 
upon  the  wall,  in  .characters  as  distinct 
as  those  which  terrified  the  court  of  King 
Belshazzar,  "  the  wages  of  sin  is  death." 
What  would  be  the  state  of  such  a  man 
without  the  gospel  1  Those  deep  and 
searching  convictions  of  sin,  which, 
under  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
are  rendered  so  salutary  to  the  soul, 
would  lead  to  nothing  but  despair,  with- 
out an  acquaintance  with  the  Saviour. 
That  bitter  repentance  which  makes  the 
sinner  loathe  himself,  and  humbles  his 
proud  heart  even  in  dust  and  ashes, 
would  be  hopeless  and  unedifying,  if 
there  were  no  knowledge  of  that  fountain 
opened  for  sin  and  uncleanness,  wherein 
whosoever  washeth,  though  his  sins  be 
as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow 
— though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they 
shall  be  as  wool.  But  how  is  the  scene 
changed,  where  the  lips  of  the  preacher 
of  peace  has  delivered  his  gracious  mes- 
sage. Let  him  that  is  athirst  come,  and 
whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water 
of  life  freely.  "  I  will  cause  breath  to 
enter  into  you,  and  ye  shall  live."  "  He 
that  hath  the  Son  hath  life."  This  is 
indeed  instruction  which  brings  peace  :  it 
first  abases  the  soul,  and  then  purifies  it; 
it  teaches  the  nothingness  of  all  earthly 
confidence,  and  the  insufficiency  of  hope 
resting  on  an  arm  of  flesh,  and  then  brings 
the  inquiring  penitent  to  him  who  is  able 
and  willing  to  save,  and  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out  whosoever  cometh  to  the  Father 
through  him.  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye 
that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest." 

After  what  has  been  said,  brethren,  you 
will  not  doubt  that  it  is  chiefly  on  the 
ground  of  its  religious  advantages,  that  I 
am  desirous  of  seeing  that  institution  for 
which  I  am  desired  to  plead,  receive  your 
cordial  support.  In  so  populous  a  parish 
as  this,  I  need  not  tell  you  that  it  is  im- 
possible for  the  steward  of  Christ's  mys- 
teries, who,  in  the  providence  of  God,  has 
been  placed  over  you,  to  extend  his  pri- 
Tate  ministrations  into  the  family  of  each 
of  the  poorer  members  of  his  flock.    And 


yet  the  greater  the  difficulty, — I  should 
rather  have  said,  the  impracticability  of 
such  individual  superintendence, — the 
more  urgent  is  the  necessity  fbr  it,  the 
more  prejudicial  the  want  of  it.  We  all 
know  what  scenes  of  vice  are  found  in 
the  crowded  streets  and  lanes  of  too  many 
a  district  round  us — the  temptations 
which  are  spread  for  every  age — the  pe- 
culiar dangers  to  which  the  young,  and 
those  of  the  poorer  class  more  especial!)'^, 
are  hourly  exposed.  It  is  a  fearful 
thought  to  reflect  how  many  perish  for 
lack  of  knowledge,  even  in  a  Christian 
land — how  many  souls  are  lost  through 
that  brutish  ignorance,  whicli  is  the  pa- 
rent of  every  sin.  To  one  who  feels  these 
things  deeply,  who  has  a  compassion  for 
perishing  sinners,  and  longs  to  see  them 
rescued  from  their  perilous  state,  it  is, 
indeed,  a  comfort  to  know  that  there  are 
Christian  houses  opened,  and  Christian 
teachers  at  hand,  who  will  train  up  a 
child  in  the  way  he  should  go,  and  lead 
him,  while  yet  a  little  one,  to  the  feet  of 
Jesus.  Not  that  I  would  be  understood 
to  infer  that  all  these  poor  children,  who 
are  the  objects  of  this  charity,  are  indeed 
taught  of  God,  or  that  they  have  all 
chosen,  through  divine  grace,  that  better 
part  which  those  embrace,  who  have 
taken  fast  hold  of  instruction.  No,  bre- 
thren ;  this  would  be  much  to  expect ; 
and  experience,  I  fear,  would  be  far  from 
warranting  such  a  conclusion.  But  I 
trust  we  may  hope,  that  there  will  be  found 
among  them  many  a  Lydia,  whose  heart 
the  Lord  has  opened,  and  who  has  attend- 
ed to  the  things  that  have  been  spoken 
unto  her.  I  trust  there  are  not  wanting 
among  them,  those  who  love  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  who  have  learnt  to 
know  the  value  of  his  salvation,  and  the 
preciousness  of  his  promises.  If  there 
be  but  one  such,  what  a  glorious  reward 
would  that  one  soul  be,  for  all  the  self- 
denial,  all  the  labours  of  love,  by  which 
you  will  contribute,  according  to  your 
means,  to  support,  and,  I  trust,  to  perpetu- 
ate, this  useful  charity  in  this  populous 
neighbourhood. 

Bear  with  me,  brethren,  if  I  press  this 
duty  on  you  in  a  manner  somewhat  more 
urgent  than  is  usual.     I   cannot  forget 


HOW  TO  READ  THE  BIBLE. 


151 


that  It  was  in  this  very  place  where  we 
are  now  assembled,  that  I  was  first  called 
upon  to  exercise  my  episcopal  functions, 
by  setting  apart  this  building  for  a  temple 
to  the  Lord,  where  his  word  might  be 
preached,  and  praise  and  supplication 
might  be  offered  in  the  name  of  Christ. 
It  was  here  that  for  the  first  time  I  sepa- 
rated, in  virtue  of  my  office,  from  all  pro- 
fane and  common  uses,  this  house,  as  a 
house  of  prayer  for  worshippers  in  spirit 
and  in  truth.  Nor  have  I  had  small  plea- 
sure in  learning  that  the  Sunday-school 
which  has  been  since  connected  with  this 
church,  and  for  which  I  plead  this  day, 
appears  to  have  been  favoured,  in  an  emi- 
nent degree,  with  the  divine  blessing. 
To  many  of  those  who  hear  me,  its  ad- 
vantages are  doubtless  known  personally. 
Some,  I  trust,  there  are,  who  have  be- 
come acquainted  with  them  more  inti- 
mately in  their  capacity  of  teachers.  I 
would  bid  them  go  on  in  their  labour  of 
love,  with  patient  and  steady  zeal,  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  I  would  call  on  others 
who  are  like  minded  to  come  and  do  like- 
wise— to  lend  their  aid  in  the  furtherance 
of  this  interesting  work,  and  to  be  fellow- 
labourers  in  preparing  the  hearts  of  the 
young,  through  divine  grace,  for  the 
spiritual  harvest.  May  He  who  is  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest,  prosper  the  under- 
taking! May  he  bless  the  means  pro- 
vided, whether  by  your  personal  teaching, 
or  by  your  pecuniary  contributions,  with 
a  rich  and  abundant  increase. 


THE  SPIRIT   IN   WHICH   THE   BIBLE   SHOULD 
BE   READ. 

Consult  it  divested  so  far  as  possible 
of  prejudice,  and  with  a  sincere  desire 
both  to  attain  improvement  and  to  search 
out  the  truth.  The  investigation  which 
we  recommend,  lies  equally  between  that 
inactivity  which  slumbers  for  ever  over 
things  acknowledged,  and  that  impetuous 
temerity  which  relying  on  its  own  pow- 
ers disdains  assistance,  attempts  a  flight 
beyond  the  precincts  of  lawful  subjects, 
and  with  licentious  boldness  pries  into 


those  "secret  things  which  belong  to 
God."  Some  float  for  ever  on  the  surface 
of  admitted  truths,  fearful  to  rise  above 
the  level  over  which  they  have  hovered 
from  the  first  moment  of  consciousness. 
These  resemble  those  birds  which  feed 
upon  the  insects  dancing  on  the  water, 
who  never  rise  into  the  air,  but  always 
skim  the  surface  of  the  lake,  on  the  bor- 
ders of  which  they  received  life.  Others, 
on  bold,  adventurous  wing,  rise  into  the 
trackless  regions  of  mystery,  till  they 
sink  from  the  pride  of  their  elevation,, 
perplexed  and  exhausted.  Thesp,  by 
aiming  at  too  much,  lose  every  thing 
Because  they  have  attempted  unsuccess 
fully  to  investigate  that,  which  God  has 
been  pleased  to  put  out  of  .the  reach  of 
human  comprehension,  they  will  not  be- 
lieve any  thing — thej'  embrace  a  system 
of  universal  scepticism.  So  Noah's  dove 
beheld  on  every  side  a  boundless  expan- 
sion of  waters :  and  whether  she  rose  or 
sunk,  was  equally  bewildered,  and  found 
no  rest  for  the  sole  of  her  foot.  There  is 
one  point  of  difference,  and  that  is,  that 
she  returned  to  the  ark;  but  those  whom 
we  have  described,  too  often  are  found  to 
turn  despisers,  who  wonder  and  perish. 
But  the  Christian  is  bold  in  investigating 
all  that  God  has  submitted  to  his  re- 
searches, attempts  every  thing  leaning 
on  Almighty  energy,  and  relies  with  im- 
plicit confidence  upon  the  written  word. 
So  the  eagle  rises  boldly  into  the  air, 
keeping  the  sun  in  view,  and  builds  her 
nest  upon  a  rock. 

We  would  not  have  you,  with  the  in- 
active and  supine,  always  coast  the  shore: 
nor  with  the  infidel  venture  into  the 
boundless  ocean,  without  pilot,  or  com- 
pass, or  ballast,  or  anchor :  exposed 
equally  to  the  quicksands,  to  the  rocks, 
to  the  whirlpool,  and  to  the  tempest :  but 
we  are  desirous  that,  like  the  Christian, 
you  should  boldly  face,  and  patiently 
endure  the  storm,  with  the  Bible  as  your 
compass,  hope  as  your  anchor,  God  as 
your  pilot,  and  heaven  as  your  country. — 
Dr.  Collyer. 


SERMON  XV. 

THE    TRUE    USE    OF    KNOWLEDGE. 
BY  THE  REV.  E.  IRVING,  A.M. 


"Add   to  knowledge,  temperance. — 2   Peter   i.    6. 


There  is  nothing  to  which  men  require 
to  have  their  eyes  opened  more  than  to 
the  folly  of  admiring  knowledge  upon  its 
own  account.  They  look  upon  all  sorts 
of  book-making  and  book-learning  as  the 
stamp  of  superiority,  and  give  to  it  an 
instinctive  reverence  ;  whereas,  books  are 
but  the  words  of  men,  and  may  as  often 
be  termed  folly  as  declared  wisdom,  and 
may  promote  vice  as  readily  as  serve  vir- 
tue. And  he  that  hath  written  a  book, 
hath  but  offered  himself  to  our  acquaint- 
ance, but  hath  made  no  advancement  in 
our  approbation.  And  bookish  men,  that 
is,  those  who  accumulate  an  immensity 
of  knowledge  and  learning,  which  neither 
nourisheth  themselves  nor  edifieth  others, 
are  objects  of  pity,  not  of  admiration  ; 
being  in  mind  what  those  are  in  body 
who  have  gathered  on  themselves  a  load, 
burdensome  to  themselves,  and  unplea- 
sant to  beholders.  And  until  the  good 
sense  of  men  doth  discriminate  amongst 
learned  men  as  it  doth  amongst  unlearned 
men,  the  learned  will  continue  to  assume 
to  themselves  that  importance  and  pride 
which  more  than  countervails  their  supe- 
rior knowledge,  and  brings  them  into  a 
state  less  favourable  for  spiritual  advance- 
ment than  the  ignorant  vulgar.  So  in 
our  Saviour's  time,  the  wise  and  prudent 
could  not  understand  that  which  was 
plain  to  babes ;  because  the  learned,  in 
the  sufficiency  of  their  knowledge,  could 
not  stoop  to  spiritual  things.  For  the 
same  reason,  they  scorned  Paul  in  the 
Areopagus,  as  if  he  had  been  a  prating 
fool :  whence  he  testified  that  their  very 
152 


knowledge  had  made  them  ignorant  of 
God,  and  deaf  to  the  invitations  of  the 
gospel. 

Now,  being  convinced  knowledge  in 
this  age  produceth  the  same  effects  of 
swaying  the  mind  out  of  that  humility 
which  is  essential  to  the  learning  of 
Christ — that  this  is  the  true  reason  why 
your  men  of  knowledge  keep  so  much 
aloof  from  the  simple  doctrines  of  the 
cross,  it  hath  seemed  good  to  our  minds 
to  examine  this  a  little,  and  to  ascertain 
by  what  means  those  here  present  may 
be  guarded  from  increasing  their  pride 
with  their  knowledge,  and  how  they  may 
promote  their  wisdom  as  they  increase 
their  knowledge.  In  which  undertaking, 
to  divest  knowledge  of  an  honour  which 
it  doth  not  merit,  in  order  that  we  may, 
with  Solomon,  transfer  it  to  wisdom,  we 
feel  as  if  we  were  entering  in  to  despoil  a 
holy  place,  r  or  knowledge,  albeit  much 
abused,  is  a  pure  and  holy  possession 
compared  with  every  other  of  which  we 
can  boast.  Beauty  fades,  strength  lan- 
guisheth  and  fame  is  inconstant  as  the 
veering  winds;  fortune  changeth  every 
moment,  and  riches  take  to  themselves 
wings  and  flee  away  like  an  eagle  towards 
heaven  ;  the  appetites  all  grow  dull,  the 
eye  grows  dim,  and  the  ear  deaf  to  dulcet 
sounds,  and  all  things  ebb  and  flow,  and 
are  lost  and  soon  forgotten.  But  know- 
ledge ! — knowledge  almost  defies  these 
changes  and  fluctuations  to  which  all 
human  possessions  are  doomed.  It  is  a 
thing  so  purely  one's  own  ;  it  doth  so  defy 
the  power  of  man  to  take  it  from  us ;  it 


THE  TRUE  USE  OF  KNOWLEDGE. 


153 


(loth  30  forecast  in  the  mind,  and  procre- 
ate itself  independent  of  all  power  and 
strength  of  man ;  and  it  can  so  little  be 
bought  with  money,  or  be  by  a  royal  road 
approached ;  and  it  so  inhabiteth  the  mind 
within,  and  defieth  the  world  without; 
and  it  is  so  little  subject  to  the  fluctua- 
tions of  fortune,  and  the  wasting  power 
of  time  ;  it  is  on  all  hands  in  so  much  re- 
quest— so  necessary  to  the  illustration  of 
things  old,  and  to  the  propagation  of 
things  new,  to  the  prosecution  of  enter- 
prise, to  the  administration  of  government, 
and  the  practice  of  every  art;  knowledge 
is  so  eagerly  sought  after  by  every  power 
which  striveth  for  the  mastery  in  human 
affairs, — governors  seeking  men  of  know- 
ledge to  write  them  into  favour,  and  their 
opponents  seeking  men  of  knowledge  to 
write  them  out  of  favour;  and  the  vender 
of  every  ware  seeking  men  of  knowledge 
to  exalt  its  praise ;  and  even  every 
amusement,  except  bear  garden  and  prize- 
fighting barbarities,  being  upheld  by 
knowledge,  and  every  projected  measure 
adrocated  by  knowledge  : — these,  the 
accomplishments  of  knowledge,  are  so 
splendid,  its  advantages  so  manifold,  that 
it  seems  ignorance  not  to  adore,  and  pro- 
fanation to  decry  it.  Then,  moreover, 
knowledge  doth  so  beget  in  those  who 
possess  it,  such  fortitude  and  firmness  of 
mind  ;  it  so  arms  him  around  with  divine 
armour — even  like  the  goddess  of  know- 
ledge whom  the  ancients  fabled  to  have 
sprung  ready  armed  from  the  forehead  of 
Jove — so  that  a  man  of  knowledge  seems 
as  great  in  rags,  as  a  man  of  power,  or  a 
prince  in  his  castle.  Adversity  cannot 
crush  the  man  of  knowledge ;  the  con- 
tempt of  man  cannot  abash  him,  and  the 
threats  of  man  cannot  force  him  to  recant ; 
— he  retires  to  his  secret  place,  and  sum- 
mons in  his  spiritual  counsellors  ;  he  ex- 
amines, he  writes,  he  justifies  himself, 
he  publisheth  to  the  world,  and  all  his 
enemies  are  at  once  confounded ;  or  if 
they  wish  to  make  head  against  him,  they 
must  seek  men  of  knowledge,  for  it  can 
be  overthrown  by  nothing  but  itself. 

Then  again,  knowledge  is  the  mother 
of  art  and  beauty  :  knowledge  is  the  hand- 
maiden, (if  I  may  so  speak,)  who  attireth 
the  charms  of  nature,  if  not  the  mother 

Vol-.  I 20 


of  whom  nature  holdeth  her  chiefest 
charms.  So  that  all  which  beautifies  the 
face  of  the  country,  with  all  which  makes 
the  city  magnificent — all  that  adorns  our 
dwellings,  with  all  that  makes  our  per- 
sons comely  to  look  upon — all  that  fills 
the  market-place  with  wares,  and  varies 
the  occupation  of  human  life,  are  the 
works  of  knowledge,  without  which  men 
were  a  few  scattered  tribes  of  roving 
savages,  fighting  with  brutal  creatures 
for  the  mastery  of  the  woods  and  caves 
where  they  dwell.  Ay,  and  though 
every  thing  we  now  behold  were  swept 
with  the  besom  of  destruction,  nature 
stript  of  her  decorations,  and  art  divested 
of  her  resources,  there  is  such  a  life-giv- 
ing power  in  this  immortal  faculty  of 
knowledge,  that  she  would,  in  a  few 
years,  bring  again  the  beauties  of  nature, 
and  re-invent  the  resources  of  art,  and 
cover  the  earth  with  her  beautiful  flowers 
and  pleasant  palaces. 

Knowledge  is  the  support  of  greatness, 
which  otherwise  would  die  with  the  age 
that  gave  it  birth.  And  a  good  book  of 
former  ages  is  a  treasure  which  the  inter- 
vening time  hath  striven  in  vain  to  stifle  ; 
it  hath  survived  the  things  which  were 
brought  into  existence  along  with  it;  and 
if  it  be  a  good  book,  it  hath  the  proba- 
bility of  living  to  an  unlimited  age.  In 
short,  there  is  no  end  to  the  praises  of 
knowledge. 

These  excellent  qualities  and  manifold 
powers  of  knowledge,  God  hath  endowed 
it  withal,  in  order  that  men  may  fall  in 
love  with  it,  and  pursue  it;  and  being 
properly  applied,  it  constitutes  wisdom. 
But  knowledge  is  not  wisdom  of  itself; 
nay,  knowledge  does  not  imply  the  prac- 
tice of  godliness  or  of  morals  :  it  doth  not 
imply  even  the  existence  of  the  common 
decencies  of  life.  For  knowledge  and 
learning  in  the  greatest  plenty  may  dwell 
with  wickedness  and  folly.  A  man  may 
be  familiar  with  all  the  truths  of  science 
— he  may  be  held  a  consummate  master, 
and  even  discover  fresh  truths,  and  invent 
new  methods  of  discovering  truth,  and 
yet  he  may  be  a  mere  novice  in  the  ful- 
filment of  the  duties  which  every  one 
born  into  the  world  is  called  by  his  Ma- 
ker to  enjoy.     He  may  be  learned  in  all 


154 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


erudition,  and  well  versed  in  all  the 
records  of  antiquity,  and  yet  never  ac- 
quaint his  principles  with  true  knowledge. 
As  there  are  many  handicrafts  in  the 
world,  in  which  a  man  may  reach  the 
highest  excellence  without  improving 
his  morals  or  religion,  so  in  the  world 
of  intellect  or  science,  there  are  many 
departments  in  which  men  may  stand 
unrivalled,  without  being  advanced  in 
any  one  of  the  attributes  of  a  worthy  or 
noble  mind.  He  may  be  the  first  of  wits, 
and  the  worst  of  husbands.  He  may  be 
the  first  of  scholars,  and  the  most  dissi- 
pated of  men.  He  may  be  the  most  enter- 
taining of  travellers,  and  the  most  heart- 
less of  friends.  He  may  be  the  first  of 
poets,  and  a  very  ruffian  in  civilized 
society.  He  may  be  the  finest  moralist, 
and  the  greatest  profligate — the  writer  of 
the  finest  sentiments,  and  not  possessed 
of  household  feeling.  I  have  met  first-rate 
mathematicians  who  were,  in  all  moral 
perception,  like  creatures  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  Naturalists  have  I  met  with, 
who  appeared  to  soar  above  a  good  and 
glorious  action,  but  would  have  died  con- 
tented with  the  occupation  of  their  lives, 
could  they  have  discovered  some  plant, 
or  some  insect,  not  discoverable  by  the 
natural  vision  of  man.  And  there  are 
men  who  spend  their  lives  in  arranging 
cabinets,  and  deciphering  ancient  manu- 
scripts, without  seeing  any  thing  worthy 
of  pursuit  or  admiration,  or  doing  any 
thing  to  extend  their  pursuits,  in  the 
present  or  eternal  world. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  ridicule  any 
one  of  these  pursuits  in  themselves ;  for 
there  is  not  any  one  of  these  pursuits  of 
science  and  learning  from  which  good 
hath  not  accrued  in  the  end.  But  it  is  our 
intention  to  show,that  stores  of  knowledge 
may  be  acquired  in  them,  the  highest 
elevation  may  be  reached  in  them,  with- 
out any  approximation  to  wisdom,  with- 
out improving  the  spirit  of  the  character, 
so  as  to  make  it  better  fitted  for  the  office 
of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  of  that  which 
is  to  come.  These  are  handicrafts  of  the 
intellect,  if  we  may  so  speak,  and  those 
who  apply  to  them  are  handicraftsmen : 
and  you  have  a  good  reason  to  infer  that 
a  man  is  wise  and  noble  because  he  is 


good  in  working  iron,  or  brass,  or  wood, 
in  making  cloth  or  apparel,  as  that  a  man 
is  wise,  or  good,  or  praiseworthy,  because 
he  is  good  in  ancient  or  modern  literature, 
or  because  he  is  great  in  the  knowledge 
of  the  three  kingdoms  of  nature,  skilled 
in  the  art  of  criticism,  or  erudite  in  the 
history  of  the  world. 

There  is  a  blind  admiration  of  science 
and  learning  on  its  own  account,  upon 
which  it  builds  a  self-importance,  and 
which  affects  disdain  toward  the  honest 
mechanical  occupations  of  life.  But 
surely,  if  the  blinds  were  taken  off  from 
the  private  life,  and  mutual  intercourse, 
and  public  character  of  these  learned  men, 
they  would  be  found  as  empty  of  great- 
ness, far  more  full  of  envy,  and  deception, 
and  hypocrisy,  than  those  honest  callings 
they  affect  to  despise.  Ay,  if  the  morals 
of  a  university,  or  the  quarrels  of  litera- 
ture, or  the  pitiful  vanity  and  self-com- 
placency of  these  sciolists  in  knowledge, 
were  exhibited,  it  would  be  as  shameful 
a  picture  as  ever  knowledge  hath  sketched 
from  the  market  town,  or  the  inmost  re- 
cesses of  the  city.  But  far,  far  from  us 
be  the  vulgar  office  of  satirizing  any  thing, 
especially  a  thing  of  which  we  think  and 
have  spoken  so  highly  as  we  have  of 
knowledge.  But  it  is  our  part  to  show 
how  it  stands  related  to  wisdom — how  it 
is  inferior  to  wisdom,  and  how  it  may  be 
converted  into  wisdom,  and  is  not  wor- 
thy of  the  approbation  of  men  until  con- 
verted into  wisdom. 

Wisdom  without  knowledge — there  is 
and  can  be  none :  all  thought  without 
knowledge,  is  but  guessing:  all  conduct 
without  knowledge,  is  but  a  venture. 
Hence,  in  Scripture,  knowledge  stands 
in  a  high  place.  "  This  is  life  eternal, 
to  know  me  the  true  God."  Amongst 
the  ancients,  "  Know  thyself,"  was  the 
first  step  to  wisdom ;  and,  in  common 
affairs,  a  knowledge  of  the  world  is  de- 
servedly placed  above  all  other  know- 
ledge. But  knowledge  of  God  is  not 
religion,  neither  is  a  knowledge  of  the 
world  upright  dealing;  something  else  is 
required.  Knowledge  doth  but  furnish 
out  wisdom,  being  the  light  which  guides 
us  to  the  storehouse  which  supplies  it 
Wisdom  is  knowledge  applied  to  right 


THE  TRUE  USE  OF  KNOWLEDGE. 


155 


and  wholesome  uses.  Riches  do  not 
make  a  liberal-minded  or  generous  man, 
although  riches  are  necessary  to  contri- 
bute to  a  generous  man.  But  if  riches 
be  pursued  from  a  mere  love  of  accumu- 
lation, wiiich  is  not  very  frequent — if 
riches  be  pursued  from  a  love  of  gratifi- 
cation or  evil  tastes,  which  is  very  fre- 
quent— or  if  riches  be  pursued  for  the 
sake  of  influence,  which  is  far  more  fre- 
quent— then  they  do  not  make  a  liberal- 
minded  or  generous  man.  So  the  appetite 
for  knowledge  may  lead  into  many  direc- 
tions away  from  wisdom ;  and  therefore 
it  becomes  necessary,  while  you  acquire 
knowledge,  to  weigh  the  ends  for  which 
you  are  acquiring  it. 

There  is  a  love  of  knowledge  for  its 
own  sake  which  should  be  encouraged. 
The  mind  hath  a  dislike  of  ignorance,  as 
the  eye  hath  of  darkness,  oi»the  limbs  of 
confinement.  The  mind  loves  to  look  on 
the  lightof  truth,  and  to  roam  in  the  free- 
dom of  its  faculties.  This  is  especially 
the  case  in  the  beginning  of  our  years, 
and  it  is  appointed  for  the  best  ends.  As 
children  will  not  be  at  rest,  but,  by  cease- 
less motion,  nobody  knows  for  what 
ends,  acquire  the  ready  use  of  all  their 
limbs  ;  so  the  mind  in  youth,  by  an  innate 
restlessness,  tries  itself  in  every  way, 
and  ought  no  more  to  be  hindered  than 
the  body  ought  to  be  confined.  Educa- 
tion should  be  to  the  mind  what  exer- 
cise is  to  the  body — an  instrument  for 
developing  its  powers;  and,  therefore, 
for  many  years,  various  food  should  be 
presented  to  the  mind — some  to  the  fancy, 
some  to  the  memory,  some  to  the  judg- 
ment, much  to  affection,  and  much  to 
piety.  And  so  that  a  child  is  actively 
employed  in  putting  forth  its  abilities,  it 
is  not  then  so  necessary  studiously  to 
direct  it  to  any  end  ;  but  by-and-by,  when 
a  measure  of  strength  hath  been  acquired, 
both  of  body  and  mind,  as  the  strength 
of  the  body  is  directed  to  some  labour,  so 
the  strength  of  the  mind  should  be  direct- 
ed to  some  useful  end. 

Now  it  is,  that  knowledge  begins  to  be 
the  servant  of  wisdom,  or  the  servant  of  va- 
nity, or  the  servant  of  ambition,  or  the  ser- 
vant of  wealth,  according  as  you  use  it.  If 
it  be  pursued  in  order  to  get  a  name  among 


the  learned,  then  knowledge  is  degraded  to 
be  the  servant  of  vanity.  If  it  be  pursued 
in  order  to  use  authority  and  power,  then 
knowledge  is  degraded  to  be  the  servant 
of  ambition.  If  it  be  pursued  to  come  at 
place,  pension,  or  reward,  then  it  is  most 
of  all  degraded  to  be  the  servant  of  mam- 
mon. It  may  serve  pleasure  also,  and 
doth  most  frequently  serve  pleasure  in 
your  pursuit  of  books  and  entertaining 
discourse.  But  to  make  it  serviceable  to 
the  ends  of  wisdom  is  a  most  noble  and 
difficult  undertaking,  which  it  is  our  part, 
by  God's  help,  now  to  set  forth. 

As  wisdom  consisteth  in  the  promotion 
of  our  own  well-being,  and  the  well-being 
of  other  men,  the  desire  of  knowledge,  it 
seems  to  me,  should  be  prompted  by  the 
feeling  of  our  own  unhappiness  :  that  is, 
our  want  of  well-being,  and  the  sight  of 
unhappiness  around  us.  And  of  these 
two,  I  give  the  preference  to  the  former 
— the  well-being  and  unhappiness  of  our- 
selves. 

As  far  as  the  soul  of  man  can  reach,  it 
is  a  rule,  that  every  evil,  whether  in  body 
or  in  mind,  hath  a  remedy,  if  that  remedy 
can  be  found.  To  find  it  out  is  the  pro- 
vince of  knowledge.  Whatever  evils, 
therefore,  pursue  us,  let  us  gain  know- 
ledge to  remove  them.  For  the  evils  of 
the  body  there  is  a  class  of  men  to  pro- 
vide the  cure,  to  whom  it  is  better  to  trust 
than  to  seek  for  ourselves.  Law,  again, 
looks  to  the  evils  which  come  to  our  out- 
v/ard  estate.  But  every  one  is  left  to  find 
out  for  himself  remedies  for  the  evils 
which  afilict  his  soul,  his  inward  man. 
Let  each  man,  therefore,  look  into  him- 
self, and  see  from  what  quarter  unhappi- 
ness invades  him  :  let  him,  by  knowledge, 
find  out  the  remedy ;  and  having  found  it 
out,  let  him  apply  it.  Then  knowledge 
becometh  wisdom.  Next,  let  a  man  look 
around  him  on  the  unhappiness  of  others, 
beginning  with  those  who  most  nearly 
concern  himself;  and  extending  as  far 
outward  as  his  time  and  fellow-feeling 
will  go.  Let  him  direct  his  faculties 
how  he  may  remedy  those  evils  which 
afflict  his  brethren;  then  let  him  apply 
the  remedies  which  his  knowledge  hath 
discovered.  This,  also,  is  wisdom. 
When  a  man  hath  removed  the  evils  that 


156 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


afflict  himself,  and  done  his  endeavour  to 
remove  those  which  afflict  the  men  in  his 
neighbourhood  ;  then  let  him  see  by  what 
means  he  can  increase  his  spiritual  en- 
joyment, and  the  spiritual  enjoyment  of 
those  around  him.  Let  him  acquire  and 
apply  this  knowledge,  and  then  all  his 
knowledge  will  be  wisdom. 

As  the  knowledge  you  have,  or  may 
acquire,  both  from  the  word  of  God  and 
other  quarters,  is  the  noblest  thing  you 
call  your  own,  if  it  be  turned  to  these 
accounts  which  I  have  set  before  you  ;  so 
it  is  the  most  vain,  the  most  proud,  the 
most  domineering,  and  I  may  add,  the 
most  unhappy  of  all  your  possessions,  if 
not  employed  in  rectifying  the  diseases 
of  your  soul  and  your  condition,  and  the 
souls  and  conditions  of  others.  There  is 
not  a  character  under  the  sun  so  despica- 
ble as  the  man  who  sets  out  with  the  in- 
tention of  making  his  knowledge  a  step- 
ping stone  to  fortune  and  favour — to  live 
by  his  iviis,  as  it  is  termed — to  honour  the 
tastes  and  foibles  of  the  public  mind.  It 
is  a  base  calling,  the  basest  of  all  callings ; 
and  it  hath  upon  the  mind  that  is  given 
up  to  it,  the  most  degrading  effects.  It 
is  a  most  degrading  traffic,  inasmuch  as 
the  humours  which  it  studies,  and  the 
prejudices  to  which  it  ministers,  be  not 
in  the  petty  accommodations  of  the  out- 
ward man,  but  in  the  opinion  of  the  in- 
ward man,  which  determines  not  only 
our  present,  but  our  future  destiny.  It 
doth  set  up  to  sale,  conscience,  integrity, 
and  counsel,  and  all  the  high  moral  and 
intellectual  endowments  of  •the  mind, 
which,  like  the  gift  of  God  desired  by 
Simon  the  sorcerer,  cannot  be  purchased 
•with  money ;  and  it  is  sacrilege  to  steal 
them.  If  we  would  avoid  as  a  tainted 
man — if  we  would  sequester  from  the 
common  charities  of  life  the  abandoned 
wretch,  who,  for  a  bribe,  in  a  public  court, 
hath  sworn  the  liberty  or  life  of  a  fellow 
man — tell  me,  what  form  or  measure  of 
detestation  and  abhorrence  doth  that  man 
merit,  who,  in  bearing  his  witness  before 
the  great  tribunal  of  the  world,  doth  for  a 
higher  bribe  suppress  and  falsify  the 
knowledge  and  the  convictions  of  truth 
which  God  hath  implanted  in  his  soul — 
doth  so  to  the  enslaving  of  the  common 


mind,  and  to  the  perishing  of  the  eternal 
life,  not  of  one,  but  of  thousands  1 

Ah  !  little  better  is  the  man  who  makes 
his  knowledge,  his  divine  knowledge,  a 
stepping  stone  to  distinction,  and  who 
cannot  proceed  onward,  unless  he  hath  a 
crowd  of  admirers  to  applaud  him.  Such 
a  man  is  preparing  for  himself,  sooner  or 
later,  a  bed  of  thorns — he  is  making  of 
himself  a  butt  for  others  to  aim  their 
shafts  at ;  and  many  a  venomous  shaft  of 
satire  and. censure  shall  stick  sore  in  his 
Icins  before  he  reach  the  much  courted 
place.  This  is  degradation.  His  life 
will  be  jarring  and  contentious,  his  peace 
broken,  his  character  laid  bare,  his  pri- 
vacy invaded,  his  quarrels  set  before  the 
world  :  he  shall  have  no  mercy  from  his 
competitors,  and  shall  find  no  sympathy 
from  the  spectators  of  the  fray.  And  if 
he  reacheth  the  courted  seat,  it  is  not  till 
his  temper  is  soured  by  competition, 
when  he  is  fit  only  to  play  the  tyrant,  and 
not  to  enjoy  his  place. 

Knowledge  hath  a  state,  a  prerogative 
on  which  she  needeth  not  to  insist.  Her 
state  is  to  walk  surrounded  by  contem- 
plation, calmness,  and  truth  ;  her  preroga- 
tive is  to  dispel  prejudice  and  ignorance; 
and  her  deference  is  the  noblest  gratitude 
of  those  whom  we  have  brought  out  of 
darkness  into  light.  These  are  the  pro- 
per state,  and  prerogative,  and  homage  of 
knowledge  ;  but  for  a  man  of  knowledge 
to  claim  and  sue  for  external  marks  of 
honour  is  to  cast  the  crown  of  glory  from 
his  head,  and  to  humble  himself  into  a 
mere  man  of  power;  it  is  to  exchange  the 
ethereal  nature  of  his  calling,  for  the  vul- 
gar attributes  of  place  and  of  office.  Nay, 
nothing  will  bear  the  character  of  a  wise 
man  up — nothing  will  set  the  possessor 
of  knowledge  in  a  state  impregnable  to 
all  his  enemies,  and  honourable  to  him- 
self— nothing  but  that  he  hath  an  eye  to 
his  own  deliverance  from  evil ;  and  not 
his  own  alone,  but  of  the  whole  world. 
Let  us  take  the  gain  and  honour  which 
flow  in  upon  us,  and  pray  to  God  for 
economy  to  use  the  gain,  and  humility 
to  bear  the  honour.  But  never,  never  let 
the  man  of  knowledge  deal  out  the  trea- 
sures of  his  mind  at  the  bidding  of  a  pur- 
chaser, lest  he  sell  over  to  his  earthly 


THE  TRUE  USE  OF  KNOWLEDGE. 


157 


part  that  intellectual  and  spiritual  part 
whereby  he  holds  on  heaven.  Neither 
let  men  whose  gifts  and  accomplishments 
are  imperfections,  and  whose  highest 
honour  and  ambition  is  to  be  humble, 
court  preference  when  they  consider  of 
what  weak  and  sinful  creatures  they  are 
the  brothers.  Let  a  man  pursue  wisdom 
and  help  his  brother  out  of  his  sins  and 
imperfections,  and  then  he  shall  con- 
stantly be  moved  on  by  the  sight  of  their 
imperfections,  and  rewarded  by  the  feel- 
ing of  their  imperfections  removed.  He 
dwelleth  not  on  what  he  hath  done,  but 
on  what  remaineth  to  be  accomplished. 
He  looks  not  on  the  things  that  are  be- 
hind, but  on  the  things  that  are  before. 
His  reading,  his  thoughts,  his  conversa- 
tions, are  all  bent  to  know  his  imperfec- 
tions, to  find  out  a  remedy,  and  to  disco- 
ver the  cure  ;  and  the  remedy  is  no  sooner 
found,  than  he  endeavoureth  to  apply  it — 
and  so  knowledge  becomes  wisdom. 

Therefore,  men  and  brethren,  I  entreat 
each  one  of  you,  that  whatever  knowledge 
any  one  possesseth  at  present  (and  there 
is  no  one  without  a  large  store  of  know- 
ledge compared  with  total  ignorance) — 
we  exhort  you  to  convert  that  knowledge 
into  wisdom,  by  devoting  it  to  the  remo- 
val of  the  evils  and  troubles  which  afflict 
ourselves.  Consider  yourselves  on  all 
sides ;  observe  where  you  are  afflicted. 
Each  one  will  find  a  number  of  evils 
under  which  he  is  groaning,  and  whereby 
he  is  disgraced.  Apply  this  knowledge 
to  the  removal  of  wicked  habits,  such  as 
swearing,  and  lying,  and  drunkenness, 
and  chambering  and  hypocrisy.  There 
is  no  one  of  you  so  untutored  as  not  to 
know  the  remedy  for  these  things.  The 
deliverance  cometh  from  the  Spirit  and 
word  of  God,  by  the  use  of  those  means 
of  prevention  which  God  hath  put  within 
our  reach.  Then  use  this  knowledge  and 
you  shall  be  wise — use  it  not,  and  you 
shall  be  twice  condemned  ;  according  to 
that  saying  of  Jesus  Christ,  "If  I  had 
not  come  and  spoken  unto  them  they  had 
not  had  sin,  but  now  they  have  no  cloak 
for  their  sin." 

Whosoever,  then,  is  so  afflicted  with 
wicked  propensities  (which  are  the  dis- 
eases of  the  soul)  should  apply  to  the 


Lord  for  strength,  and  to  the  word  of  the 
Lord  for  knowledge ;  and  he  should  keep 
himself  what  he  can  from  every  occasion 
of  ofl!ence  :  he  should  part  company  from 
the  profligate,  idle,  and  profane,  and  com- 
pany with  the  most  honest  men  he  can 
find  :  he  should  banish  all  books  which 
cover  such  vices  with  the  gloss  of  senti- 
mental imagery,  or  the  glory  of  splendid 
success ;  he  should  form  acquaintance 
with  the  writings  of  noble  men,  of  virtu- 
ous men,  and  of  religious  men ;  and  he 
should  inquire  after  such  treatises  as  may 
beget  a  love,  and  encourage  a  pursuit  of 
thiflgs  lovely,  and  of  good  report.  So, 
by  diligence,  he  will  convert  the  know- 
ledge of  the  remedies  of  his  diseases  into 
the  cure  of  those  diseases,  and  so  grow 
into  the  condition  of  a  wise  man.  For 
being  clear  of  youthful  lusts,  which  war 
against  the  soul,  you  should  suffer  fear 
from  a  fretful,  inquiet  temper  of  irrita- 
bility, of  sensitiveness  from  pride  hum- 
bled, from  vanity  mortified,  from  ambition 
beaten  back,  from  policy  outwitted,  or 
expectations  defeated.  Then  you  know 
the  remedy,  the  only  remedy,  that  is  in 
putting  your  fractious  rebel  nature  into 
discipline  of  God.  You  know  that  reli- 
gion should  be  to  the  thoughts  within  the 
breast,  what  the  queen  bee  is  to  the  hive 
— their  parent  and  their  mistress ;  for 
upon  the  loss  of  religion,  as  upon  the 
loss  of  the  queen  bee,  there  ensueth  wild 
disorder  and  troubles — no  stirring  in- 
dustry— no  security  of  abiding  couosel ; 
but  on  the  contrary,  certainty  of  discord 
and  desolation. 

Now,  I  shall  not  say  that  every  one 
knoweth  that  religion  hath  such  virtues 
over  the  troubled  breast;  but  of  this  1  am 
sure,  many  there  be  present  who  both 
know  and  are  convinced  of  it,  and  do  yet 
turn  their  knowledge  to  no  account  of 
wisdom  or  of  happiness,  by  regulating 
themselves  according  thereto.  Those 
who  have  fear  of  their  double  punishment 
in  sinning  against  light  and  the  peace  of 
their  troubled  spirit,  I  charge  not  thus  to 
abuse  their  precious  information ;  for 
which  information  heathen  lands  cry  in 
vain  to  heaven  with  the  voice  of  all  their 
sufferings,  and  of  all  their  sorrows. 

Oh!  that  men  would  forego  their  la- 
O 


158 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


mentations  over  fortune,  and  hope,  and 
worldly  happiness,  sliipwrecked  in  this 
unhappy  world  ;  and  plucking  from  their 
bosom  the  key  of  knowledge,  which  rust- 
eth  there  unused,  would  apply  it,  in  the 
strength  of  God,  to  unlock  the  gates  of 
immortality  and  blessedness.  Then  it 
should  come  to  pass  that  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  would  bring  all  things  in  its  train 
—hope  for  better  things  that  would 
brighten  over  the  darkness  of  present  loss- 
es— ambition,  heavenly  ambition,  would 
fire  the  heart  to  the  quest  of  immortal 
crowns  and  everlasting  thrones ;  and  the 
voice  of  self-approbation,  sweeter  than 
the  shouts  of  an  applauding  people,  would 
make  all  joyful  within  the  breast ;  and  all 
the  roughness  of  temper  would  sweeten 
and  soften  under  the  keeping  of  a  good 
and  happy  heart ;  and  out  of  ruins  a  tem- 
ple would  arise,  with  songs  of  ever- 
lasting joy.  The  knowledge  that  religion 
hath  such  a  powerful  wand  to  regenerate 
abject  nature  withal,  lieth,  I  say,  in  many 
a  wounded  and  sorrowful  breast — it  lieth 
unremembered,  it  lieth  unblest ;  even  as 
the  key  of  promise  lay  in  the  bosom  of 
Hopeful,  while  he  and  Christian  were 
confined  in  the  dungeons  of  Doubting 
castle.  And  if,  like  him,  you  will  pluck 
it  forth,  and  use  it  for  your  salvation,  be 
assured  that  nothing  more  would  remain 
to  set  you  at  liberty  from  the  bondage  of 
all  such  troubles. 

There  are  many  here  present,  I  am  sure, 
who  feel  oppressed  with  the  grievances 
of  disappointment  and  unrest;  but  not 
acting  from  this  remedy  which  resides  in 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  seek 
their  refuge  in  idle  reading,  or  in  laughter 
creating  amusement,  or  in  gay  and  flaunt- 
ing vanity  in  the  world  of  fashion  and  of 
taste.  Oh,  brethren  !  these  do  but  cheat 
the  short  time,  they  do  but  chase  the  im- 
pending waves ;  even  as  the  mariners, 
when  the  leak  is  making,  and  the  ocean 
is  sucking  down  the  ship  the  wretched 
men,  bursting  control,  hasten  to  kill 
thought  with  intoxication  to  the  wild 
dance  of  terror.  Away,  away,  from  these 
the  worldly  cures — they  are  no  remedy. 
Away,  away,  with  gay  company — away 
with  levity — away  with  boisterous  wit, 
and  ridicule,  and  contempt  of  what  is 


gi-ave  and  thoughtful !  These  are  the 
opiate  draughts  which,  being  persisted  in, 
bring  on  rugged  disease,  and  plant  de- 
spair. Take  to  counsel,  take  to  ministry 
of  counsel ;  talk  to  the  world  about  you  : 
learn  and  discover  where  peace  and  con- 
tentment have  their  dwellings — where 
wretchedness  and  misery  have  their  howl- 
ing abodes.  Gather  knowledge  from 
facts  around  you  ;  see  where  quiet  even- 
ings and  healthful  mornings  shine — (not 
with  midnight  dance  and  morning  revels) 
— go  round  and  see — take  not  my  word 
for  it — go  round  and  see  where  hollow- 
heartedness  dwells,  and  foul  pretence, 
and  where  puppetry  of  human  nature 
hold  its  range.  You  shall  find  it  to  be 
where  religion,  and  wisdom,  and  gravity 
have  been  hooted  out  of  doors.  These 
guardian  angels  of  men  must  be  banished 
first,  and  honest  sentiment  must  learn  to 
hide  its  head  in  shame ;  solemn  truth 
must  be  thrust  down  into  the  earth  ;  the 
name  of  God  must  be  taught  to  turn  agist, 
or  to  deepen  an  execration,  or  to  fill  up 
the  frequent  chasms  of  poverty-stricken 
discourse,  before  these  gay  allurements 
can  be  got  up,  to  which  the  world  in  its 
wisdom  carries  a  dejected  countenance, 
stricken  mortally. 

Whenever  these  scenes  occur  to  you, 
brethren,  read  for  their  cure  and  removal. 
Get  knowledge — search  the  word  of  God 
— dig  the  wells  of  knowledge — beat  the 
fields  of  knowledge  for  a  remedy.  Rest 
not  till  you  have  found  diseases  like  your 
own,  brought  under  by  the  chief  physi- 
cian. For  this,  let  libraries  be  ransacked 
— not  for  light  and  airy  speculations, 
which,  however  graceful,  yield  no  happi- 
ness— which,  however  amusing,  afford 
no  spiritual  gain.  Be  at  charges  with 
your  soul  as  with  your  body.  If  any 
pain  seize  your  body,  you  straightway 
submit  to  confinement,  to  pain,  and  to 
cruel  operations.  But  when  the  mind 
languisheth,  when  the  mind  is  deformed 
by  unseemly  vice,  which  we  strive  to 
hide,  and  which  is  odious  to  our  own 
thoughts,  we  seek  for  no  medicine,  we 
consult  no  mail's  skill  in  spiritual  cures ; 
but  we  give  ourselves  up  to  random  in- 
fluence, yea,  rush  into  the  snare  where 
we  caught  the  foul  infection,  as  if  we 


THE  EXECUTIONER'S  TRUMPET. 


159 


loved  what  we  hated,  and  delighted  in 
what  cost  us  sorrow. 

It  is  shameful  to  see  how  the  know- 
ledge that  appertains  to  our  peace  lies  in 
our  mind  like  nursery  tales,  despised  and 
disregarded.  Christian  men  have  secrets 
to  convert  earth  into  heaven,  and  to  oc- 
cupy the  soul  with  the  enjoyment  of  hea- 
ven. Christian  men  have  secrets  to  chase 
away  every  form  of  evil  that  assails  us 
from  the  deep  beneath,  and  unbinds  us 
from  every  carnal  and  earthly  passion,  to 
people  the  soul  with  thoughts  of  the 
world  to  come,  and  to  make  the  wilder- 
ness of  human  life  to  rejoice  and  blossom 
as  the  rose.  But  these  secrets  are  post- 
poned by  every  transient  current  story,  to 
every  idle  romance,  to  the  wildest  fancies, 
and  to  the  wickedest  wit.  They  are  to 
the  ear  like  waste  sounds  ;  they  that  utter 
them  must  season  them  with  something 
savory,  with  something  harmonious  and 
melodious,  in  order  that  they  might  find 
acceptance.  And  the  book  that  holds 
them  lies  as  a  sable  messenger  of  guilty 
tidings.  Meanwhile,  the  song  of  sweet 
sentiment,  and  the  voluptuous  poem  are 
hung  over  with  delight;  and  the  dramatic 
tale  is  devoured,  and  the  story  of  ancient 
times  is  unrolled,  and  the  daily  sheet  of 
news  is  reached  with  hungry  impatience, 
and  every  form  of  knowledge  within  the 
limits  of  fancy  and  folly  hath  a  joyful 
welcome.  And  what  serveth  merry 
songs  ! — what  serve  adventures  of  unreal 
stories  ] — what  serve  all  the  paltry  acci- 
dents and  incidents  of  political  and 
fashionable  life  1  "  They  while  the  time 
away."  Do  not  be  afraid  of  that,  it  will 
soon  come  to  an  end.  They  give  the 
seal  to  knowledge,  they  kindle  party 
feuds,  and  awaken  hell  within  the  breast 
of  a  man  ;  and  they  sport  away  the  spirit 
of  a  man  with  dreams  and  fantasies,  of 
which,  though  he  live  a  thousand  years, 
he  shall  never  realize  one. 

Oh,  what  a  sight,  if  with  one  consent 
we  sought  into  the  troubles  of  our  spirit, 
and  gave  ourselves  to  reason,  and  think- 
ing, and  conversation,  in  order  to  amend 
one  another;  every  one  dwelling  at  home 
in  his  own  breast — every  one  inhaling 
stores  of  vital  knowledge  to  purify  and 
awaken  his  spiritual  life!     How  wise, 


how  worthy  should  we  become  by  the 
grace  of  the  Spirit  of  God  !  How  sincere 
were  our  intercourse — how  frank  our 
communications — how  close  our  commu- 
nion with  God — how  constant  our  appli- 
cation to  the  treasures  of  his  wisdom  and 
grace!  Do  let  me  advise  you,  fellow 
Christians  and  fellow  men,  to  take  this 
subject  into  your  serious  thought,  and  to 
make  your  present  knowledge  instru- 
mental to  your  peace  by  acting  thereon ; 
to  select  your  books  with  a  desire  to  grow 
in  the  image  of  God,  and  shine  in  the 
beauty  of  holiness.  Then  shall  you  in- 
crease in  wisdom  as  you  increase  in  years, 
and  pass  your  life  in  blessedness,  and 
become,  when  you  depart,  as  the  angels 
of  God,  whom  you  shall  know  even  as 
they  are  known. 


THE   executioner's   TRUMPET. 

Jerome  used  to  say,  that  it  seemed  to 
him  as  if  the  trumpet  of  the  last  day  was 
always  sounding  in  his  ears,  saying, 
"  Arise,  ye  dead,  and  come  to  judgment." 
The  generality,  however,  think  but  little 
of  this  awful  and  important  period.  A 
Christian  king  of  Hungary,  being  very 
sad  and  pensive,  his  brother,  who  was  a 
gay  courtier,  was  desirous  of  knowing 
the  cause  of  his  sadness.  "  Oh,  brother," 
said  the  king,  "  I  have  been  a  great  sin- 
ner against  God,  and  know  not  how  to 
die,  or  how  to  appear  before  God  in  judg- 
ment !"  His  brother,  making  a  jest  of 
it,  said,  "  These  are  but  melancholy 
thoughts."  The  king  made  no  reply; 
but  it  was  the  custom  of  the  country,  that 
if  the  executioner  came  and  sounded  a 
trumpet  before  any  man's  door,  he  was 
presently  led  to  execution.  The  king,  in 
the  dead  of  night,  sent  the  executioner  to 
sound  the  trumpet  before  his  brother's 
door ;  who  hearing  it,  and  seeing  the  mes- 
senger of  death,  sprang  into  the  king's 
presence,  beseeching  to  know  in  what  he 
had  offended.  "  Alas  I  brother,"  said  the 
k-ing,  "you  have  never  offended  me.  And 
is  the  sight  of  my  executioner  so  dread- 
ful, and  shall  not  I,  who  have  greatly 
offended,  fear  to  be  brought  before  the 
judgment-seat  of  Christ^" 


SERMON  XVI. 

THE  APPROPRIATION  AND  INFLUENCE  OF  REVEALED  TRUTH. 
BY  REV.  JOHN  ANDERSON. 


"  The  secret  things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God :  but  the  things  which  are  revealed  belong  unto 
us  and  to  our  children  for  ever,  that  we  may  do  all  the  words  of  this  law." — Deut.  xsix.  29. 


The  desire  of  knowledge  is  natural  to 
the  human  soul ;  it  is  implanted  within 
man  by  his  almighty  Creator:  but,  as 
it  is  in  the  hands  of  a  finite  and  de- 
praved creature,  it  may  be  perverted,  and 
ought  to  be  directed.  By  setting  bounds 
to  this  desire,  God  maintained  his  do- 
minion over  man ;  by  exciting  this  desire, 
I  the  tempter  succeeded  to  allure  man  from 
I  G^d,  and  ultimately  destroyed  his  peace. 
While,  however,  we  are  allowed  to 
seek  after  knowledge,  it  becomes  neces- 
sary that  we  should  be  kept  within  due 
limits  ;  especially  as  man  seems  disposed 
to  carry  his  pursuits  beyond  those  limits. 
It  cannot,  surely,  appear  unreasonable, 
that  Jehovah  should  have  his  arcana — 
that  there  should  be  a  region  into  which 
he  retires  in  his  own  sovereignty — a  re- 
gion into  which  no  finite  mind  can  pene- 
trate, though  it  is  confessedly  full  of  the 
most  interesting  objects.  The  history  of 
our  nature  has  divulged  the  sad  fact,  that 
man  does  not  approve  of  a  restraint  like 
this.  He  would  trench  the  sacred  enclo- 
sure of  Deity,  and  invade  the  prerogative 
of  heaven.  This,  however,  is  not  to  be 
tolerated ;  for  as  "  the  secret  things  belong 
unto  God,"  we  should  aim  to  submit  our 
minds  to  this  economy.  And  let  us  aim 
to  do  this.  God  does  us  no  harm  by  this 
arrangement;  we  sustain  no  injury.  God 
has  manifested  his  mercy,  by  revealing 

i'  to  us  subjects  which  are  more  suited  to 
our  capacities,  and  concealing  only  those 
which  we  cannot  comprehend.  We  ex- 
pose ourselves  to  imminent  danger,  while 
we  step  over  the  line  between  what  is 


limited  and  what  is  allowed.  Such  were 
the  views  entertained  by  a  prophet  of 
God,  who  well  knew  what  was  in  human 
nature.  He  saw  this  spirit  stirring  in 
man;  he  beheld  it  rising  in  opposition  to 


the  will  of  God ;  and  he  meets  this  dis 


position,  and  says,  "  The  secret  things  be- 
long unto  the  Lord  our  God." 

My  brethren,  I  solicit  an  interest  in 
your  prayers,  that  God's  blessing  may  be 
upon  us  while  I  appear  before  you  to  ad- 
vocate the  cause  of  mankind  ;  for,  says 
my  text,  "  Aose  things  which  are  revealed 
belong  unto  us  and  to  our  children  for  ever, 
that  we  may  do  all  the  words  of  this 
law."  Waving,  then,  as  we  ought  to  do, 
the  consideration  of  the  things  that  be- 
long to  God,  let  us  attend  to  our  own 
rights.  Let  us  regard,  first,  their  charac- 
ter; and  secondly,  the  validity  of  our 
claims  to  them. 

First,  Let  us  attend  to  the  charac- 
ter OF  OUR  RIGHTS. 

"  The  things  that  are  revealed."     This 
was  originally  spoken  of  that  portion  of 
truth  which  was  at  that  time  committed 
to  the  Jews.     But  as  that  outline  of  truth '  \ 
is  more  than  filled  up  in  the  gospel,  we  I 
need  not  apologize  for  applying  it  to  the 
whole  system  of  truth  and  grace  which  I 
is  made  known  to  us  in  the  gospel  of  i 
Jesus  Christ.     They  are  called  ^^  revealed 
things."     I  love  this  designation ;  for, 

1.  It  conducts  us  to  the  mysterious  na- 
ture of  our  rights.  They  are  revealed 
things  ;  they ^are^ not  the  result  of  human 
jeasonings,  however  deeply  pursued— 
however  long  continued.  They  are  re- 
160 


REVEALED  THINGS. 


161 


vealcd  things  ;  tliing-s,  therefore,  of  a  di- 
vine and  mysterious  nature.  Now,  they 
are  called  "  the  purposes  of  God  ;''  then, 
♦'  the  mystery  of  his  w  ill :"  at  one  time, 
"  tlie  deep  things  of  God  ;"  at  another, 
"  the  will  of  (jod  :''  and  again,  "  the  wis- 
dom of  God  in  a  mystery."  Paul,  when 
speaking  of  it,  gives  us  this  compre- 
hensive summary  of  its  nature  : — "  How- 
beit,  we  speak  wisdom  among  them  that 
are  perfect :  yet  not  the  wisdom  of  this 
world,  nor  of  the  princes  of  this  world, 
that  come  to  nought :  but  we  speak  the 
wisdom  of  God  in  a  mystery,  even  the 
hidden  wisdom,  which  God  ordained  be- 
fore the  world  unto  our  glory,  which  none 
of  the  princes  of  this  world  knew ;  for 
had  they  known  it,  they  Avould  not  have 
crucified  the  Lord  of  glory.  But  as  it  is 
written,  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard, 
neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man, 
the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for 
them  that  love  him.  But  God  hath  re- 
vealed them  unto  us  by  his  Spirit :  for  the 
Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep 
things  of  God."  Now  this  should  ever 
be  understood  by  us  as  constituting  a  fair 
character  of  the  things  that  are  revealed ; 
that  they  were  the  proceeds  of  the  infinite 
intelligence  of  Deity — that  they  are  sur- 
rounded by  ineffable  grandeur  and  myste- 
rious glory — that  they  come  forth  to  us, 
not  as  the  results  of  human  reason — that 
they  are  revealed  to  us  in  infinite  mercy 
by  God  himself — made  known  to  man, 
who  else  must  have  groped  in  darkness, 
and  have  perished  for  ever.  And  this 
character  of  revealed  things  applies  to 
every  part  of  gospel  truth.  If  we  look 
at  the  being  and  attributes  of  God — a 
trinity  in  unity — the  God-man  Mediator — 
his  sacrifice  and  atonement — the  effects 
of  faith  in  that  atonement — the  doctrine 
of  a  future  resurrection — and  all,  in  fact, 
that  is  called  revelation — we  shall  see  how 
much  they  are  above  the  level  of  mere 
human  intellect,  how  truly  they  are  styled 
the  mysterious  things  of  God,  and  how 
evidently  they  all  bear  the  mark  and 
character  of  divinity.  "  The  things  that 
are  revealed!"  Hove  this  designation; 
because, 

2.  It  marks  our  religious  immunities 
in   the   glory  of  their  manifestation      If 

Vol.  I.— 21 


they  be  revealed,  let  us  remember  that 
God  only  could  reveal  them  ;  and  he  has. 
They  are  truly  revealed,  or  manifested 
things.  The  world  has  been  the  scene 
of  divine  manifestations  from  the  begin- 
ning. The  Bible  is  a  history  of  mani- 
festations. Faithful  men  have  been  raised 
up  from  time  to  time,  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  making  known  the  will  of  God. 
There  is  nothing  which  man  knows  about 
God — nothing  in  reference  to  his  present 
condition,  or  his  future  state — nothing 
which  respects  the  great  salvation — no- 
thing which  is  dear  to  us,  as  sinners — but 
what  has  been  communicated  to  us  by 
God  himself,  from  the  beginning  until 
now.  This  revelation  began  with  the 
first  m.an;  it  travelled  down  through  a 
variety  of  dispensations ;  and  at  length 
it  was  perfected  in  the  everlasting  gospel, 
according  to  that  memorable  record — 
"  God,  who  at  sundry  times  and  in  divers 
manners  spake  in  times  past  unto  the 
fathers,  by  the  prophets,  hath  in  these 
last  days  spoken  to  us  by  his  Son."  So 
that  whether  we  look  at  the  various  modes 
of  communication — whether  we  listen  to 
the  voice  of  God  in  the  garden — or  turn 
our  thoughts  to  dreams,  and  visions,  and 
temporary  revelations — or  think  on  insti- 
tutions that  are  more  permanent — we  learn 
that  God  has  had  communications  with 
man ;  and  all  that  man  knows  bears  upon 
it  the  character  of  a  divine  revelation. 
And  I  love  this  character ;  for, 

3.  It  points  out  the  transcendent  im- 
portance of  them.  They  are  "  revealed" 
things.  O,  if  we  look  at  these  things  se- 
parately ;  if  we  think  of  God — of  Christ 
our  Mediator  —  of  the  gospel  —  of  the 
Spirit  to  apply  its  truths ;  if  we  consider 
the  influence  of  these  things  on  man — 
on  the  illumination  of  his  understanding 
— the  rectitude  of  his  spirit — the  purity 
of  his  conduct — the  peace  of  his  con- 
science— we  should  from  all  these  catch 
a  portion  of  evidence,  which,  when  accu- 
mulated, would  form  a  mass  convincing 
and  overpowering.  Can  we  reflect  on  all 
the  important  results  of  all  our  immu- 
nities being  regarded  as  a  divine  revela- 
tion ]  For  instance,  what  clearness  is  thus 
imparted  to  them  !  If  God  speak  for  the 
benefit  of  man,  we  may  be  sure  he  will 
o2 


162 


TilE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


speak  in  an  intelligible  maiinpr.  Wliat ' 
certainiy  does  it  impart  to  them  !  They 
are  not  the  doubtful  deductions  of  human 
reason — of  gigantic  intellect — of  enlarged 
stores  of  erudition.  No  :  they  are  a  re- 
velation from  God.  It  is  to  this  cause  we 
trace  the  failure  of  all  other  hypotheses, 
however  splendid;  they  failed,  because 
they  wanted  the  essential  character  of  a 
revelation  from  God.  What  grandeur, 
too,  does  this  imprint  on  our  rights  ! 
They  have  features  of  simplicity,  it  is 
true,  but  of  dignity  also.  They  are  the 
word  of  God — God  speaking  to  men  ! 
God  himself,  bringing  the  charter  of  our 
privileges  in  his  own  hand  !  God,  pro- 
claiming his  will  concerning  us,  from  the 
excellent  glory  !  And  from  the  moment 
that  God  caused  his  voice  first  to  vibrate 
on  the  ears  of  man — in  all  the  promises 
he  has  made — in  all  the  predictions  which 
his  prophets  uttered,  in  the  voice  of  the 
harbinger  of  the  great  Messiah — in  the 
voice  of  Christ  himself  when  he  sojourned 
on  our  earth,  and  in  the  voice  of  all  his 
apostles  and  preachers — we  have  proof 
that  all  our  privileges  are  characterized 
by  all  that  is  great — by  all  that  is  digni- 
fied. Nay,  what  authority  is  imparted  to 
them  by  this  circumstance !  The  reve- 
lation of  God  !  Yes  ;  this  was  what  all 
the  hypotheses  which  have  been  made 
knownto  men  wanted — namely, authority. 
But  our  privileges  are  revealed,  and  they 
bear  the  stamp  and  seal  of  the  King  of 
kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  They  are  all 
marked  as  announcements  to  man  of  the 
will  of  the  everlasting  God.  Wherever 
we  turn,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord"  vibrates 
on  our  ears ;  and  we  fall  down  and  adore, 
while  it  is  said,  "  Therefore  we  ought  to 
give  the  more  earnest  heed  to  the  things 
which  we  have  heard,  lest  at  any  time  we 
should  let  them  slip.  For  if  the  word 
spoken  by  angels  was  steadfast,  and  every 
transgression  and  disobedience  received  a 
just  recompense  of  reward,  how  shall  we 
escape,  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation  1 
which  at  the  first  began  to  be  spoken  hy 
the  Lord" — the  Lord  incarnate !  and  after 
its  authority  had  been  thus  established, 
"  was  confirmed  unto  us  by  them  that 
heard  him ;  God  also  hearing  them  wit- 
ness, both  with  signs  and  wonders,  and 


with   divers   miracles   and   gifts  of   the 
Holy  Ghost,  according  to  his  own  will." 

O,  brethren,  let  us  look  at  our  rights 
and  immunities,  llius  distinguished — thus 
"  revealed  ,•"  and  if  you  have  a  spark  of 
intellect — if  you  have  any  ability  to  in- 
vestigate— if  you  are  at  all  capable  of 
comparing  things  that  differ;  then  will 
you  cheerfully,  gladly,  willingly,  give 
the  palm  to  your  religious  immunities. 

We  have  heard  much  of  "  the  rights 
if  man  ;"  a  great  deal  has  been  said  and 
written  on  the  rights  of  people  and  tlie 
rights  of  princes  :  but,  without  denying 
that  these  rights  have  their  importance — 
an  importance  which  should  never  be 
taken  from  them — there  arc  no  rights 
which  concern  us  as  immortal  creatures 
— as  men  destined  to  live  for  ever — as 
those  which  are  made  known  to  us  by 
divine  revelation.  These  are  the  rights 
to  which  the  text  refers;  those  rights 
which  have  been  revealed  by  such  a 
grand  apparatus  of  means,  and  all  of 
which  are  characterized  by  so  much  gran- 
deur, simplicity,  importance,  and  au- 
thority. I  say  again,  if  we  are  capable 
of  comparing  the  various  objects  that  are 
presented  to  our  minds,  we  shall  rejoice 
to  hear  that  "  the  secret  things  belong 
unto  the  Lord  our  God  :  but  the  things 
which  are  revealed  belong  unto  ms."  And 
we  will  endeavour  to  ascertain, 

Secondly,  The  validity  of  our  claims 

TO  THESE  immunities. 

They  "  belong  unto  us ;"  so  it  is  said 
in  the  text.  But  what  is  the  ground  of 
our  claim  to  the  things  that  are  revealed  ■? 
It  cannot  be  natural  to  us,  considering  us 
abstractedly,  as  men.  It  is  true,  indeed, 
that  there  began  to  be  a  system  of  reve- 
lation and  communication  from  the  first, 
to  sinless  and  innocent  man.  But  the 
things  which  are  revealed  to  us  contain 
much,  certainly,  which  was  not  adapted 
to  man  in  his  first  state.  This  revelation 
could  not  belong  to  man,  then,  as  he  was 
created.  And  though  we  are  sinnei-s,  and 
this  revelation  is  made  to  us  as  sinners; 
still,  the  fact  of  our  sinfulness  could  give 
us  no  claim  to  such  a  revelation  ;  no  claim 
to  a  revealed  God — to  a  revealed  Saviour 
— to  a  revealed  heaven — to  a  revealed  im- 
mortality.    No ;  we  can  support  no  claim, 


REVEALED  THINGS. 


163 


pither  natural  or  meritorious.  How  tlicn 
are  these  things  ours  "?  Simply — simply 
lipfniise  of  the  sovereign  will  of  God. 
That  will  has  been  employed  in  reference 
to  us.  Guided  by  infinite  wisdom, 
prompted  by  infinite  love,  its  determina- 
tions have  issued  in  the  birth  of  a  Saviour, 
and,  through  him,  in  the  repurchase  of 
our  former  inheritance.  It  was  given  to 
«sby  God  himself:  first,  in  promise ;  then 
in  the  oath  by  which  he  confirmed  that 
promise  ;  ultimately,  in  the  gift  of  Christ : 
and  this  gift  of  Christ  himself  was  the 
pledge  that  all  which  God  had  promised 
should  be  ours.  God  "  spared  not  his 
own  Son,  but  delivered  him  up  for  us 
all,"  and  will  therefore,  "  with  him, 
freely  give  us  all  things."  We  take  our 
stand  here,  then  ;  we  have  a  right  to  these 
things  because  God  has  bestowed  them 
on  us,  in  covenant — by  his  mercy — by 
free  donation.  Looking  on  the  world  in 
its  hell-deserving  condition,  while  travel- 
ling on  to  damnation,  he  entered  into 
gracious  covenant  with  Christ,  and  all  the 
world ;  "  for  there  is  one  God,  and  one 
mediator  between  God  and  man,  the  man 
Christ  .Tesus :  who  gave  himself  a  ran- 
som for  all,  to  be  testified  in  due  time." 
Jesus  Christ  was  not  merely  the  fountain 
of  revelation,  but  the  head  :  by  his  volun- 
tar)"^  sacrifice  of  himself  in  our  behalf,  he 
acquired  a  right  for  us  ;  so  revelation  and 
all  its  blessings  became  ours. 

Now,  among  all  the  creatures  God  has 
formed,  whether  residing  in  heaven,  or 
the  inhabitants  of  planets  discovered  or 
unknown,  where  shall  we  find  a  people 
that  can  lay  claim  to  these  things  equally 
with  ourselves  1  He  by  whom  they  were 
bought,  is  "  bone  of  our  bone,  and  flesh 
of  our  flesh,"  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Son 
of  man.  Christ  is  ours,  and  the  things 
which  reveal  him  are  ours  ;  the  sun  is 
ours,  and  all  the  rays  of  that  sun  are  ours  ; 
the  fountain  is  ours,  and  all  its  streams 
are  ours;  "Emanuel,  God  with  us,"  is 
ours  ;  and  hence  all  else  is  ours  also. 

Revelation  itself  does  not  warrant  any 
other  beings  to  lay  claim  to  its  truths, 
but  us.  There  is  no  intimation  that  it 
was  designed  for  a  superior  race  of  beings, 
but  rather  on  the  contrary ;  though  men 
have  often  speculated  curiously  upon  this 


point.  Nor  is  there  any  reason  for  sup- 
posing that  its  blessings  will  extend  to 
the  brute  creation  ;  though  good  men  have 
entertained  such  an  idea.  All  these  things 
are  ours,  because  "  the  word  which  was 
with  God,  and  which  was  God,  was  made 
flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us ;  so  that  we 
beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only 
begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and 
truth." 

But,  besides  this,  we  have  other  and 
collateral  grounds  of  claim.  In  proof 
that  the  things  that  are  revealed  belong 
unto  us,  I  would  appeal, 

1.  To  their  astonishing  adaptation  to  our 
circumstances.  There  is,  in  this  res]:oct, 
a  striking  connexion  between  the  mercy 
announced,  and  the  state  of  human  beings. 
Take  a  summary  of  revealed  truth,  and 
bear  it  to  human  beings  wherever  you 
find  them ;  let  but  the  light  beam  upon 
their  minds,  let  but  the  truth  be  revealed 
to  them,  and  it  finds  something  in  the 
heart,  and  conscience,  and  understanding, 
which  responds  to  it;  something  which 
forms  a  collateral  argument  that  the  things 
revealed  belong  to  them.  Tliis  is  not 
theory,  but  fact.  Wherever  the  gospel 
is  borne,  on  whatever  wind  of  heaven, 
there  we  find  darkness  chased  by  light — 
guilt  met  by  its  Saviour — uncertainty 
done  away  by  the  life  which  it  brings  to 
light — all  incompetency  met  by  the  power 
of  the  gospel — and  those  who  listen  to 
it  raised  to  the  level  of  intelligent  and 
redeemed  men.     We  appeal  further, 

2.  To  the  legitimated  means  of  their 
transmission.  God  has  not  left  the  truths 
of  revelation  to  themselves,  to  make  their 
own  way,  and  subdue  the  world  to  obedi- 
ence. Men  may  talk  of  the  force  of  truth, 
and  say  that  it  is  great,  and  must  ulti- 
mately prevail ;  yet  truth,  in  order  to  its 
final  triumph,  has  to  contend  with  all  the 
corruptions  of  the  human  heart.  God  has 
not  left  the  truth  to  find  its  way,  without 
making  provision  for  its  communication 
to  the  beings  for  whom  it  was  designed ; 
and  all  the  means  which  he  has  employed 
cast  a  light  upon  the  fact  that  they  belong 
to  us.  Where  the  truth  eflfects  the  con- 
version of  an  individual,  that  individual 
makes  the  change  known  to  another ;  a 
church  is  formed ;  the  members  of  that 


164 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


church  are  removed  in  various  directions  ; 
and  thus  God  causes  his  truth  to  make  its 
way  throughout  the  whole  earth.  Again  : 
God  has  not  left  his  truth  to  float  on  the 
stream  of  tradition,  liable  to  be  injured  or 
impaired;  but  has  given  it  the  tangibility, 
shall  I  say  1 — the  certainty,  the  palpable- 
ness,  of  a  written  revelation.  God  has 
caused  his  will  to  be  recorded  in  a  writ- 
ten form,  and  so  handed  down  from  man 
to  man.  What  shall  I  say  of  a  standing 
winistry,  to  explain  and  enforce  these 
various  truths  in  the  hearing  of  men  from 
time  to  time  1  What  shall  I  say  to  the 
injunction  given  to  parents  to  teach  these 
things  to  their  children  ;  "  that  the  gene- 
rations to  come  may  know  them,  who 
shall  arise  and  declare  them  to  their  chil- 
dren; that  they  may  set  their  hope  in 
God,  and  not  forget  the  works  of  God, 
but  keep  his  commandments."  Look  at 
the  nature  of  these  divinely  instituted 
means,  and  say,  if  you  have  not  proofs 
that  the  things  which  are  revealed  belong 
to  man.     I  refer  you, 

3.  To  the  wonderful  preservation  of  these 
things.  How  wonderfully  has  God  taken 
care  to  preserve  his  truth  pure  and  un- 
adulterated, notwithstanding  the  preva- 
lence of  error — the  tyranny  of  passion — 
and  the  cruelty  of  persecution.  Think  of 
the  numerous  foes  that  have  been  raised 
against  the  truth — pagans,  who  have 
aimed  to  destroy  it,  and  papists,  who  have 
monopolized  it.  Think  of  popes  and  of 
devils — of  some  who  have  held  fast  the 
key  of  knowledge,  and  others  who  have 
corrupted  it  according  to  their  own  fan- 
cies. What  do  we  see,  but  God  himself 
holding  the  charter  of  our  liberties  in  his 
own  hands,  and  causing  even  the  fire  of 
persecution  to  induce  us  to  retain  our 
grasp  of  his  revelation  more  firmly. 
W^hat  has  not  died  away?  Nations  and 
empires  have  been  overthrown — the 
thrones  of  princes  have  been  undermined  ; 
they  have  fallen,  and  great  has  been  the 
fall.  Philosophers  and  their  systems 
have  vanished  away.  The  world  has 
been  one  continued  scene  of  change, 
alteration,  and  destruction  :  but  the  word 
of  God  has  remained  the  same.  While 
whole  nations  have  passed  away  ;  while 
"the  city  has  become  a  heap,  and  the 


defenced  city  a  ruin;"  the  truth  which 
emanated  from  God  has  been  preserved, 
and  has  shone  brighter  and  brighter.  The 
stream  which,  at  the  first,  bubbled  up  at 
the  foot  of  the  eternal  throne,  has  rolled 
silently  on,  increasing  in  majesty  as  it 
passed  along,  gathering  strength  from  the 
very  means  employed  to  obstruct  its 
course  ;  now  gliding  unseen  through  sub- 
terraneous channels — then  proceeding, 
softly  and  slowly,  like  the  waters  of 
Shiloah — and  anon  bursting  forth  like  an 
American  cataract,  and  rolling  on  with  a 
mighty  rapidity,  bearing  down  before  it 
each  opposing  barrier ;  declaring  to  the 
astonished  children  of  men,  that  while 
"  all  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  glory  of 
man  as  the  flower  of  grass,  the  word  of 
the  Lord  endureth  for  ever."  While  men 
have  stood  upon  its  brink,  and  been  com- 
pelled to  exclaim,  "  We  have  seen  an  end 
of  all  perfection  !"  it  still  flows  on,  fer- 
tilizing and  blessing  all  its  banks.  "  The 
word  of  the  Lord  by  the  gospel  is  still 
preached,"  furnishing  a  miraculous  proof 
that  "  the  things  which  are  revealed  be- 
long unto  us."  And  what  if  I  conduct 
you,  in  further  proof  of  this  point, 

4.  To  the  influence  of  these  things  upon 
the  nature  of  man,  I  often  think  on  what 
would  have  been  the  state  of  the  world, 
if  these  things  had  not  been  revealed. 
O,  brethren,  our  living  in  the  light  of  this 
truth  makes  it  as  familiar  to  us  as  our 
A,  B,  C  ;  and  tends  to  make  us  forget  the 
condition  of  those  who  are  destitute  of  it. 
O,  what  a  region  approximating  to  that 
of  hell — what  a  wilderness  of  sorrow  and 
of  wo — would  this  nation  have  been,  if 
God  had  never  illuminated  it  with  his 
revelation !  This  may  be  inferred  from 
the  state  of  those  who  have  but  a  portion 
of  this  truth,  in  comparison  with  that  of 
those  who  are  altogether  destitute  of  it. 
Look  at  the  influence  of  the  things  that 
are  revealed  on  the  intellectual — the  poli- 
tical— the  domestic — the  religious  rela- 
tions in  which  men  stand. 

On  the  intellectual  condition  of  men. 
The  things  that  are  revealed  have  enlarged 
the  sphere  of  knowledge.  Religion  has 
expanded  the  intellect,  even  where  it  has 
not  changed  the  heart.  It  has  a  tendency 
to  refine,  where  it  does  not  save.    I  will 


REVEALED  THINGS. 


169 


not  undertake  to  say  what  liave  been  its 
effects  on  science,  and  literature,  and  the 
liberal  arts  ;  but  it  is  enoug'h  to  oifend  one, 
to  see  the  votaries  of  intellect  and  litera- 
ture strutting-  in  peacock  dignity,  when  it 
could  be  clearly  proved  that  all  the  know- 
ledge which  they  possess  is  derived  from 
the  things  that  are  revealed.  They  have 
stolen  fire  from  the  altar  of  God,  and  have 
astonished  others,  while  they  have  never 
been  ingenuous  enough  to  confess  the 
theft.  They  have  paraded  in  pomp  before 
their  fellow  mortals,  forgetting  that  the 
fairest  feathers  which  they  have  ever 
worn  have  been  those  plucked  from  the 
bird  of  paradise.  But  for  this,  they  would 
have  had  nothing — they  would  have  been 
nothing.  If  God  had  not  spoken  from 
heaven,  and  revealed  his  will  to  men, 
they  would  still  have  been  in  gross  intel- 
lectual darkness. 

What  shall  I  say  of  its  political  influ- 
ence ]  What  has  not  revelation  done  for 
the  establishment  of  genuine  liberty ! 
From  the  mountain  of  revelation,  the 
sweetest  breezes  of  freedom  have  been 
wafted.  The  tree  of  liberty,  beneath 
whose  ample  shadow  we  have  lived,  and 
by  whose  fairest  fruit  we  have  been  fed, 
was  sown  by  God  himself  in  his  revela- 
tion ;  and  it  owes  its  elevation  and  gran- 
deur entirely  to  the  truth  which  he  has 
made  known. 

Think  of  its  influence  on  the  domestic 
relation.  And  all  that  is  sweet  in  the 
name  of  home;  all  that  is  connected  with 
the  names  of  father,  child,  husband,  wife, 
master,  servant ;  all  that  is  considered 
desirable  to  meet  with  in  our  intercourse 
with  men,  in  our  communion  with  each 
other;  is  derived  from  the  things  which 
God  has  so  graciously  made  known  to 
men. 

Look  upon  the  religious  state  of  man. 
0  God  !  who  but  thyself  can  tell  what  has 
been  the  influence  of  thy  truth  upon  the 
mind  of  man  ]  It  has  poured  a  flood  of 
light  upon  the  darkness  of  the  understand- 
ing— it  has  given  patience  in  affliction, 
and  satisfaction  in  disappointment — it  has 
afforded  direction  in  perplexity,  and  sup- 
port in  feebleness — it  has  revealed  that 
heaven,  where  the  Christian  shall  rest 
from  his  labours,  when  he  shall   return 


with  singing  unto  Zion,  and  everlasting 
joy  upon  his  head. 

"  The  things  that  are  revealed. '^^  Who 
can  thus  trace  their  influence,  (and  this  is 
a  mere  sketch,)  and  not  see  in  all  this  a 
strong,  clear,  satisfying  proof  that  God 
designed  all  these  things  for  us  1  and  not 
say  with  pleasure  and  gratitude,  "  the 
secret  things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our 
God  :  but  the  things  which  are  revealed 
belong  unto  us  and  to  our  children  for 
ever  1" 

My  brethren,  if  these  be  our  rights,  and 
if  our  claims  can  be  so  supported,  should 
we  not  next  ask,  how  does  it  become  us  to 
use  these  rights  ?  We  are  certainly  not  to 
hold  them  in  ignorance  of  their  nature : 
we  are  not  to  suppose  that  they  are  given 
merely  to  distinguish  us  from  those  by 
whom  we  are  surrounded.  They  are 
surely  given  to  us  to  promote  our  indivi- 
dual benefit.  If  this  revelation  be  sealed 
with  the  broad  seal  of  heaven,  and  pre- 
sented to  us  in  an  intelligible  form,  how 
ought  we  to  aim  at  knowing  the  things  it 
contains;  that  what  it  reveals  may  be 
enjoyed  on  the  one  hand,  and  obeyed  on 
the  other  !  We  are  to  search  these  divine 
oracles,  till  their  force  is  felt  on  our  hearts, 
and  their  import  treasured  up  in  our  recol- 
lection. Highly,  greatly  as  God  has  dis- 
tinguished us  by  these  rights,  this  will 
only  issue  in  our  aggravated  wo,  if  we 
should  be  found  walking  in  the  ways  of 
darkness.  Let  us  not  be  hearers  of  the 
truth  only — let  us  not  be  content  with 
looking  at  the  "  perfect  law  of  liberty," 
and  admiring  it  merely;  let  us  look  and 
admire,  butlet  us  also  "  continue  therein;" 
that  we  may  not  be  forgetful  hearers,  but 
"  doers  of  the  work." 

Again:  If  these  be  our  rights,  and  if 
they  belong  to  our  children,  and  to  our 
children's  children,  what  care  should  we 
take  to  transmit  them  without  corruption  to 
the  succeeding  generation.  We  often  read 
of  the  enthusiastic  ardour  of  those  who 
have  advocated  our  rights — Avho  have  not 
merely  thundered  in  the  senate,  but  have 
shed  their  blood  on  the  scaffold  ;  and 
while  Ave  have  seen  these  martyrs  in  the 
cause  of  civil  liberty,  and  martyrs  in  the 
cause  of  Christ,  thus  fearlessly  and  freely 
yielding  up   their   lives,  how   have   we 


166 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


admired,  nay,  almost  envied,  the  men  who 
were  able  to  manifest  such  zeal  and  pa- 
triotism !  But  whij  did  they  act  thus  ? — 
that  we,  and  those  who  came  after  us, 
might  enjoy  those  liberties  which  they 
esteemed  more  valuable  than  liberty  or 
life ;  and  shall  not  we  transmit  them  to 
our  children,  and  to  those  that  may  come 
after  us,  "that  they  also  may  set  their 
hope  in  God,  and  keep  his  command- 
ments'?" 

This  is  your  work.  It  is  for  an  insti- 
tution which  is  designed  to  carry  these 
purposes  into  effect,  that  he  who  ad- 
dresses you  has  now  to  plead.  An  in- 
competent pleader  he  confesses  himself; 
but  one  who  feels  that  something  like  the 
whole  energy  of  zeal  should  be  thrown 
into  his  subject,  while  he  has  to  plead  the 
rights  of  children.  You  are  called  to  take 
care  of  the  children  of  the  poor — some  of 
tliem  your  neighbours  and  some  not — in 
order  that  you  may  give  them  a  portion  of 
education.  A  great  deal  has  been  said 
about  education — a  great  deal  has  been 
said  loosely,  a  great  deal  foolishly,  about 
it.  Education  may  be,  and  in  some  cases 
is,  a  great  evil :  but  a  Christian  education 
— and  this  is  your  work — is  that  by 
which  you  may  serve  your  generation, 
your  country,  your  God.  In  no  other 
way  can  you  turn  education  to  a  good 
account,  but  by  teaching  them  the  truth 
of  God. 

We  speak  to  you  in  language  sound- 
ing from  the  throne  of  heaven — in  lan- 
guage addressed  to  you  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  Jewish  lawgiver,  surrounded 
by  the  congregated  thousands  of  Israel. 
"  Hear,  O  Israel !  the  words  which  I 
command  thee  this  day  shall  be  in  thine 
heart.''''  This  is  to  be  our  first  care ;  and 
'*  thou  shall  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy 
children ,-  and  shalt  talk  of  them  when 
thou  sittest  in  thine  house,  and  wlien  thou 
walkest  by  the  way,  and  when  thou  liest 
down,  and  when  thou  risest  up  :  and  thou 


shalt  bind  them  for  a  sign  upon  thine 
hand  ;  and  they  shall  be  as  frontlets  be- 
tween thine  eyes ;  and  thou  shalt  write 
them  upon  the  posts  of  thy  house,  and  on 
thy  gates."  Thus  giving  the  greatest 
publicity  to  them,  that  the  generation  to 
come  might  know  them,  and  seek  after 
God,  and  love  him  and  serve  him  with  all 
their  hearts.  And  while  we  understand 
these  things,  and  find  them  to  be  all  our 
joy  and  all  our  desire,  let  us  be  glad  that 
there  are  so  many  advocates  of  these 
truths  of  God.  We  live  in  a  day  in  Avhich 
much  opposition  is  made  to  pure  and  un- 
defiled  religion  :  but  as  the  truth  has  out- 
lived all  the  efforts  of  the  prince  of  dark- 
ness, and  gathered  strength  from  the  very 
opposition  which  has  been  made  to  it,  it 
shall  still  be  so  to  the  end  of  time.  It 
has  defied  all  the  sophistries  of  Hume, 
and  the  eloquence  of  Gibbon,  and  the 
vituperations  of  Voltaire,  and  the  inuen- 
does  of  Rousseau,  and  the  blasphemy  of 
Paine;  and  when  all  their  names  shall 
have  been  written  in  the  dust,  or  appear 
on  the  roll  of  history  as  awful  instances 
of  depraved  intellect  and  perverted  talent 
— the  TRUTH  shall  stand  unsullied  and 
uninjured  before  God.  And  while  all  that 
the  malignant  heart  of  the  infidel  prompts 
him  to,  shall  have  failed  of  its  effect,  and 
died  away,  the  truth  shall  give  its  suf- 
frages for  the  welfare  of  men  to  the  very  ' 
ends  of  the  earth :  Christians  shall  say, 
"  Come  ye,  and  let  us  walk  in  the  light 
of  the  Lord  ;  for  the  mountain  of  the  house 
of  the  Lord  shall  be  established  in  the 
top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted 
above  the  hills,  and  people  shall  flow 
unto  it ;  and  they  shall  beat  their  swords 
into  ploughshares,  and  their  spears  into 
pruning-hooks." 

May  God  further,  by  your  means,  and 
by  the  united  means  of  all  Christians, 
this  glorious  consummation,  and  fulfil 
the  truth  of  the  text  in  your  experience. 
Amen. 


SERMON  XVII. 

THE  EXAMPLE  OF  THE  ANCIENT  SERVANTS  OF  GOD. 
BY  THE  HON.  GERARD  T.  NOEL,  M.  A. 


'  That  ye  be  not  slothful,  but  followers  of  them  icho  through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promises." 

Heb.  vi.  12. 


In  this  fallen  world  every  thing  good 
is  acquired  with  difficulty,  and  retained 
with  danger.  Many  fatigues,  anxieties, 
and  sorrows,  make  up  that  amount  of 
effort  which  realizes  even  the  objects  of 
earthly  ambition.  In  spiritual  and  hea- 
venly pursuits,  the  same  labour  is  essen- 
tial, and  the  same  peril  attends  enjoyment; 
but  then  that  enjoyment  is  not  subject  to 
the  same  ultimate  forfeiture.  These  are 
objects  of  pursuit,  at  once  of  high  intrinsic 
excellence,  and  of  perpetual  duration ; 
but  still  they  are  difficult  of  acquirement. 

In  reference  to  this  difficulty  of  attain- 
ment, the  apostle  requires  that  we  be 
"  not  slothful,  but  followers  of  them  who 
through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the 
promises." 

Let  us  with  God's  blessing  contemplate 
here,  in  the  first  place, 

I.  The  important  fact,  that  many  of 
OUR  fellow-Christians  have  through 
faith  and  patience  inherited  the  pro- 
mises of  God ;  and 

II.  The  value  of  their  example  to 
ourselves. 

I.  Let  us  first  consider  the  assurance 
of  the  apostle,  that  many  have  attained 
the  promises  of  God. 

To  those  who  are  familiar  with  the 
Scriptures,  I  need  not  say  that  every  thing 
good  and  productive  of  happiness  in  this 
world,  is  the  free  gift  of  God.  By  this  I 
do  not  simply  mean  that  the  original  grant 
of  life,  with  all  its  blessings,  was  to  us  a 
free  benefit  from  God ;  but  beyond  this, 
that  sin,  having  deprived  us  of  that  benefit, 
and  exposed  us  to  the  most  aggravated 


evils,  every  degree  of  comfort,  and  every 
mitigation  of  evil,  which  we  now  enjoy, 
is  the  free  and  gratuitous  gift  of  grace. 
We  are  criminals  in  a  state  of  condemna- 
tion and  forfeiture ;  but  as  such  we  are  the 
objects  of  God's  compassion.     The  pro- 
mise of  mercy  consoled  the  first  transgres- 
sors ;  and  this  promise  has  been  always 
guarded  from  oblivion,  and  in  every  suc- 
ceeding age  has  become  the   source   of 
hope  to  the  world.     The  great  value  of 
this   promise   respected   a  Mediator,  by 
whom  the  tremendous  effects  of  sin  are 
averted  from  the  penitent.     Repentance, 
indeed,  and  the  renewal  of  the  heart  to 
holy  love,  are   among  the   most  valued 
blessings    conferred    by    this    mediator. 
During  many  a  long  year  this  promise  of 
pardon,  and  peace,  and  eternal  life,  was 
made  known  to  a  very  limited  number  of 
mankind  ;  but  when  at  length  the  Media- 
tor came  in  human  flesh,  who  was  none 
other  than  "  God  over  all,  for  ever  blessed ;" 
and  when  he  had  finished  his  work  of 
mercy  and  of  atonement,  he  commissioned 
his  disciples  to  go  into  all  the  world,  and 
to  tell  the  tale  of  mercy  to  every  creature  ; 
to  preach  the  assurance  of  remission  of 
sins  through  his  name,  and  the  restoration 
of  all,  and  more  than  all  to  man,  of  which 
sin  had  robbed  him.     "  I  am  come,  that 
they  might  have  life,  and  that  they  might 
have  it  more  abundantly."     Since  the  day 
in  which  this  commission  was  given  to 
the  disciples,  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands, in  various  countries,  have  believed 
the  promises  of  God,  and  through  Christ, 
the  great  subject  of  these  promises,  have 
167 


168 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


found  rest  unto  their  souls.  They  have 
relied  on  his  efficacious  atonement.  They 
have  been  renewed  by  his  Spirit,  com- 
forted by  his  grace,  borne  triumphantly 
through  the  perils  of  the  world,  and  we 
doubt  not  have  reached  that  perfect  secu- 
rity and  joy  which  is  prepared  for  those 
who  have  been  faithful  unto  death. 

Surveying  then  the  crowded  pathways 
of  human  life,  and  marking  the  guilt,  and 
sorrow,  and  degradation  which  is  every 
where  apparent,  it  is  a  high  consolation  to 
think  of  the  clear  escape  which  these  at 
least  have  made  from  suffering  and  sin. 
These  have  actually  inherited  the  pro- 
mises. They  "  sleep  in  Jesus."  They 
are  "  with  Christ."  They  are  made 
"perfect  in  love."  They  are  placed  be- 
yond the  hazards  and  the  pains  of  this 
lower  world. 

It  is  however  very  material  to  remark, 
that  the  attainment  of  the  promises  was 
the  result  "  oi faith  and  patience.^''  It  was 
no  light  struggle  which  they  were  called 
to  endure.  Oftentimes  against  the  evi- 
dence of  external  sense  ;  oftentimes  amidst 
the  scorn  and  contempt  of  men,  they 
clung  to  the  sayings  of  God.  Exposed  to 
the  most  cruel  temptations,  they  yet  be- 
lieved the  record  of  God,  and  through  the 
aid  of  his  arm  of  strength,  they  rendered 
to  him  the  sacrifice  which  his  wisdom 
claimed  at  their  hands.  They  believed 
his  assurances,  that  ultimate  felicity 
would  be  found  in  allegiance  to  him;  in 
the  denial  of  the  flesh;  in  purity  of  affec- 
tions ;  "  in  the  grace  of  Christ,  in  the  love 
of  God,  and  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Spi- 
rit." They  learned  by  this  faith  to  esteem 
the  "  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches 
than  the  treasures  of  Egypt;"  to  "seek 
a  city  to  come,  whose  builder  and  maker 
is  God ;"  to  confess  themselves  to  be 
"  pilgrims  and  strangers  upon  earth," 
and  to  expect  the  trials  which  belong  to 
such. 

Nor  were  such  trials  of  faith  few  or 
momentary.  These  men  found  the  neces- 
sity for  patience  as  well  as  for  faith, 
"They  had  respect  to  the  recompense  of 
reward ;"  and  with  that  reward  in  view, 
they  "  endured  many  a  cruel  mocking," 
many  a  bond,  many  a  dreary  captivity, 
and  many  a  severe  struggle  with  their  own 


corrupt  propensities.  "  Out  of  many  a 
depth  they  called  upon  God ;"  amidst 
many  a  swelling  wave  they  besought  him 
to  lead  them  to  "  the  rock  which  was 
higher  than  they."  Thus  they  endured 
a  great  "  fight  of  affliction,"  and  patiently 
held  on  their  way;  expecting  no  rest  on 
earth,  but  knowing  that  if  "they  endured 
to  the  end,  they  should  be  saved ;"  and 
they  were  saved.  They  were  led  for- 
ward by  hope,  and  it  "  never  made  them 
ashamed."  It  was  to  them  "  the  helmet 
of  salvation,"  and  it  "  covered  their 
heads  in  the  day  of  battle." 

II.   But  let  us,  secondly,  consider  the 

VALUE    OF    THEIR    EXAMPLE  TO  OURSELVES. 

"  And  we  desire,"  says  the  apostle,  "  that 
every  one  of  you  do  show  the  same  dili- 
gence to  the  full  assurance  of  hope  unto 
the  end.  That  ye  be  not  slothful,  but 
followers  of  them  wlio  through  faith  and 
patience  inherit  the  promises."  With 
some  shades  of  difference,  we  are  substan- 
tially placed  in  the  same  circumstances 
with  those  who  now  "  rest  from  their  la- 
bours." We  inhabit,  as  they  did,  a  world 
of  sin  and  sorrow,  with  hearts  prone  to 
yield  to  the  one,  and  to  repine  against  the 
other.  We  are  surrounded  with  inces- 
sant temptations,  exposed  to  fearful  ene- 
mies, allured  by  sense,  indisposed  to  act 
by  faith,  ready  to  prefer  present  advan- 
tage to  future  recompense.  We  need,  as 
they  needed,  pardon  and  peace  with  God  ; 
reconciliation  through  the  great  atone- 
ment ;  the  renewing  influence  of  divine 
grace  ;  "  the  setting  our  affections  upon 
things  above ;"  the  guardianship  of 
Christ;  the  victory  over  the  world;  the 
patient  allegiance  which  is  "  faithful  unto 
death."  We  possess  the  same  assurances 
with  them,  of  the  certainty  of  attaining 
these  great  and  enduring  blessings.  All 
the  strength,  the  courage,  the  faith,  the 
resolution,  the  endurance  which  they  ex- 
hibited, we  require,  and  are  invited  to 
receive,  at  God's  hand.  No  single  pro- 
mise connected  with  the  great  victory 
over  sin,  death,  and  the  world,  is  repealed. 
These  promises  still  live  upon  the  pages 
of  revelation,  like  beacon  lights  to  direct 
the  feet  of  the  wanderer  through  the  wil- 
derness of  time. 
To  us  then,  thus  situated  and  exposed, 


ANCIENT  EXAMPLES. 


169 


tlie  example  of  the  godly  men  of  those 
elder  days  is  of  unspeakable  value.  The 
precepts  of  Scripture  are  very  valuable ; 
the  promises  of  God  are  very  refreshing ; 
but  the  imbodying  those  precepts,  and 
the  accomplishment  of  those  promises,  in 
the  actual  victory  and  salvation  of  God's 
servants,  are  yet  more  stimulating  and 
effective  to  our  support.  They  give  actual 
evidence  of  the  practicability  of  godliness. 
They  are  trophies  erected  in  the  enemy's 
country  ;  monuments  of  a  courage,  and 
constancy,  and  a  success,  calculated  to 
refresh  the  weary  and  the  faint,  who  are 
combating  in  the  same  noble  strife,  and 
are  anxious  to  win  the  day. 

We  have  indeed  the  high  and  bright 
example  of  the  great  Captain  of  our  salva- 
tion, "who  endured  the  cross,  and  despised 
the  shame  ;"  and  he  ever  lives  before  our 
eyes,  at  once  the  model,  the  leader,  and 
the  source  of  victory.  But  it  is  still  auxil- 
iary to  our  efforts  to  ascertain  the  efficacy 
of  his  strength,  in  the  actual  result  of  their 
lot,  who  once  confided  in  his  name.  They, 
like  ourselves,  were  once  depraved, 
worldly,  selfish,  inconsistant,  weak;  but, 
united  unto  him,  they  became  possessors 
of  a  "  divine  nature."  They  adopted  the 
cause  of  truth  and  righteousness  as  their 
own.  They  linked  their  sympathies  and 
tlieir  lot  to  those  of  their  Master.  They 
clung  to  his  principles,  and  made  them 
the  luminous  way-marks  to  their  own 
conduct.  They  estimated  the  things  of 
time  by  the  standard  which  he  had  erected, 
and  they  were  borne  away  from  the  deci- 
sion of  his  law,  by  no  current  of  human 
opinion,  nor  by  any  costliness  of  present 
sacrifice.  They  lived  for  eternity.  They 
consecrated  their  all  to  God's  glory. 
The  love  of  Christ  constrained  them,  and 
they  thus  judged, "  that  if  one  died  for  all, 
then  were  all  dead  ;  and  that  he  died  for 
all,  that  they  which  live  should  not  hence- 
forth live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  him 
that  died  for  them,  and  rose  again." 
They  continued  in  this  temper,  and  "  their 
patient  expectation  M'as  not  cut  off." 
They  had  peace  in  their  life,  and  hope  in 
their  death,  and  they  have  entered  into 
rest. 

Are  toe  then  at  any  time  harassed  by 
temptation,  and  beat  down  by  conflicts  "? 

Vol.  I 22 


Are  we,  my  fellow  Christians,  painfully 
conscious  of  our  own  inherent  weakness  ? 
Have  we  already  discovered  by  bitter  ex- 
perience the  deceitfulness  and  desperate 
wickedness  of  our  hearts  ]  Have  we,  in 
a  life  of  varied  occupation,  and  repeated 
calamity,  and  incessant  struggle,  found 
no  single  spot  where  we  may  repose  in 
quietness  and  safety  1  Have  we,  after 
innumerable  failures,  perceived  that  in 
ourselves  there  is  neither  wisdom,  nor  in- 
tegrity, nor  truth,  nor  faith,  but  rather  in- 
constancy and  double-mindedness,  and 
mistrust  and  folly  ]  Are  we  wearied  with 
repetition  of  effort,  and  repetition  of  dis- 
appointment ■?  Does  the  combat  seem 
almost  vain,  and  the  full  victory  as  far 
removed  as  ever  from  our  hearts  1  It 
may,  under  such  circumstances,  console 
and  strengthen  us  to  trace  the  footsteps 
of  our  fellow  combatants,  and  to  hear  the 
history  of  their  conflicts.  They  went 
through  the  same  difficulties,  and  endured 
the  same  fatigue.  The  sword  was  ever 
in  their  hands,  and  they  expected  rest, 
not  on  earth,  but  in  heaven.  They  were 
militant  here  to  the  last  sigh  they  drew. 
They  cast  their  aching  eyes  towards  the 
future  glory,  and  then  threw  themselves 
afresh  into  the  battle,  and  fought  their 
way  to  Zion.  Oh  !  let  it  be  recollected, 
that  he  who  upheld  their  faith  and  pa- 
tience, "is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day, 
and  for  ever."  Salvation  is  of  grace,  and 
Gad  has  connected  the  manifestation  of 
his  own  glory  with  our  ultimate  rescue 
from  all  the  severities  of  our  condition. 

Let  then  our  weakness,  our  guilt,  our 
inconstancy,  produce  humility,  but  not 
despair.  "  Greater  is  he  that  is  for  us," 
than  those  "  who  are  against  us."  He 
will  glorify  himself  in  our  redemption. 
He  permits  us  to  discern  our  own  insuffi- 
ciency,that  we  may  rely  upon  his  strength: 
he  gives  us  the  sentence  of  death  in  our- 
selves, that  we  may  be  incessantly  in- 
debted to  him  for  life  and  vigour.  Through 
him  we  shall  "  be  made  more  than  con- 
querors," for  "  all  power  is  in  his  hands." 
"  He  has  overcome  the  world."  The 
sceptre  of  rebellion  lies  broken  at  the  foot 
of  the  cross.  Satan  and  the  world  are 
vanquished  foes.  Those  who  have 
reached  the  higher  world,  fully  comprc 


170 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


hend  his  victory.  Let  us  wait,  and  we 
too  shall  share  their  conviction  and  their 
triuinph  ;  and  the  cause  is  worthy  the 
slrutrgle.  The  result  of  the  victory  will 
fully  attest  the  wisdom  of  the  strife. 

I  have  already  remarked,  that  every 
thing  valuable  requires  a  struggle.  "They 
do  it,"  says  the  apostle,  "  to  acquire  a 
corruptible  crown,  but  we  an  incorrupti- 
ble." Let  not  then  our  expectations  be 
inconsistent.  Let  us  notbe  s/o////'u/.  We 
are,  indeed,  little  aware  of  the  real  nature 
of  our  spiritual  dangers  ;  but  then  we  are 
as  little  aware  of  the  value  of  eternal  feli- 
city, or  of  the  might  and  compassion  of 
our  gracious  Saviour  and  Redeemer.  We 
require  to  increase  our  knowledge  and  our 
faith.  We  require  to  become  '■'■patient'''' 
followers  of  the  saints.  It  is  ours  to  con- 
template more  steadily  eternal  realities; 
to  examine  more  closely  the  records  of 
our  religion;  to  search  more  deeply  into 
the  character  of  God  ;  to  expand  our  sym- 
pathies over  the  whole  surface  of  heavenly 
truth ;  to  gather  courage  from  God's  pro- 
mises ;  to  ply  the  throne  of  mercy  with 
incessant  prayers  ;  "  to  quit  ourselves  like 
men;"  "  to  be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in 
the  power  of  his  might ;"  to  raise  the  up- 
lifted hand  of  resolution,  in  order  to  cut 
off  the  offending  member;  in  short,  "to 
deny  ourselves ;  to  take  up  the  cross,  and 
to  follow  Christ." 

This  is  indeed  a  struggle.  I  would  not 
disguise  the  truth,  that  it  is  "  through 
much  tribulation  we  must  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God."  God  raay  call  us  to 
years  of  toil,  and  faith,  and  patience.  We 
may  be  often  ready,  like  Jonah,  to  fly  from 
duty;  like  Joshua,  to  lie  upon  the  ground 
in  despondency ;  like  David,  after  many 
an  heroic  effort,  to  cry,  "  I  shall  perish  by 
the  hand  of  Saul ;"  or,  like  the  once  in- 
trepid Elijah,  to  retreat  into  solitude,  and 
exclaim,  "  what  good  shall  my  life  do 
me]"  But,  like  these  saints  of  old,  let 
us  also  rally  again  to  the  spiritual  combat. 
God  refreshed  their  fainting  spirits,  and 
he  will  refresh  ours  likewise.  "  His  arm 
is  not  shortened  that  it  cannot  save,  nor 
his  ear  heavy  that  it  cannot  hear."  Let 
us  then  "  not  be  slothful,  but  be  followers 
of  the  saints."  "Seeing  we  are  compassed 
about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses. 


let  us  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the  sin 
which  does  so  easily  beset  us,  and  let  us 
run  with  patience  the  race  which  is  set 
before  us." 

It  may  further  cnnfirm  our  confidence  to 
remember,  that  if  we  shrink  from  God's 
trials,  we  expose  ourselves  to  those  of  our 
enemies.  We  cannot  stand  on  neutral 
ground.  If,  like  Jonah,  we  refuse  in  any 
instance  the  service  of  the  Lord,  we  so 
fiir  take  up  the  service  of  sin  and  Satan. 
Now,  while  their  ultimate  wages  are  ruin 
and  death,  their  immediate  results  are 
affliction.  Remorse,  and  shame,  and  self- 
contempt,  and  the  "  grieving  the  Spirit," 
are  the  unavoidable  results  of  wilfully  de- 
serting, in  any  degree,  the  standard  of  God 
and  of  truth.  Oh,  better  far,  my  fellow 
Christians,  to  combat  still  with  pride,  and 
passion,  and  ease,  and  worldliness  ;  better 
far  to  go  down  into  the  grave  with  many 
a  wound,  and  with  our  faces  turned  to  the 
heavenly  world,  than  to  lull  ourselves  for 
a  fatal  moment  amidst  the  dreams  of  sen- 
sual joy,  only  to  wake  amidst  the  terrific 
images  of  bitter  contrition.  "  Yet  awhile, 
and  he  who  placed  us  in  this  scene  ot 
conflict  will  call  us  forth  from  the  strug- 
gle ;"  yet  a  little  while,  and  he  that  "  shall 
come  will  come,  and  will  not  tarry  :"  for 
to  those  "that  look  for  him  shall  he  ap- 
pear the  second  time  without  sin  unto 
salvation  !"  "  Who  then  art  tlu.'U  that 
walketh  in  darkness,  and  hath  no  light, 
let  him  still  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  stay 
upon  his  God."  "  Hast  thou  not  known  1 
Ilast  thou  not  heard  that  the  everlasting 
God,  the  Lord  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary  ? 
He  giveth  power  to  the  faint,  and  to  them 
that  have  no  might  he  increaseth  strength  : 
even  the  youths  shall  faint  and  be  weary, 
and  the  young  men  shall  utterly  fall ;  but 
they  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew 
their  strength ;  they  shall  mount  up  with 
wings  as  eagles ;  they  shall  run  and  not 
be  weary,  and  they  shall  walk  and  not 
faint." 

But  while  we  are  looking  to  the  elder 
times  for  high  examples  of  courage  and 
of  allegiance,  it  ought  likewise  to  be  our 
anxious  endeavour  to  offer  similar  exam- 
ples to  others  in  our  own  faith  and  pa- 
tience.    It  ought  to  be  our  prayer,  that 


ANCIEKT  EXAMPLES. 


171 


"  our  light  may  shine''  with  steady  bril- 
liancy upon  the  path  of  others.  It  ought 
not  to  content  us  to  receive  good ;  it  ouglit 
to  be  our  generous  effort  to  du  good. 
Many  generations  may  yet  succeed  us  in 
the  struggles  of  life.  With  this  reference, 
it  ought  to  be  our  desire  to  cheer  and  to 
invigorate  those  who  are  feebler  in  faith 
than  ourselves. 

Let  me  speak  then,  in  conclusion,  to 
those  who,  through  the  grace  of  God,  have 
taken  their  place  in  the  world,  and  who 
have  adopted  a  decisive  course  of  desire 
and  of  pursuit.  I  would  say  to  such.  My 
brethren  in  Christ,  you  are  on  the  Lord's 
side.  Through  grace  you  have  remem- 
bered your  vows  of  youth,  and  the  early 
sign  of  the  cross  upon  your  foreheads.  It 
is  your  desire  to  be  faithful  to  the  obliga- 
tions under  which  Christianity  has  placed 
you,  and  to  evince  yourselves  to  be  good 
"  soldiers  of  the  cross,  fighting  manfully 
under  the  banner  of  Christ,  against  the 
world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil."  Upon 
these  principles,  are  you  then  examples 
to  those  who  are  but  commencing  the  con- 
flicts of  life  1  Are  your  maxims  of  con- 
duct the  clear  and  recorded  decisions  of 
Gcd  1  Is  your  estimate  of  truth  and  error 
derived  entirely  from  the  Scriptures'?  Is 
the  honour,  the  glory,  the  cause  of  Christ, 
asdear  to  you  at  one  moment  as  at  another? 
Are  you  growing  in  his  grace,  and  know- 
ledge, and  love  ]  Is  there  with  you  no 
false  shame  before  the  world  1  No  flinch- 
ing before  the  frown  of  man — no  compro- 
mising of  truth  amidst  the  bold  claims  of 
falsehood  ]  Are  you  seeking,  with  con- 
sistent effort,  the  full  salvation  of  your 
souls  ?  and  is  Jesus  Christ,  in  very  deed 
and  reality,  your  honoured  Master  and 
your  gracious  friend]  Is  it  your  joy  to 
uphold  the  wavering,  to  animate  the  timid, 
to  encourage  the  faithful  servant  of  your 
Lord  1  Have  you  given  up  every  faculty 
of  body  and  soul  in  holy  consecration  to 
Him  who  shed  his  blood  for  you  1  Are 
you  advancing  towards  the  close  of  life, 
as  a  light  to  the  benighted,  a  staff  to  the 
weak,  an  example  to  the  inexperienced 
and  the  timid  ]  Are  you  "  followers  of 
God  and  the  Lamb  ;"  humbly  anxious  to 
be  found  "faithful  even  unto  death]" 
Give  these  questions,  I  beseech  you,  their 


just  consideration,  and  live  in  habits  of 
watchfulness  and  prayer ! 

There  are,  however,  those  who  are  call- 
ed Christians — who  are  yet  giving  the 
strength  of  manhood,  or  the  growing  de- 
bility of  age,  exclusively  to  the  pursuits 
of  pleasure  or  of  gain;  and  the  young 
mark  in  such  a  fatal  example  of  earthli- 
ness  which  they  too  well  love  to  follow. 
Now  such  men  are  the  abettors  of  a  sys- 
tem of  sin  and  of  delusion  which,  if  pur- 
sued, will  rob  them  eternally  of  God's 
regard  and  of  their  own  peace.  I  would 
earnestly  say  to  such,  "  Has  the  gospel 
of  Christ  hitherto  exerted  no  benign  in- 
fluence over  your  souls  ]  Has  the  Re- 
deemer's love  carried  no  healing  balm  to 
your  bosoms]  and  is  the  disease  of  sin 
still  raging  unhealed,  and  has  no  wtuhheea 
solemnly  felt,  much  less  expressed,  for  a 
cure  ]  And  it  may,  perhaps,  aggravate 
your  guilt  that  you  are  parents,  or  the 
guardians  of  others.  For  what  example 
are  you  offering  to  your  children]  You 
have  never  felt  towards  them  the  godly 
solicitude  of  Christian  parents.  Their 
conduct  towards  God — their  spiritual 
character,  has  never  been  the  subject  of 
solicitude  dear  to  your  hearts.  You  are 
still  careless  of  your  own  souls,  and  are 
still  walking  before  your  children  in  the 
broad  path  to  destruction.  Your  exaniples 
have  never  drawn  them  one  step  towards 
God.  Your  lives  are  no  friendly  beacons 
to  warn  them  of  evil,  and  to  illuminate  the 
way  to  true  felicity.  But  think,  my  bre- 
thren, how  awful  must  be  the  wo  ulti- 
mately due  to  him  who  shall  use  the 
authority  of  age,  the  counsels  of  maturity, 
the  lessons  of  parental  influence,  or  the 
attractions  of  fond  affection  ;  who  shall 
use  these  advantages  as  instruments  of 
moral  power  against  the  honour  of  God, 
and  against  the  spiritual  character  of  his 
children]  On  the  other  hand,  think  of 
the  blessing  which  he  shall  receive,  who, 
under  the  benign  teaching  of  heavenly 
wisdom,  shall  prefer  the  interests  of  the 
soul  to  those  of  the  body ;  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  his  offspring  to  their  earthly 
fortune]  Estimate  his  eternal  recom- 
pense who  shall  bequeath  to  his  children, 
in  his  dying  hour,  the  rich  memorials  of 
his  faith  and  hope,  and  who  shall  descend 


172 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


into  the  grave  the  honoured  servant  of 
Christ,  the  firm  "  follower  of  those  Vi'ho, 
til  rough  faith  and  patience,  inherit  the 
promises  !" 


TKE   FUIiPIT  G^ZiIiIlRV. 

NO.    VIII. 
THE    HON.  AND  REV.  GERARD  T.  NOEL,  A.M. 

Curate  of  Richmond,  Surrey. 


"  There  is  a  beautiful  symmetry  in  the  reli- 
gious character  of  such  of  the  evangelical 
clergy  as  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  know- 
ing. The  graces  of  piety  are  conspicuous  in 
them  ;  brotherly  kindness  and  charity — tender- 
ness and  humility — the  disposition  that  leads  one 
to  esteem  others  better  than  himself;  a  pains- 
taking benevolence  that  can  work  without  any 
impulse  but  that  of  its  own  zeal,  steadily,  si- 
lently, patiently;  a  habit  of  much  secret  com- 
munion with  God  in  prayer,  and  the  continual 
application  of  every  question  of  doctrine  or 
practice  to  the  decision  of  the  Scriptures,  are 
the  distinguishing  features  of  the  brethren  of 
whom  I  speak." 

Bishop  McIlvaine. 


The  Rev.  G.  T.  Noel  is  the  son  of 
Sir  Gerard  Noel,  Bart,  and  the  late  Lady 
Barhatn.  He  completed  his  education  at 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  where  he 
graduated  about  180-3.  Several  years  ago 
he  was  presented  to  the  vicarage  of  Rain- 
ham,  in  Kent,  where  he  carefully  in- 
structed the  people  in  the  way  of  right- 
eousness, exhibiting  a  fine  example  of 
piety  and  benevolence.  To  the  rich  he 
discharged  the  duties  of  his  office  with  an 
affection  and  fidelity  for  which  they  will 
ever  have  reason  to  be  thankful ;  while 
the  poor  and  the  afflicted  will  long  remem- 
ber with  gratitude  his  deep  sympathy, 
and  his  unwearied  exertions  to  promote 
their  spiritual  and  temporal  advantages. 

Mr.  Noel  as  a  preacher  is  evangelical 
and  eloquent.  In  his  sermons  there  is  a 
happy  union  of  doctrinal,  experimental, 
and  practical  religion;  an  eager  desire  to 
convince  his  hearers  of  their  nothingness, 
and  of  Christ's  all  sufficiency.  Without 
any  peculiar  advantage  of  person — with  a 
weak  voice — with  a  plaintive  and  some- 


what hesitating  delivery — and  with  little 
or  no  action  ;  he  rarely  fails  of  being  highly 
interesting,  and  frequently  rises  to  very 
considerable  energy.  His  general  strain 
is  remarkably  mild  and  persuasive — sin- 
cere and  affectionate.  His  rank  and  con- 
nexions in  life  attract  the  attendance  of 
many  of  the  rich  and  great ;  and  before 
them  he  dwells  on  the  vanity  of  the  world 
with  the  emphasis  of  one  who  fee/s  that 
the  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away. 

In  the  success  of  those  institutions 
which  have  for  their  object  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  salvation  of  man,  Mr.  Noel 
feels  peculiar  interest,  and  in  their  behalf 
is  ever  ready  to  plead,  while  he  never 
shrinks  froin  bearing  an  unfaltering  testi- 
mony against  false  philosophy,  and  all 
corruptions  of  true  religion.  "Against 
these  systems,"  said  be  on  one  occasion, 
"  the  systems  that  would  fling  back  into 
the  caverns  of  superstition,  and  ignorance, 
the  torch  of  divine  revelation,  and  leave 
the  world  in  darkness,  I  will  never  with- 
hold my  voice  of  reprobation.  No,  while 
I  have  a  tongue  to  speak,  or  an  arm  to  lift 
up,  I  will  use  both  in  this  holy  and  blood- 
less conflict." 

Mr.  Noel  was  one  of  the  earliest,  and 
has  proved  himself  to  be  one  of  the  warm- 
est friends  to  the  great  effort  of  Missionary 
enterprise,  and  has  been  willing  to  link 
hand^and  heart  with  the  good  of  every 
name,  to  extend  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
In  a  sermon  preached  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  he  said,  "  Blessed  be  God  for 
the  things  which  we  now  hear,  and  the 
things  which  we  now  behold.  Never  did 
such  sounds  of  concord  vibrate  on  the 
Christian's  ear.  The  spell  of  parly  is 
broken ;  and  the  deep  rooted  antipathies  of 
education  have  been  torn  up.  A  mighty 
revolution  of  religious  sentiment,  strik 
ingly  designating  the  finger  of  God,  has 
taken  place ;  and  tranquillity,  long  ban- 
ished from  the  world,  has  been,  I  had 
almost  said,  miraculously  restored.  The 
wretched  situation  of  millions  has  come 
up  in  reinembrance  before  us ;  and  every 
hand  is  lifted  up  to  spread  that  gospel 
whose  prophetic  testimony  has  gone  forth 
that  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  shall  be- 
come the  kingdoms  of  our  God  and  of  his 
Christ." 


SERMON  XVIII. 

LIVING    WITHOUT    GOD    IN    THE    WORLD. 
BY  THE  REV.  JOHN  FOSTER. 


"Without  God  in  the  world." — Eph.  ii.  12 


We  have  often  occasion  to  wonder  that 
brief  expressions,  descriptive  of  actual 
conditions  of  men,  do  not  strike  us  far 
more  forcibly — do  not  convey  ?)iore  to  our 
thoughts,  and  awaken  more  emotion.  For 
example  :  Suppose  it  to  be  said — "  At 
this  very  time,  this  hour,  even  this  mo- 
ment, a  great  number  of  human  beings 
are  dying !"  This  is  a  positive  fact. 
But  what  is  it  to  die  ?  What  would  it 
appear  if  I  were  with  the  dying  man  ] 
What  if  I  were  in  the  act  ]  But  a  great 
number  are  in  this  very  situation.  Think  ! 
— following  their  flight  from  the  world. 
And  suppose  it  to  be  said,  "  A  multitude 
of  human  beings  are  now  in  heaven  !" 
And  again,  (another  solemn  fact,)  "  A 
vast  number  are  now  in  hell !"  But,  to 
revert  to  things  on  earth,  let  it  be  said, 
"  Enemies  to  God."  There  is  a  prodi- 
gious army  of  such  ! — or  "  Without  God 
in  the  world."  Think  ! — what  a  descrip- 
tion ! — and  applicable  to  individuals  with- 
out number !  If  it  had  been  without 
friends,  shelter",  or  food,  that  would  have 
been  a  gloomy  sound.  But  without  God  ! 
— without  Him — (that  is,  in  no  happy  re- 
lation to  him) — who  is  the  very  origin, 
support,  and  life  of  all  things  ; — without 
him  who  can  make  good  flow  to  his  crea- 
tures from  an  infinity  of  sources  ;  with- 
out him  whose  favour  possessed  is  the  best, 
the  sublimest,  of  all  delights,  all  triumphs, 
all  glories  ;  without  him  who  can  confer 
an  eternal  felicity; — without  Him — but 
how  is  he  lost !  What  do  those  under  so 
sad  a  destitution  value  and  seek  instead  of 
him  1  What  will  any  thing,  or  all  things, 
be  worth  in  his  absence  1     Without  him, 


'  too,  in  a  world  where  the  human  creature 
knows  there  is  a  mighty  and  continual 
conspiracy  against  his  welfare.  We  fall 
unspeakably  below  the  true  and  dreadful 
emphasis  of  the  expression,  even  after 
we  have  given  our  utmost  aggravation  to 
its  significance.     And  still  it  is  but  the 

j  description  of  an  actual  condition;  and 
should  not  each  one  be  intent  on  having 
good  assurance  that  it  is  not  his  own  con- 

j  dition ! 

!  It  may  be  instructive  to  consider  a  lit- 
tle to  what  states  of  mind  this  descrip- 
tion is  applicable  ;  and  what  a  wrong  and 

I  calamitous  thing  the  condition  is  in  all 

I  of  them. 

We  need  not  dwell  on  that  condition 
of  humanity  in  which  there  is  no  notion 
of  Deity  at  all — some  outcast,  savage 
tribes — souls  destitute  of  the  very  idea ! 
Not  one  idea  exalted  and  resplendent 
above  the  rest,  casting  a  glory  sometimes 
across  the  little  intellectual  field  !  It  is 
as  if,  in  the  outward  world  of  nature, 
they  had  no  visible  heaven — the  spirit 
nothing  to  go  out  to,  beyond  its  clay  te- 
nement, but  the  immediately  surrounding 
elements  and  other  creatures  of  the  same 
order.  Think  of  a  rational,  and  intelli- 
gent nature,  debased,  in  these  remote  sec- 
tions of  the  universe,  to  so  melancholy 
an  extreme  ! 

The'adorers  of  false  gods  may  just  be 
named  as  coming  under  the  description. 
There  is,  almost  throughout  the  race,  a 
feeling  in  men's  minds  that  belongs  to 
the  Divinity  :  but  think  how  all  manner 
of  objects,  real  and  imaginary,  have  been 
supplicated  to  accept  and  absorb  this  feel- 
pS^  173 


174 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


ittg,  that  tlie  true  God  might  not  take  it ! 
Men  have  been  willing  to  fill  the  world — 
the  universe,  with  gods,  and  do  homage 
to  them  all,  rather  than  acknowledge,  and 
adore,  and  love  "  the  blessed  and  only 
Potentate  ;"  and  a  confirmed  negation  of 
him  to  the  mind  and  the  heart  of  man  is 
the  curse  inflicted  in  return  by  all  these 
infernal  fallacies — an  utter  inaptitude  to 
conceive  the  very  idea  ! 

It  is  too  obvious  almost  to  be  worth 
noting,  how  plainly  the  description  ap- 
plies itself  to  those  who  persuade  them- 
selves that  there  is  no  God.  We  may 
believe  some  of  them,  on  their  own  testi- 
mony, that  they  have  attained  to  this  de- 
liberate opinion — to  them  there  is  no  Su- 
preme Intelligence  in  the  universe.  Mind 
— spirit — would  evidently  be  the  glory 
of  all  existence  ; — a  superlatively  pre- 
cious and  noble  kind  of  being,  in  (Compa- 
rison with  which  all  others  are  unspeaka- 
bly insignificant.  And  then  one  Supreme 
Spirit,  self-existent,  and  the  author  of  all 
existence,  would  be  the  transcendent  ob- 
ject of  every  admiring,  adoring,  and  de- 
voted sentiment.  But  to  the  atheist  there 
is  NOTHING  in  the  place  of  that  which  is 
the  supremacy  of  all  existence  and  glory  ! 
The  Divine  Spirit  and  all  spirit  abolished, 
he  is  left  amidst  masses  and  systems  of 
matter  without  a  first  cause — ruled  by 
chance,  or  by  a  blind  mechanical  impulse 
of  what  he  calls  fate  ;  and,  as  a  little  com- 
position of  atoms,  he  is  himself  to  take 
his  chance  for  a  few  moments  of  con- 
scious being,  and  then  be  no  more  for 
ever  !  And  yet,  in  this  infinite  prostra- 
tion of  all  things,  he  feels  an  elation  of 
intellectual  pride ! 

But  Ave  have  to  consider  the  text  in  an 
application  much  more  important  to  us, 
and  to  men  in  general :  for,  with  a  most 
settled  belief  of  the  Divine  existence, 
they  may  be  "  without  God  in  the  world." 
This  is  too  truly  and  sadly  the  appli- 
cable description  when  this  belief  and 
its  object  do  not  maintain  habitually  the 
ascendant  influence  over  iis — over  the 
whole  system  of  our  thoughts,  feelings, 
purposes,  and  actions.  That  there  is 
such  a  being  is  a  principle  that  evidently 
claims  to  interfere  in  every  thing.  My 
very  existence  is  from  him,  and  depends 


upon  him  ;  all  it  contains,  and  all  its  acts, 
must  therefore  be  in  a  solemn  relation  to 
him ;  and  every  thing  in  my  spirit  and 
conduct  should  acknowledge  that  rela- 
tion ;  that  relation  is  to  be  maintained  in 
such  a  manner  as  that  I  may  be  in  har- 
mony and  conformity  with  him  ;  that 
relation  constitutes  the  law  of  good  and 
evil ;  and  fixes  an  awful  sanction  on  the 
ditference  ;  in  an  endless  series  of  things 
— that  there  is  such  a  being,  and  that  I 
belong  to  him,  is  a  reason  fur  one  thing, 
and  against  another  ;  the  thought  of  him 
is  to  be  associated  with  all  these  things, 
and  its  influence  is  to  be  predominant : — 
Thus  and  thus  I  think,  and  vi^ish,  and 
will,  and  act,  because  there  is  a  God. 
Now,  for  me  to  forget  or  disregard  all 
this,  is  to  remove  myself  as  far  as  I  can 
from  God — to  cause,  as  far  as  I  am  able, 
that  to  me  there  is  no  God  ;  it  is  a  prac- 
tical conformity  to  the  atheist's  specu- 
lative unbelief.  Let  such  a  man  ask  him- 
self, "  If  I  proceed  thus,  ought  not  my 
opinion  to  be  that  of  the  atheist  V  And 
let  each  man  examine  and  judge  whether 
there  be  not  many  things  in  his  soul  and 
his  life  which  require  this  opinion  in  or- 
der to  his  being  consistent.  And  let  us 
all  examine  ourselves  whether  we  live 
under  a  prevailing,  powerful,  all-pervad- 
ing sentiment  of  God ;  or  whether  the 
thought  of  him  be  light,  remote,  nninflu- 
ential,  and  very  often  absent  altogether. 

We  wish  we  could  describe  with  dis- 
tinctness several  of  the  ways  or  forms  in 
which  this  disregard  of  God  is  seen  to 
prevail.  For  one,  we  are  placed  amidst 
the  amazing  scene  of  his  works,  extend- 
ing on  all  sides,  from  the  point  where  we 
stand,  to  far  beyond  any  thing  2ve  can  dis- 
tinctly conceive  of — infinitely — in  such  a 
diversity  that  eternal  duration  will  not 
suffice  to  take  account  of  all  ;  having 
wnthin  one  day,  one  hour,  one  instant,  ope- 
rations, changes,  appearances,  to  which 
the  greatest  angel's  calculating  faculty 
would  be  nothing — and  all  manifesting 
design,  order,  beauty,  sublimity,  utility. 
Such  is  the  scene  to  be  contemplated. 
But  now,  while  our  attention  wanders 
over  it,  or  fixes  on  parts  of  it,  do  we  re- 
gard it  but  as  if  it  were  something  exist- 
ing of  itself?     Can  we  glance  over  the 


LIVING  WITHOUT  GOD. 


175 


^ 


earth,  and  into  the  wilderness  of  worlds 
in  infinite  space,  without  the  solemn 
thouoht  that  all  this  is  but  the  sign  and 
proof  of  something  infinitely  more  glo- 
rious than  itself?  Are  we  not  reminded 
— '■'■This  is  the  production  oi his  almighty- 
power — that  is  an  adjustment  of  his  all- 
comprehending  intelligence  and  foresight 
— there  is  a  glimmer,  a  ray  oi  his  beauty, 
his  glory — there  an  emanation  of  his  be- 
nignity— but  for  him  all  this  would  never 
have  been  ;  and  if,  for  a  moment,  his  per- 
vading energy  were  by  his  will  restrained 
or  suspended,  what  would  it  all  be  then  ■?" 
Not  to  have  some  such  perceptions  and 
thoughts,  accompanied  by  devout  senti- 
ments, is,  so  far,  to  "  be  without  God  in 
the  Avorld."  And  that  there  should  be 
men  who  can  survey  the  creation  with  a 
scientijic  enlargement  of  intelligence,  and 
then  say,  "  there  is  no  God,"  is  the  most 
hideous  phenomenon  in  the  world. 

Again,  the  text  is  applicable  to  those 
who  have  no  solemn  recognition  of  God's 
all-disposing  government  and  providence 
— who  have  no  thought  of  the  course  of 
things  but  as  just  "  going  on'''' — going  on 
some  way  or  other,  just  as  it  can — to 
whom  it  appears  abandoned  to  a  strife 
and  competition  of  various  mortal  pow- 
ers ;  or  surrendered  to  something  they 
call  general  laws,  and  then  blended  with 
chance ;  who  have,  perhaps,  a  crude  Epi- 
curean notion  of  exempting  the  Divine 
Being  from  the  infinite  toil  and  care  of 
such  a  charge  ;  or  think  they  see  things 
managed  so  wrong,  that  there  cannot  be  a 
constant  interference  of  sovereign  power 
and  wisdom — who  do  not  discern  and 
understand  the  indications  manifested  in 
some  instances,  and  have  no  faith  with 
respect  to  the  darker  parts  of  the  system ; 
who,  with  respect  to  their  own  lot,  feel 
themselves  as  committed  to  an  unaided 
struggle  and  fight  with  difficulties,  ene- 
mies, and  accidents ;  and  who  have  no 
habitual  trust  or  hope  in  the  providential 
wisdom  and  care.  If  God  he  in  the  world 
with  an  all-pervading  providence,  those 
who  do  not  acknowledge  it  really  and 
practically  are  "  without  him  in  the 
world." 

The  text  is  a  description  of  all  those 
who    are    forming    and    pursuing    their 


scheme  of  life  and  happiness  independ- 
ently of  Him.  They  do  not  consult  his 
counsel  or  his  will,  as  to  what  that  scheme 
should  be  in  its  end  or  means  ;  they  will 
have  a  plan  of  pursuits  and  well-being 
to  please  themselves,  without  much  in- 
quiry or  caring  whether  it  be  one  that 
he  will  approve; — perhaps  slightly  wish 
that  it  could  please  both,  but  it  shall  please 
me  .■  this  I  like,  and  that  I  covet,  and  the 
other  would  be  the  very  summit  of  hap- 
piness— no  matter  whether  he  has  signi- 
fied a  more  excellent  way.  And  then  the 
confidence  of  realizing,  on  such  a  plan, 
his  favour,  his  blessing,  is  considered  as 
not  absolutely  indispensable: — "we  can 
be  happj^  leaving  him  out  of  the  account ; 
the  probabilities  (the  presumptions  rather) 
of  life,  health,  and  success  are  in  our  fa- 
vour, according  to  the  ordinary  course  of 
things,  and  we  will  embark  on  this ;  for 
the  present  we  can  do  icithout  him ;  if 
our  schemes  fail,  we  can  but  turn  to  him 
at  last."  So  He  is  forgotten  ! — and  the 
deluded  man  goes  into  his  scheme,  and 
after  it,  with  all  his  might,  "  without 
God."  But  if  a  brief  illumination  of 
truth  might  glare  out  upon  such  a  man, 
and  his  schemes  and  prospects,  what 
amazement  and  horror  would  seize  him, 
to  find  himself  thus  impiously  employed  ! 
— thus  presuming  to  work  out  for  him- 
self a  chief  good  of  his  existence,  care- 
lessly, independently,  and  in  defiance  of 
Him  who  is  the  sovereign  good! — in  ef- 
fect saying — "  I  will  make  trial  whether 
they  were  not  in  the  right  who  were  re- 
proached with  loving  and  serving  the 
creature  more  than  the  Creator,  who  is 
blessed  forever." 

The  text  is  a  description  of  those  who 
have  but  a  slight  sense  of  universal 
accountableness  to  God  as  the  supreme 
authority  ;  who  have  not  a  conscience 
constantly  looking  and  listening  to  him, 
and  testifying  for  him  ;  who  proceed  as  if 
this  world  were  a  province  absolved  from 
the  strictness  of  his  dominion  and  his 
laws;  who  will  not  apprehend  that  there 
is  his  will  and  Avarning  affixed  to  every 
thing;  who  will  not  submissively  ask, 
"  What  dost  thou  pronounce  on  this  T' 
To  be  insensible  to  the  divine  character  as 
Lawgiver,  rightful  authority  and  Judge, 


176 


LIVING  WITHOUT  GOD. 


is  truly  to  be  "without  God  la  tlio 
world  ;"  for  thus  every  emotion  of  the 
soul  and  action  of  the  life  assumes  that 
he  is  absent  or  does  not  exist.  This  in- 
sensibility of  accountableness  exists  al- 
most entire  (a  stupefaction  of  conscience) 
in  very  many  minds.  But  in  many  others 
there  is  a  disturbed  yet  inefficacious  feel- 
inor :  and  might  not  some  of  these  be  dis- 
posed to  say,  "  We  are  not '  without  God 
in  the  world,'  as  an  awful  authority  and 
judge  ;  for  we  are  followed,  and  harass- 
ed, and  persecuted,  sometimes  quite  to 
misery,  by  the  thought  of  him  in  this 
character :  we  cannot  go  on  peacefully  in 
the  way  our  inclinations  lead ;  a  porten- 
tous sound  alarms  us — a  formidable  spec- 
tre encounters  us,  though  we  still  per- 
sist." The  cause  here  is  that  men  wish 
to  be  "  without  God  in  the  world" — 
would,  in  preference  to  any  other  prayer, 
implore  him  to  "  Depart  from  us,  for  we 
desire  not  the  knowledge  of  his  ways." 
They  would  be  willing  to  resume  the  en- 
terprise of  the  rebellious  angels,  if  there 
were  any  hope.  "  Oh,  that  He,  with  his 
judgments  and  laws,  were  infinitely  far 
away  !"  To  be  thus  with  God  is  in  the 
most  emphatical  sense  to  be  without  him 
— without  him  as  a  friend,  approver,  and 
patron  ;  each  thought  of  him  tells  the 
soul  who  it  is  that  it  is  without,  and  who 
it  is  that  in  a  very  fearful  sense  it  never 
can  be  without. 

The  description  belongs  to  that  state 
of  mind  in  which  there  is  no  communion 
with  God  maintained  or  even  sought  with 
cordial  aspiration — no  devout,  ennobling 
converse  held  with  him — no  conscious 
reception  of  delightful  impressions,  sa- 
cred influences,  suggested  sentiments — 
no  pouring  out  of  the  soul  in  fervent  de- 
sire for  his  illuminations,  his  compassion, 
his  forgiveness,  his  transforming  opera- 
tions— no  earnest,  penitential,  hopeful 
pleading  in  the  name  of  the  gracious  In- 
tercessor— no  solemn,  affectionate  dedi- 
cation of  the  whole  being — no  animation 
and  vigour  obtained  for  the  labours  and 
warfare  of  a  Christian  life. 

But  how  lamentable  to  be  without  God  ! 
Consider  it  in  one  single  view  only : — 
that  of  the  loneliness  of  a  human  soul  in 
this  destitution.      All  other  beings  are 


necessarily  (shall  we  express  it  so  ?)  ex- 
traneous to  the  soul  ;  they  may  commu- 
nicate with  it,  but  they  are  still  separate 
and  without  it ;  an  intermediate  vacancy 
keeps  them  for  ever  asunder,  so  that  the 
soul  must  be,  in  a  sense,  in  an  insepara- 
ble and  eternal  solitude — that  is,  as  to 
all  creatures.  But  God,  on  the,  contrary, 
has  an  all-pervading  power — can  inter- 
fuse, as  it  were,  his  very  essence  through 
the  being  of  his  creatures — can  cause  him- 
self to  be  apprehended  and  felt  as  ab- 
solutely in  the  soul — such  an  intercom- 
munion as  is,  by  the  nature  of  things, 
impossible  between  created  beings  ;  and 
thus  the  interior  central  loneliness — the 
solitude  of  the  soul — is  banished  by  a 
perfectly  intimate  presence,  which  im- 
parts the  most  affecting  sen^e  of  society 
— a  society,  a  communion,  which  imparts 
life  and  joy,  and  may  continue  in  perpe- 
tuity. To  men  completely  immersed  in 
the  world  this  might  appear  a  very  ab- 
stracted and  enthusiastic  notion  of  felici- 
ty ;  but  to  those  who  have  in  any  mea- 
sure attained  it  the  idea  of  its  loss  would 
give  the  most  emphatic  sense  of  the  ex- 
pression, "  Without  God  in  the  world," 

The  terms  are  a  true  description,  also, 
of  the  state  of  mind  in  which  there  is  no 
habitual  anticipation  of  the  great  event 
of  going  at  length  into  the  presence  of 
God — absence  of  the  thought  of  being 
with  him  in  another  world — of  being 
with  him  in  judgment,  and  whither  to  be 
with  him  for  ever ;  not  considering  that 
He  awaits  us  somewhere,  that  the  whole 
movement  of  life  is  absolutely  towards 
him,  that  the  course  of  life  is  deciding  in 
what  manner  we  shall  appear  in  his  pre- 
sence ; — not  thinking  what  manner  of 
fact  that  will  be,  what  experience,  what 
consciousness,  what  emotion  ; — not  re- 
garding it  as  the  grand  purpose  of  our 
present  state  of  existence  that  we  may 
attain  a  final  dwelling  in  his  presence. 

One  more,  and  the  last  application 
we  would  make  of  the  description,  is  to 
those  who,  while  professing  to  retain 
God  in  their  thoughts  with  a  religious 
regard,  frame  the  religion  in  which  they 
are  to  acknowledge  him  according  to 
their  own  speculations  and  fancy.  Thus 
many  rejecters  of  divine  revelation  have 


ON  JESUS  WEEPING. 


177 


professed,  nevertheless,  a  reveremial  ho- 
mage to  the  Deity  :  but  the  God  of  their 
faith  was  to  be  such  as  their  sovereign 
reason  chose  to  feign,  and  therefore  the 
mode  of  their  religion  entirely  arbitrary. 
But,  if  revelation  be  true,  the  simple 
question  is.  Will  the  Almighty  acknow- 
ledge your  feigned  god  fur  himsef? — and 
admit  your  religion  to  be  equivalent  to 
that  which  he  has  declared  and  defined  ] 
If  he  should  not,  you  are  "  without  God 
in  the  world."  This  is  unavoidably  the 
condition,  also,  of  those  who  reject  any 
thing  which  he  has  declared  essential  to 
the  relation  of  being  in  peace  and  accept- 
ance with  him.  If,  in  order  to  this  rela- 
tion, there  be,  as  we  believe,  an  appointed 
substitute,  sacrifice,  and  atonement,  then 
the  rejection  of  this  constitution  abolishes 
the  connecting  medium  between  man  and 
God,  and  the  one  is  without  the  other. 

Such  are  the  general  illustrations — 
faintly  exhibited — of  the  grave  and  for- 
midable import  of  the  text.  We  intended 
briefly  to  add  a  few  practical  exemplifi- 
cations of  the  bad  and  miserable  effects 
of  such  estrangement  from  God,  as  seen 
— in  youth — in  the  active,  busy  occupa- 
tion with  worldly  concerns — in  general 
social  converse — in  times  of  temptation 
— in  situations  of  affliction  and  sorrow — 
in  old  age — and  in  death.  And  now, 
surely,  this  is  not  the  state  for  us  to  be 
content  with  for  one  hour ;  for  us  who 
are  cast  for  a  short  period  upon  a  scene 
of  vanities,  dangers,  and  ruins,  with  a 
nature  full  of  want,  helplessness,  and  dis- 
order ; — content  with  this  destitution, 
while  He  is  here,  the  almighty  power  ! — 
While  we  can  find  him,  accost  him,  and 
importune  him,  let  us  implore  him  not 
to  permit  our  spirits  to  be  detached  from 
him,  abandoned,  exposed,  and  lost ;  not 
to  let  them  be  trying  to  feed  their  immor- 
tal fires  on  transitory  sustenance,  but  to 
attract  them,  exalt  them,  and  retain  them 
in  his  communion  for  ever ! 


ON    JESUS   WEEPING. 

The  Son  of  God  shed  tears  ;  not  those 
which  spring  from  partial  or  private  grief, 
but  generous,  social,  sympathetic  tears  : 
for  it  is  well  known  that  this  effusion  of 
his  divine  tenderness  was  poured  forth 
Vol.  I 23 


only  a  few  moments  before  he  exerted  his 
miraculous  power  in  raising  Lazarus  from 
the  dead ;  when,  meeting  the  afflicted 
sisters  and  relations  of  his  deceased 
friend,  and  beholding  the  extremity  of 
their  distress,  he  instantly  caught  the 
soft  infection,  and  lamented  that  calamity 
as  a  man,  which  he  was  about  to  relieve 
as  a  God.  The  Jews,  it  is  true,  who 
were  spectators  of  this  solemn  scene, 
imputed  these  tears  to  the  tenderness  of 
private  friendship. — "  Behold,"  say  they, 
how  he  loved  him." 

It  was  the  distress  of  his  afflicted  disci- 
ples and  friends  that  opened  the  sacred 
fountains  of  his  sorrows ;  with  these  he 
"  groaned  in  spirit,  and  was  troubled  ;" 
with  these  he  "  wept."  It  was  even 
more  than  this  :  it  was  a  sympathy  with 
the  afflictions  of  mankind  in  general,  ever 
liable,  from  the  common  causes  of  mor- 
tality, to  have  their  breasts  wounded  with 
sorrows  of  this  piercing  sort,  without 
alleviation,  and  without  redress.  May 
not  we  (if  we  can  do  it  without  presump- 
tion) suppose  that  some  such  benevolent 
reflections  as  the  following,  at  that  mo- 
ment, arose  in  his  compassionate  mind  ? 
"  How  many,  alas  !  how  many  of  my 
future  followers,  like  these,  shall  here- 
after be  afflicted,  and  in  the  same  dread- 
ful degree,  at  a  time  when  I,  their  Sa- 
viour and  their  friend,  am  removed  from 
this  terrestrial  scene  of  things  ?.  They 
shall  call  upon  me,  when  the  general 
laws  of  my  Father's  providence  forbid 
me  to  answer :  they  shall  weep  when 
I  must  not  dry  their  tears.  Present  as  I 
now  am  with  these  children  of  affliction, 
consoling  those  sorrows  with  my  pity, 
which  I  shall  shortly  remove  by  my 
power,  to  whom  shall  they  fly  for  com- 
fort and  succour  in  my  absence  ?  Who 
then  shall  heal  the  wounds  of  groaning 
friendship,  of  brotherly,  filial,  or  conju- 
gal aflfection  ?  Be  the  tears,  I  now  shed, 
their  future  balm :  let  my  disciples  yet 
unborn  feel  their  salutary' influence.  Faith 
shall  apply  them  still  fresh  to  their  bo- 
soms, and  they  shall  rest  assured  that  he 
who  once  wept  with  their  afflicted  bre- 
thren upon  earth,  shall  ever  compassion- 
ate their  own  calamities  in  heaven. — Ma- 
son, 


SERMON   XIX. 

THE  BLESSEDNESS  OF  GIVING. 

PREACHED    IN    BEHALF    OF    THE    BAPTIST    ACADEMY    AT    BRISTOL, 

BY  THE  REV.  ROBERT  HALL,  D.D, 


'  Remember  tJie  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he  aaid,  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to 
receive." — Acts  xx.  35. 


This  is  part  of  that  very  touching  and 
affecting  discourse  delivered  by  the  apos- 
tle Paul  at  Miletus.  It  appears  that  he 
was  anxious  to  visit  Ephesus;  but  not 
finding  an  opportunity,  he  sent  thither 
for  the  elders  ;  and  there  he  took  a  final 
leave  of  them,  under  the  persuasion  "  that 
they  should  see  his  face  no  more."  The 
words  of  this  discourse  are  indicative  of 
the  fervent  piety  which  animated  him; 
and  none  can  read  them  without  the  con- 
viction, that  "  in  simplicity  and  godly 
sincerity,  not  with  fleshly  wisdom,  but 
by  the  grace  of  God,  he  had  his  conver- 
sation in  the  world."  He  rises  above  all 
sinister  and  worldly  views,  and  shows 
that  he  was  actuated  in  all  things  by  the 
purest  motives.  He  refers,  in  the  words 
of  the  text,  to  a  declaration  of  Christ. 
He  had  shown  them,  both  by  precepts 
and  by  his  own  example,  how  they  ought 
"to  support  the  weak;"  and  he  exhorts 
them  to  "  remember  the  words  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said,  It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  In  re- 
ferring them  to  these  words  for  their  re- 
membrance, it  is  to  be  supposed  that  he 
communicated  them  to  those  whom  he 
addressed,  in  the  course  of  the  ''three 
years"  during  which  he  exercised  his 
ministry  amongst  them.  It  is  remark- 
able that  there  is  no  other  passage  in 
which  any  words  of  our  Lord  are  recorded, 
but  this  solitary  one.  Except  what  is 
written  in  the  four  evangelists,  there  is 
178 


no  record  of  the  kind,  except  this  one, 
which  mentions  the  blessedness  of  giving 
above  that  of  receiving.  This  shows  us 
ike  great  uncertainty  of  tradition,  W  e 
should  have  known  nothing  of  this  say- 
ing of  Christ,  but  for  the  apostle  Paul; 
which  shows  us  how  improper  it  is  to 
depend  on  tradition  for  the  support  of 
important  doctrines,  when  we  cannot 
know  one  word  of  the  Saviour's  teachings 
but  as  it  is  recorded.  Those  who  build 
partly  on  the  word  of  God,  and  partly  on 
tradition,  build  partly  on  a  rock,  and 
partly  on  the  sand  ;  partly  on  the  truth  of 
God,  and  partly  on  the  tradition  of  men. 
That  system  is  to  be  suspected,  which 
has  not  for  its  basis  the  word  of  God. — 
But  not  to  detain  you  by  such  remarks, 
though  the  words  of  the  text  naturally 
lead  to  them,  I  pass  on  to  illustrate,  and 
explain,  and  enforce  this  seeming  para- 
dox of  Christ. 

To  say  that "  it  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive,"  may  certainly  be  con- 
sidered as  a  paradox ;  and  a  paradox  to 
which  men  are  slow  to  assent.  Very 
few  act  on  this  principle :  most  Chris- 
tians, I  fear,  are  of  another  mind  :  and 
though  they  would  not  pronounce  the 
words  to  be  folly,  yet  they  do  not  admit 
their  propriety,  they  do  not  act  under  the 
conviction  of  their  truth  and  importance. 
To  embrace  every  opportunity  with  eager- 
ness, to  seize  every  opportunity  that  pre- 
sents itself  for  giving,  is  far  from  being 


THE  BLESSEDNESS  OF  GIVING. 


179 


the  conduct  of  vory  many  who  bear  the 
name  of  Christ. — I  propose  to  assign 
sojiE   REASONS,   therefore,    why   "  it   is 

MORE  BLESSED  TO  GIVE  THAN  TO  RECEIVE." 

As  to  the  blessedness  of  receiving,  it  is 
quite  unnecessary  to  say  one  word  :  the 
various  wants  of  mankind  lead  all  natu- 
rally to  see  this. — But  "  it  is  more  blessed 
to  give,  than  to  receive,"  for  the  follow- 
ing reasons : — 

First.  Every  Christian  will  regulate 
his  desire  of  happiness  by  its  tendency 
to  glorify  God ;  and  it  is  certain  that 
nothing  tends  so  muck  to  glorify  God  as 
ike  exercises  of  charity.  This  indeed  is, 
generally  speaking,  a  popular  virtue. 
Justice  is  demanded  :  demanded  even  by 
law ;  and  he  who  is  merely  just  will  not 
excite  admiration.  But  charity,  which 
is  not  demanded :  the  exercise  of  which 
is  not  enforced  by  any  human  law  : — to 
bestow  when  and  where  we  have  no  pros- 
pect of  return  : — to  relieve  the  helpless, 
and  to  rescue  the  oppressed,  and  to  sup- 
ply the  needy : — and  to  do  all  this  when 
no  particular  motive  seems  to  enforce  it, 
is  generally  considered  as  the  highest 
brancli  of  moral  virtue.  It  will  be  found 
that  the  most  distinguished  instruments 
of  glorifying  God  in  society,  have  been 
the  most  benevolent  and  kind.  The  very 
dispensation  of  alms  is  a  source  of  plea- 
sure, and  has  much  to  excite  us  to  it. 
But  if  Ave  be  the  servants  of  Christ,  we 
shall  see  that,  by  relieving  distress,  by 
aiding  various  institutions  of  kindness 
and  benevolence,  we  are  capable  of  doing 
much  more  good,  and  of  bringing  much 
more  glory  to  him,  than  in  any  other  way. 
All  men  are  capable  of  judging  of  this  : 
and  we  see  how  fit  is  the  motive  which 
our  Saviour  uses,  "  Let  your  light  so 
shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your 
good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven." — "  It  is  more  bless- 
ed to  give  than  to  receive," 

Secondly.  Because  to  give  implies  power 
and  abundance ;  whereas  to  receive  im- 
plies weakness  and  want.  To  have 
power ;  to  have  the  means,  not  only  of 
self-enjoyment,  but  such  an  abundance  as 
to  supply  the  wants  of  others ;  to  "  sup- 
port such  as  are  weak,"  as  the  apostle 
expresses  it,  may  be  justly  regarded  as  a 


high  distinction.  He  who  seeks  to  in- 
crease the  means  of  doing  this,  feels  plea- 
sure in  his  very  exertions.  Nor  is  it  at 
all  wrong  for  persons  to  seek  to  increase 
their  property  ;  to  enlarge  their  possession 
of  the  good  things  of  this  world,  that 
they  may  be  able  to  relieve  others.  A 
moderate  desire  of  increasing  wealth  is  a 
source  of  industrious  exertion,  without 
which  all  art  and  science  would  soon  de- 
cay, and  all  that  is  good  and  excellent  in 
society  fall  back  into  ruin.  There  are 
few  men  but  are  actuated  by  a  constant 
desire  of  improving  their  circumstances ; 
and  to  indulge  this,  to  a  certain  extent,  is 
good : — and  to  stop  when  they  have  ac- 
quired enough  for  the  supply  of  their  own 
physical  wants,  would  put  an  end  to  the 
improvement  of  society.  This  is  sanc- 
tioned by  the  word  of  God  :  God  assured 
the  Israelites  repeatedly,  as  a  blessing  on 
their  industry,  that  he  would  make  them 
"  plenteous  in  good  things,  and  in  the 
fruit  of  their  cattle,  and  the  fruit  of  their 
ground  ;"  that  he  would  "  open  the  hea- 
vens to  give  them  rain  unto  their  land  in 
due  season;" — that  they  should  "lend 
and  not  borrow  ;" — that  they  should  be 
"  the  head  and  not  the  tail ;" — that  they 
should  be  "  above  and  not  beneath  ;'" — 
that  they  should,  in  a  word,  not  be  under 
obligations  to  those  around  them,  but 
beneficial.  We  are  informed  that  "  the 
hand  of  the  diligent  maketh  rich  :" — that 
"  the  man  who  is  diligent  in  his  business, 
shall  stand  before  kings  ;  he  shall  not  stand 
before  mean  men."  And  at  the  same 
time  Solomon  declares,  that  idleness  leads 
to  want,  and  beggary,  and  rags.  He, 
therefore,  who  has  the  ability  to  give, 
has  received  a  peculiar  favour  at  the 
hands  of  God :  he  has  a  talent  put  into 
his  hands  of  the  most  valuable  kind  :  he 
rises  superior  in  rank  and  station  to  him 
who  is  in  a  state  of  indigence  and  want. 
And  this  is  a  desirable  state  :  he  who  has 
any  nobleness  of  mind  would  surely 
rather  resemble  the  sturdy  oak,  which 
stands  erect  amidst  all  the  storms,  than 
the  parasitical  plant,  which  creeps  and 
clings  to  all  around.  The  gradual  in- 
crease of  property,  as  the  fruit  of  industry, 
is  found  to  be  most  conducive  to  virtue 
and  social  order.     If  such  a  man  keeps 


180 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


in  view,  at  the  same  time,  the  glory  of 
God;  if  he 'does  all  that  he  can  to  be 
beneficial  to  those  around  him;  he  is  right 
to  indulge  that  moderate  desire  of  success 
which  enables  him  to  experience  the 
blessedness  of  giving. — As  another  rea- 
son, I  mention, 

Thirdly.  The  pleasure  that  results  from 
the  act  of  giving. — The  pleasure  oi receiv- 
ing is  circumscribed.  It  consists  of  re- 
ceiving a  certain  portion  of  money,  or 
what  else.  It  is  a  low  and  selfish  kind 
of  pleasure:  it  springs  merely  from  the 
enjoyment  of  a  certain  portion  of  the  fruits 
of  the  earth  :  it  is  physical  and  transitory. 
— But  the  pleasure  of  giving,  from  a  pro- 
per principle,  is  of  a  very  high  order  :  it 
is  too  pure,  too  subtle,  too  refined,  to  be 
enjoyed  by  vulgar  minds.  It  is  of  two 
kinds  : — it  consists,  first,  in  the  testimony 
of  a  good  conscience.  It  shows  that  we 
are  rightly  employing  the  gifts  which 
God  has  imparted  to  us.  "The  good 
man,"  it  is  said,  "is  satisfied  from  him- 
self:" and  never  are  we  able  to  rise  above 
ourselves  so  much,  as  when  we  are  con- 
scious that  we  have  contributed  to  the 
happiness  of  those  around  us. — But  be- 
sides this,  there  is  a  peculiar  and  specific 
pleasure  in  giving.  It  is  the  idea  of 
mingling  in  the  sorrows,  and  partaking 
in  the  joys  of  others.  He  who  gives,  de- 
lights in  the  good  he  does :  in  the  smile 
of  contentment  which  brightens  the  coun- 
tenance ;  in  the  glow  of  gratitude  and  love 
which  he  is  sure  is  felt  in  the  heart;  he 
feels  himself  connected  with  those  around 
him.  We  are  so  formed,  that  we  feel 
much  pleasure  and  delight  in  beholding 
the  flowers  with  which  we  ourselves 
have  decked  this  moral  garden.  The 
consciousness  that  we  have  done  good, 
lights  up  "  the  human  face  divine,"  and 
causes  a  glow  of  ineffable  joy  in  our 
souls.  "  It  is  more  blessed,"  by  far,  "  to 
give  than  to  receive."  It  is  like  the 
blessedness  of  the  Deity,  who  can  only 
give,  and  who  receives  nothing.  Do  not 
imagine,  therefore,  that  when  you  are 
called  upon  to  give  to  a  poor  fellow  crea- 
ture, you  do  yourselves  a  meanness ; — no  : 
- — you  rise  in  the  scale  of  happiness  and 
of  dignity  above  those  who  withhold. 
And  this  is  a  blessing  which  may  be  en- 


joyed at  the  greatest  distance,  and  at  the 
most  remote  period.  The  future  recol- 
lection of  benevolence  will  give  you  plea- 
sure, and  pleasure  of  such  a  kind  as  shall 
render  the  apostle's  doctrine  easy  to  be 
understood  ;  "  He  that  dwelleth  in  love,, 
dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  him." — "  It 
is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive," 
Fourthly.  Because,  while  we  know 
perfectly  well  what  is  the  full  amount  of 
the  gift  we  bestow,  in  relieving  pressing 
want,  and  in  satisfying  painful  desire, 
there  is  much  higher  blessedness,  of  the 
extent  of  which  it  is  not  so  easy  to  con- 
ceive. jfViC  mail  who  gives  is  improving 
his  own  character: — he  is  advancing  in 
excellence  and  in  moral  virtue.  While 
he  is  doing  good  to  others,  he  is  increas- 
ing his  own  excellence  :  he  is  rising  far- 
ther and  farther  above  the  contagion  of 
that  disease  which  is  spreading  around, 
in  those  that  regard  not  the  glory  of  God. 
He  is  proving  himself  superior  to  those 
who  live  only  for  themselves,  and  regard 
not  others.  His  soul  rises  above  what  is 
low,  and  mean,  and  sordid ;  and  mingles 
with  the  most  pure,  most  sanctified,  most 
holy  part  of  the  creation  of  God.  There 
is  no  school  in  which  to  learn  the  practice 
of  virtue  with  such  facility,  as  in  the  ex- 
ercises of  benevolence.  Those  who  are 
the  most  truly  benevolent,  are  making 
the  swiftest  advances  in  that  "  holiness, 
without  which  no  man  can  see  the  Lord ;" 
and  he  who  is  labouring  from  a  proper 
motive  to  do  good  to  those  around  him ; 
who  is  sacrificing  his  time,  his  talents, 
his  property,  to  promote  the  benefit  of  his 
fellow-creatures,  is  rising  nearer  to  an 
imitation  of  God  than  any  other.  Look 
at  those  who  have  been  the  most  truly 
benevolent,  and  you  will  see  this.  The 
Christian  religion  is  of  a  practical  ten- 
dency :  it  is  an  imitation  of  Him  v/ho, 
throughout  his  whole  life,  "  went  about 
doing  good." — The  man  who  gives,  then, 
is  "  more  blessed"  than  he  who  receives ; 
he  is  preparing  himself  for  that  glory 
which  is  in  heaven ;  he  is  laying  up  for 
himself  a  portion  in  another  world,  in 
that  state  where  every  vessel  shall  be 
filled  with  the  glories  of  immortality  for 
ever  and  ever. 
,     Fifthly.  "It  is  more  blessed  to  give 


THE  BLESSEDNESS  OF  GIVING. 


181 


than  to  receive,"  because  in  giving  ive  are 
resembling  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  the 
high  pattern  for  our  imitation.  God  and 
his  eternal  Son  delight  in  giving  ;  and  we 
are  called  to  resemble  them.  We  admit, 
indeed,  that  there  is  an  infinite  disparity. 
We  have  nothing  to  give  but  what  we 
have  received :  we  can  create  nothing : 
in  giving,  we  merely  change  property,  or 
remove  it  from  one  place  to  another. 
But  God  can  give  only. — Our  limits,  too, 
are  greatly  circumscribed.  How  small 
a  portion  of  any  particular  kingdom,  or 
of  the  world,  can  any  philanthropist,  any 
liberal-minded  man  visit  by  his  bounty  : — 
but  God  can  do  good  in  every  place,  and 
to  an  unlimited  extent.  We  know  not 
whether  Avhat  we  do  may  be  productive 
of  good  or  of  harm :  we  can  give  only 
what  affects  the  body  ;  the  mind  may  be 
still  left  in  a  state  of  pain  and  sorrow. 
But  God  can  give  all  that  is  needful  :  he 
can  relieve  the  soul  as  well  as  the  body. 
There  are  blessings  of  grace  which  he 
has  to  bestow :  blessings  which  all  need, 
blessings  which  none  should  refuse,  bless- 
ings which  are  sure  to  do  good. — Yet, 
with  all  these  deductions,  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say,  that  the  man  who  delights 
to  give,  is  a  living  example  of  the  charac- 
ter of  God.  When  we  hear  Job  say,  "  I 
delivered  the  poor  that  cried,  and  the 
fatherless,  and  him  that  had  none  to  help 
him.  I  brake  the  jaws  of  the  wicked  ; 
and  plucked  the  spoil  out  of  his  teeth.  I 
was  a  father  to  the  poor  ;  I  was  eyes  to 
the  blind,  and  feet  was  I  to  the  lame. 
The  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to 
perish  came  upon  me  :  and  I  caused  the 
widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy:" — we 
seem  to  he  reading  an  account  of  the  ac- 
tions of  some  being  of  a  superior  order. 
Yet  he  was  a  man  of  like  passions  with 
ourselves.  When  we  see  a  man  who  is 
continually  giving,  we  see  one  who  is 
acting  like  God  ;  we  see  a  faithful  steward 
of  the  manifold  bounties  conferred  upon 
him.  Thus  we  aim  to  be  perfect  as  he 
is  perfect,  who  "  maketh  his  sun  to  rise 
on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth 
rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust."  You 
will  recollect,  that  while  our  Saviour 
calls  upon  us  to  imitate  God,  it  is  in  this 
part  of  his  character.     "  Be  ye  therefore 


perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in 
heaven  is  perfect." — And  what  was  the 
example  of  Jesus  Christ  when  on  earth] 
He  was  always  giving :  giving  food  to 
the  hungry — eyes  to  the  blind — health  to 
the  sick — pardon  to  the  guilty.  He  came 
to  bless  every  man,  "by  turning  every  man 
from  his  iniquity."  And  he  is  continu- 
ally opening  the  fountain  of  blessedness 
which  springs  up  in  his  soul,  and  has 
ever  been  blessing  mankind.  The  more 
we  do  this,  the  more  nearly  we  resemble 
Christ,  the  more  we  "  adorn  the  gospel 
of  God  our  Saviour."  By  this  will  all 
men  know  that  we  are  disciples  of  Christ. 
The  world  never  knew  any  thing  of  be- 
nevolence till  Jesus  Christ  came.  Am- 
bition, and  envy,  and  malice,  and  deceit, 
and  wrong,  and  injury,  were  well  known ; 
but  not  true  charity,  till  Christ  came  "  to 
seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 
Every  Christian  will  delight  in  going 
forward  in  the  imitation  of  this  great 
pattern. 

Sixthly.  The  blessedness  of  giving  is 
superior  to  that  of  receiving ;  because, 
under  the  dispensation  of  grace,  to  give 
aright  will  be  connected  ivith  an  eternal 
reivard.  Let  no  one  be  surprised  at  this. 
We  are  told  plainly  that  there  shall  be 
an  abundant  reward  : — "  He  that  receiv- 
eth  a  prophet  in  the  name  of  a  prophet, 
shall  receive  a  prophet's  reward  ;  and  he 
that  receiveth  a  righteous  man  in  the 
name  of  a  righteous  man,  shall  receive  a 
righteous  man's  reward.  And  whosoever 
shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of  fliese  little 
ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only  in  the  name 
of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  he 
shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward."  It  is 
said  also,  "  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given 
unto  you  :  good  measure,  pressed  down, 
and  shaken  together,  and  running  over, 
shall  men  give  unto  your  bosom.  For 
with  the  same  measure  that  ye  mete 
withal,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again." 
— We  are  told  that  "  he  shall  have  judg- 
ment without  mercy  that  hath  showed 
no  mercy;"  and  that  "mercy  rejoiceth 
against  judgment;"  and  that  "blessed 
are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain 
mercy."  Scripture  is  full  of  the  high 
rewards  to  be  bestowed  on  benevolence, 
assuring  us  that  they  who  have  done 


182 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


g-ood  shall  enter  into  life  everlasting. 
And  all  this  is  quite  consistent  with  the 
doctrine  of  justijicatiun  hy  faith :  for  it  is 
certain  that  no  gifts,  however  splendid, 
can  be  pleasing  to  God,  if  they  be  pre- 
sented by  a  man  who  is  not  justified. 
They  are  the  gifts  of  a  rebel,  of  a  rebel 
who  is  under  sentence  of  death : — if  a 
man  were  condemned  to  die  as  a  rebel,  it 
is  certain  that  no  acts  of  obedience,  no 
gifts  of  kindness  to  those  around  him,  no 
promises  of  future  allegiance,  would 
avail ; — they  could  not  change  his  charac- 
ter from  that  of  a  rebel  to  that  of  a  faith- 
ful servant ;  his  private  virtues,  however 
numerous,  could  not  be  taken  into  the 
account.  All  men  are  rebels  against 
God  ;  and  "  by  the  deeds  of  the  law  can 
no  flesh  living  be  justified."  No  acts 
which  we  may  perform  can  atone  for  sin, 
or  render  us  acceptable  to  God.  But,  if 
tlie  Most  High  has  graciously  promised 
to  bestow  pardon — if  he  has  assured  us 
that  all  who  will  lay  down  the  arms  of 
their  rebellion  shall  be  pardoned  and  re- 
stored to  his  favour,  then  those  who  are 
thus  pardoned  and  reconciled  may  ap- 
proach to  him  without  fear ;  they  may  ob- 
tain from  him  the  assurances  of  his  favour, 
and  may  confidently  hope  for  the  testi- 
monials of  his  approbation.  Then  the 
majesty  of  heaven  may  receive  their  ser- 
vices ;  services  from  those  who  are  recon- 
ciled to  him,  but  not  from  those  who  are 
still  in  a  state  of  rebellion.  We  must  first 
receive  the  forgiveness  of  sins  ; — we  must 
come  to  him  by  the  blood  of  the  cross  ; — 
we  must  approach  him  through  Jesus 
Christ  alone,  and  alone  by  faith  obtain 
pardon  and  renewal.  We  must  begin 
here  :  we  must  be  justified  by  faith;  and 
then,  being  justified  by  faith,  you  may 
hope  for  acceptance. — Through  Jesus 
Christ  and  his  precious  blood,  God  will 
accept  the  free-will  offerings  of  such. 
The  doctrines  of  justification  by  faith, 
and  the  free  grace  of  God,  are  never  for 
a  moment  lost  sight  of  by  enforcing  the 
performance  of  acts  of  charity; — and  let 
me  remind  you,  that  God  loves  the  dis- 
position to  do  good — the  wish  to  act  for 
the  benefit  of  others.  He  loved  it  in  his 
own  Son ;  and  He  who  offered  himself 
up  for   us  and  our  salvation,  presented 


"an  offering  and  a  sacrifice  to  God  of  a 
sweet  smelling  savour.''^  God  accepts  this 
imitation  of  Christ  on  the  part  of  his  peo 
pie,  not  from  any  virtue  there  is  in  them, 
but  from  the  virtue  there  is  in  Christ,  to 
whom  they  are  united,  and  through  whom 
they  ever  will  be  blessed. — And  the  re- 
wards which  God  will  bestow  upon  such 
are  of  a  kind  v.hich  could  not  possibly 
be  connected  with  merit  in  them.  They 
include  peace  and  consolation  of  soul  in 
the  present  life,  and  the  future  vision  of 
God,  and  the  full  enjoyment  of  holiness 
and  perfect  bliss.  He  will  say  to  all 
those  who  have  aimed  to  be  useful  upon 
earth,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant ! — Enter  ye  into  the  joy  of  your 
Lord."  O,  the  unspeakable  blessedness 
of  giving  in  that  great  day,  when  He  will 
bestow  upon  all  according  to  their  works  \ 
— When  the  righteous  shall  find  that  all 
their  virtues  have  vegetated  and  brought 
forth  abundant  fruit,  what  joy  and  bless- 
edness shall  take  possession  of  tiieir 
souls !  But  they  have  performed  these 
actions  with  regard  to  the  glory  of  God, 
and  with  a  desire  to  please  him.  "  Eye 
hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that 
love  him." 

I  would  apply  this  doctrine  of  the 
blessedness  of  giving  above  that  of  re- 
ceiving, very  briefly,  by  simply  exhorting 
those  who  hear  me  to  act  on  this  principle. 
Be  assured  that  He  who  said  this  will 
make  it  plainly  out  in  the  experience  of 
all.  Determine  to  give  rather  than  to 
receive.  Learn  to  consider  yourselves 
as  "  not  your  own,  but  bought  with  a 
price;"  and  aim  to  "  glorify  God  in  your 
bodies  and  in  your  spirits,  which  are 
God's." 

The  great  means  of  having  it  in  our 
power  to  act  on  this  principle  is  to  prac- 
tice economy.  Those  who  give  their 
minds  to  it  will  find  their  means  multiply 
far  beyond  what  they  could  themselves 
expect. — Frugality  opens  a  variety  ot 
sources,  furnishes  a  number  of  means  ol 
well  doing.  There  is  scarcely  an  indi- 
vidual who  has  it  not  in  his  power  to  do 
good  :  all  may  so  act  as  to  have  "  to  give 
to   him   that    needeth."     None  are   ex- 


THE  BLESSEDNESS  OF  GIVING. 


183 


eluded  :  the  duty,  the  blessedness,  is  not 
confined  to  either  rich  or  poor.  The 
apostle  says,  "  Let  him  that  stole,  steal 
no  more  ;  but  rather  let  him  labour,  Avork- 
ing  with  his  hands  the  thing  that  is  good  ;" 
not  merely  tliat  he  may  supply  his  own 
necessities,  but  "  that  he  may  have  to 
give  to  him  that  needeth."  The  apostle 
taught  also  that  the  poor  should  act  so 
frugally,  as  not  only  industriously  to  sup- 
ply their  own  wants,  but  to  be  able  to 
give  to  others.  If,  indeed,  we  consult 
vanity — if  we  are  guided  by  fashion — if 
we  give  way  to  covctousness — if  we  in- 
dulge in  vain  show — if  we  follow  the 
course  of  this  world,  we  shall  never  have 
to  give  to  others.  A  mean  and  avaricious 
disposition  Avill  ever  keep  pace  with  the 
love  of  splendour  and  of  show  ; — but  if  we 
endeavour  not  to  seek  the  things  of  the 
world  ; .  if  we  remember  not  to  "  seek 
great  things  for  ourselves  ;"  if  we  con- 
sider that  "  all  that  is  in  the  world  is  not 
of  tbe  Father,  but  of  the  world;"  if,  as 
Christians,  we  aim  to  rise  above  it, — we 
shall  always  find  ample  means  of  doing 
good  ;  and  he  who  anxiously  wishes  it, 
will  always  find  himself  able  to  advance 
the  interests  of  his  neighbour.  But  there 
must  be  frugality,  or  it  will  not  be  possi- 
ble that  our  aims  to  do  good  will  be  car- 
ried to  any  extent. 

And  while  we  aim  to  do  good,  gene- 
rally, to  supply  the  bodily  wants  of  our 
fellow-creatures,  let  us  remember  that 
there  are  other  objects  still  nobler.  He  that 
provides  instruction  for  those  around  him 
does  more  than  he  who  supplies  food ; 
and  he  that  supplies  them  with  spiritual 
knowledge  does  still  more ;  and  he  who 
provides  and  prepares  agents  to  impart 
this  spiritual  knowledge,  does  the  high- 
est act  of  benevolence  of  which  we  can 
conceive.  And  this  is  the  very  object 
we  have  in  view  in  this  service  :  it  is  to 
support  an  institution,  by  which  young 
men  are  fitted  for  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
This  must  be  considered  as  benevolence 
of  the  highest  order.  Surely  we  never 
so  imitate  Christ  as  when  we  are  aiming 
to  send  out  the  great  gift  which  he  has 
ever  given  to  men.  "When  he  ascended 
up  on  high,  he  gave  gifts  unto  men.  He 
gave  some,  apostl^  ;  and  some,  prophets ; 


and  some,  evangelists  ;  and  some,  pas 
tors  and  teachers ;  for  the  perfecting  of 
the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  (IJhrist; 
till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith, 
and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God, 
unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of 
the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ."  Nc 
man  can  possibly  ascertain  the  effects  of 
this  gift :  Christ  is  by  this  means  making 
millions  to  rejoice  in  his  truth — millions 
of  wanderers  have  been  reclaimed — mil 
lions  have  been  converted  from  the  erroi 
of  their  waj^s  ;  and  long  as  they  exist  will 
they  bless  his  name.  And  what  is  to  be 
the  means  of  perpetuating  this  good  1 
Most  of  those  who  are  called  by  God,  are 
called  by  a  holy  ministry.  The  gospel 
is  still  "the  power  of  God  to  salvation  to 
every  one  that  believeth."  And,  in  the 
present  very  advanced  state  of  society, 
none  can  be  fully  qualified  for  this  work 
without  much  preparation.  Time  M'as 
when  God  raised  up  men  who  shone  most 
brightly,  without  the  aids  of  human  learn- 
ing: there  have  been  some  who  have 
risen  high,  and  been  eminently  useful. 
In  our  own  denomination  we  have  known 
a  Bunyan  and  a  Fuller,  who  rose  to  a 
gigantic  height.  But  these  were  by  no 
means  common  cases  ;  they  were  excep- 
tions— they  are  not  to  be  regarded  as 
precedents :  we  are  not  to  expect  such 
men  to  be  raised  up  every  day. — While 
education  is  going  on  generally  through- 
out society,  we  must  keep  pace.  There 
is  scarcely  a  congregation  now  to  be 
found  in  the  remotest  part  of  the  kingdom, 
in  which  there  are  not  some  men  who  are 
able  to  comprehend,  and  who  do  not  con- 
sider and  examine  what  is  said. 

I  need  not  say  one  word  to  induce  j'ou 
to  acknowledge  the  importance  of  this  : 
you  know  well  the  necessity  of  academi- 
cal institutions.  That  for  which  I  have 
the  honour  to  plead  is  one  of  the  most 
ancient;  and,  without  wishing  to  depre- 
ciate any  similar  institution,  I  would  say, 
that  it  is  at  least  equal  to  any  in  exist- 
ence. The  students  have  all  the  assist- 
ance of  a  library  which  is  not  excelled  by 
any  in  the  kingdom,  and  are  aided  in  their 
pursuits  by  learned  and  pious  men.  In 
consequence  of  building,  a  debt  has  beer. 


184 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


contracted,  which  has  placed  the  trustees 
in  great  difficulty,  and  prevented  them 
from  receiving  as  many  young  men  as 
might  otherwise  be  accommodated.  They 
make  a  strong  appeal  to  you,  while  thus 
struggling  with  great  difficulties,  and 
while  aiming  to  raise  up  a  number  of  men 
who  shall  speak  to  the  people  the  words 
of  eternal  life.  You  have  lately  had 
many  demands  made  upon  you,  and  much 
has  been  said  to  excite  you  to  benevo- 
lence. But  "  be  not  weary  in  well- 
doing :"  we  expect  no  large  proportion  of 
your  property ; — a  scanty  portion  of  your 
abundance,  without  much  exercise  of  self- 
denial,  is  all  that  is  needed  to  attend  this 
application. — You  will  do  nobly  on  this 
occasion,  if  you  only  part  with  a  small 
portion  of  your  superfluity  ;  and  you  will, 
no  doubt,  be  willing  to  do  this,  anxious 
to  experience  the  blessedness  of  those 
who  give  :  you  will  delight  to  lay  up  for 
yourselves  those  rewards  which  he  has 
graciously  promised  to  bestow.  Remem- 
ber God  has  put  the  "  treasure"  of  his 
gospel  into  "  earthen  vessels,"  "  that  the 
excellency  of  the  power  maybe  of  him." 
•^"  How  shall  they  hear  without  a 
preacher  ]  And  how  shall  they  preach 
except  they  be  sent?"  And  how  can 
they  be  duly  prepared,  unless  you  furnish 
the  means  1  If  Christians  withhold  the 
means,  the  church  of  God  must  cease  ; 
places  of  worship  must  be  shut  up  ;  im- 
mortal souls  must  be  neglected.  But  you 
will  not  allow  this  :  you  will  come  "  to  the 
help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty;" — 
you  will  not  look  at  the  weakness  of  the 
instruments,  but  remember  that  'tis  the 
cause  of  God.  They  may  be  feeble  ;  but 
they  are  such  men  as  Christ  employs  in 
going  forth  "  conquering  and  to  conquer." 
They  form  that  army  which  He  is  leading 
forth,  who  hath  "  on  his  vesture  and  on 
his  thigh  a  name  written,  King  of  kings, 
AND  Lord  of  lords." — They  are  "  the 
called,  and  chosen,  and  faithful,"  whom 
he  will  employ  to  accomplish  his  designs ; 
and  he  who  despises  these  ministers  as 
mean  and  contemptible,  would  despise 
and  contemn  their  Master,  if  he  were  upon 


earth.  Let  us  listen  to  him  who  says 
"  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive  ,•" 
and  he  who  has  said  it  will  make  it  good, 
in  an  abundant  recompense  to  all  who 
thus  have  studied  "  to  adorn  the  gospel 
of  God  our  Saviour." 


RELIGIOUS    INSTRUCTION    FROM    HOUSE   TO 
HOUSE. 

The  Bishop  of  Chester,  in  his  charge 
to  the  clergy  of  his  diocese,  on  "indi- 
vidual instruction,"  observes  that  "  with- 
out this,  little  permanent  effect  will  be 
produced  by  any  ministry ;  and,  with  it, 
a  minister  who  Is  comparatively  feeble 
in  the  pulpit,  will  be  more  useful  than 
the  most  eloquent,  who  confines  himself 
to  the  pulpit  alone."  After  dwelling  at 
some  length  upon  the  value,  and,  indeed, 
the  absolute  necessity,  of  thus  teaching 
"  from  house  to  house,"  the  bishop  con- 
siders the  important  inquiry,  "  Who  is 
sufficient, '  physically'  sufficient  for  these 
things'?"  and  candidly  acknowledges, 
what  every  unprejudiced  mind  nmst  at 
once  confess,  that,  "  in  our  larger  parishes, 
it  is  not  possible  for  the  strength  or  ac- 
tivity of  the  clergy  alone  to  provide  for 
such  individual  instruction."  He  then 
proceeds  to  show  that  this  difficulty  can 
only  be  sufficiently  combated  by  the  aid 
of  the  laity ;  "  Let  the  minister  of  a  popu- 
lous district,  using  careful  discrimination 
of  character,  select  such  as  '  are  worthy' 
and  of  '  good  report,'  and  assign  them 
their  several  employments,  under  his 
directions ;  they  may  lessen  their  own 
labour,  by  visiting  and  examining  the 
schools ;  by  reading  and  praying  with 
the  infirm  and  aged  ;  by  consoling  the 
fatherless  and  widows  in  their  afflictions ; 
and  pursuing  the  many  nameless  ways 
by  which  it  is  in  the  power  of  one  Chris- 
tian to  benefit  and  relieve  another :" 
in  the  appendix,  the  Bishop  gives  an 
outline  of  the  plan  of  two  or  three 
district  societies,  where  this  system  of 
lay  instruction  has  been  tried,  in  densely 
populous  parishes,  with  very  consider- 
able effect. 


SERMON  XX. 

THE    GLORIFICATION    OF    THE    WORD    OF    GOD. 
BY  THE  REV    JOSEPH  FLETCHER,  D.D. 


'  Finally,  brethren,  pray  for  us,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course,  and  be  glorified, 
even  as  it  is  with  you." — 2  Thess.  iii.  1. 


The  apostle  Paul,  in  this  solemn  and 
impressive  injunction,  asserts  the  dignity 
of  the  gospel — he  describes  it  to  be  the 
word  of  the  Lord  ;  and  he  who  recorded 
the  injunction  well  knew  its  claims  to 
this  high  and  sacred  designation.  He 
had  first  heard  the  word  of  the  Lord  in 
circumstances  of  strange  and  mysterious 
interest.  On  the  way  to  Damascus  its 
power  first  reached  his  heart,  and  it 
proved  to  be  indeed  the  power  of  God  to 
his  salvation.  He  was  then  engaged  in 
an  enterprise  of  fearful  resentment  against 
the  disciples  of  the  despised  Nazarene. 
His  interests  at  that  time  were  all  on  the 
side  of  his  prejudices  and  his  passions — 
a  mistaken  conviction  of  duty  giving 
force  to  the  one  and  authority  to  the 
other. 

All  the  ardour  of  youthful  feeling,  all 
the  energy  of  powerful  talents,  all  the 
influence  of  the  high  and  distinguished 
connections  that  surrounded  him,  and  all 
the  effect  which  he  was  able  to  produce 
on  the  minds  of  others,  were  devoted  at 
that  period  to  one  object,  and  that  object 
was  the  utter  extermination  of  the  Chris- 
tian cause.  He  was  a  man  characterized 
by  that  ardour  of  temperament,  by  that 
hardihood  of  nerve,  by  that  passion  of 
character,  that  he  could  do  nothing  by 
halves.  No  one  could  have  looked  at 
nim  without  at  once  receiving  the  im- 
pression, that  in  whatever  cause  he  en- 
gaged, to  whatever  object  he  was  devot- 
ed, it  would  concentrate  and  absorb  the 
strength  of  all  his  powers,  and  the  force 
of  all  his  passions,  and  that,  according 
to  the  object  which  he  regarded,  and  the 

Vol.  L— 24 


direction  of  those  powers  and  of  those 
passions,  he  was  fitted  to  be  either  an 
angel  of  mercy  or  a  destroying  demon  to 
the  rest  of  his  race. 

He  was  approaching  the  spot  destined 
to  be  the  scene  of  unrelenting  hostility 
against  the  disciples  of  the  cross ;  but  in 
the  midst  of  all  his  anticipations  a  mar- 
vellous effect  is  produced,  on  which  he 
had  never  calculated,  whi^h  was,  there- 
fore, strictly  a  miracle  of  mercy — a  devia- 
tion from  the  ordinary  and  established 
course  of  the  Divine  procedure  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  his  mercy.  A  voice  from 
heaven  reached  his  ear — a  more  power- 
ful voice  reached  his  heart.  His  conver- 
sion to  the  faith  of  Jesus  was  instanta- 
neous. The  power  of  prejudice  instantly 
withered.  He  felt,  as  by  the  stroke  of 
lightning,  the  force  of  evidence  and  the 
power  of  truth.  It  was  not  merely  an 
effect  produced  on  his  understanding  in 
the  way  of  rational  conviction  ;  it  was  an 
effect  produced  on  his  heart  by  the  power 
of  sanctifying  mercy.  It  was  then  he 
received  the  word  of  the  Lord — it  was 
then  that  all  the  sentiments  of  astonish- 
ment, and  conviction,  and  penitence,  and 
deep  humiliation,  and  instant  resolution, 
and  undaunted  decision,  were  combined 
and  involved  in  one  prayer,  "  Lord,  what 
wouldst  thou  have  me  to  do  ]" — and  his 
whole  life,  from  that  memorable  moment, 
was  a  practical  commentary  on  that  first 
prayer.  He  could  say,  emphatically, 
"  Ojie  thing  I  do.'''' 

And  while  the  fact  of  his  conversion 
proved  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  the  cha- 
racter founded  on  that  change,  and  re. 
Q  2  185 


186 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


sultinn^  from  it,  was  the  best  possible 
illustration  of  the  tendency  and  the  influ- 
ence of  the  gospel.  His  conversion  ex- 
hibited a  decisive  and  invincible  proof 
of  its  divinity ;  his  character  exhibited 
an  equally  decisive  and  invincible  proof 
of  its  holy,  its  spiritual,  and  its  heavenly 
tendency. 

Read,  then,  my  brethren,  the  his'ory 
of  this  astonishing  man — observe  the  va- 
rying circumstances  in  which  he  was 
placed,  the  extended  scene  of  his  labours, 
the  privations  to  which  he  submitted,  the 
unparalleled  energy  pervading  all  his  ac- 
tions, and  exhibited  amid  all  his  suffer- 
ings— and  you  will  find  one  principle 
lying  at  the  foundation  of  all  this  struc- 
ture of  moral  excellency — one  migbty 
spring  giving  its  powerful  and  uniform 
impulse  to  all  the  actions  of  his  life. 
Whether  you  find  him  at  liberty  or  in 
bonds — amid  the  court  of  Areopagus,  or 
amongst  the  barbarians  at  Melita — whe- 
ther you  find  him  proclaiming  the  truth 
to  the  barbar^n  and  the  savage,  or  the 
Athenian  ana  the  Roman,  you  find  one 
great  object  before  him,  giving  animation 
to  his  motives,  consistency  to  his  charac- 
ter, concentration  to  his  efforts,  and,  un- 
der the  mighty  power  which  wrought  in 
him,  success  to  all  his  enterprises.  That 
one  object  was,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord 
might  have  free  course  and  be  glorified. 

That  object,  in  one  respect,  was  not 
personal.  True,  indeed,  personal  inte- 
rests were  deeply  involved  in  the  views 
and  the  anticipations  by  which  he  was 
influenced.  He  could  not  possibly  for- 
get, in  this  respect,  his  personal  interest. 
He  had  received  a  commission  to  pro- 
claim the  word  of  the  Lord  and  the  faith 
of  the  Saviour.  Strange  events  connected 
with  his  conversion,  and  always  associ- 
ated with  every  recollection  of  it,  would 
deeply  fix  upon  his  memory,  and  his  con- 
science, and  his  heart,  the  responsibility 
involved  in  his  commission;  and  he  could 
say,  therefore,  "  Wo  be  to  me  if  I  preach 
not  the  gospel."  True,  he  felt  a  personal 
interest  in  the  gospel,  because  all  his  own 
hopes,  all  his  own  consolations,  were  de- 
rived from  it.  But  in  no  sense  whicli 
would  convey  the  idea  of  any  thing  that 
was  selfish,  or  interested,  or  secular,  or 


connected  with  the  aggrandizement  and 
the  objects  of  the  present  passing  state, 
could  it  be  said  that  he  was  influenced 
by  personal  con^derations.  All  the  or- 
dinary motives  which  we  connect  with 
the  usual  acceptation  of  the  phrase,  as 
derived  from  the  connection  and  the  ob- 
jects, the  possessions  and  the  interests,  of 
the  present  state,  had  no  power  over  the 
heart  of  this  holy  man.  It  was  to  him, 
therefore,  a  matter  of  perfect  indifference 
whether  he  was  a  slave  or  a  free  man — 
whether  he  was  sick  or  in  health — whe- 
ther he  was  rich  or  poor.  He  possessed 
an  independence  of  the  highest  order,  of 
the  sublimest  philosophy,  in  relation  to 
all  the  accidents  and  all  the  external  cir- 
cumstances of  his  present  history,  and 
looking  forward  to  eternity,  he  felt  a  re- 
alizing sense  of  the  value  of  the  soul,  and 
was  conscious  of  the  claim  of  that  im- 
perishable truth  which  God  had  commit- 
ted to  him  as  a  sacred  deposit;  and  to 
propagate  that  truth,  and  to  promote  its 
high  and  holy  objects,  was  the  very  end 
for  which  he  lived,  and  moved,  and  had 
his  being. 

There  was  nothing  polilical  in  the  ob- 
ject he  regarded,  and  yet,  in  a  certain 
point  of  view,  it  was  morally  impossible 
that  the  object  could  succeed — morally 
impossible  that  the  principle  on  which 
the  apostle  laboured,  and  by  which  he 
was  governed,  with  a  view  to  the  promo- 
tion of  the  object,  should  have  free  course, 
and  operate  on  the  minds,  and  passions, 
and  characters  of  others,  without  ulti- 
mately producing  even  political  results. 
He  knew  that  superstition  and  idolatry, 
in  all  their  varied  forms  and  monstrous 
combinations,  were  as  ill  adapted  to  pro- 
mote the  present  interests  of  the  human 
race  as  they  were  in  direct  opposition  to 
their  spiritual  welfare  and  their  eternal 
felicity ;  and  no  doubt,  therefore,  the 
comprehensive,  the  prophetic  mind  of  the 
apostle  looked  forward  to  the  period  when, 
by  the  mighty  power  of  the  gospel,  the 
altars  of  idolatry  should  be  overturned, 
the  whole  fabric  of  society  should  be 
newly  formed,  and  the  systems  of  idola- 
try should  be  annihilated,  and  every  prin- 
ciple opposed  to  the  true  interests  and 
general  felicity  of  the  human  race  should 


*# 


THE  GLORIFICATION  OF  THE  WORD  OF  GOD. 


187 


crumble  into  dust  before  the  withering 
power  of  heavenly  truth — before  the  might 
and  majesty  of  tlie  word  of  the  Lord. 

And,  my  brethren,  in  the  same  view  of 
the  subject  we  may  contemplate  even  in 
a  certain  sense — not  in  the  minor  and  pet- 
ty and  contracted  acceptation  of  the  term, 
but  in  the  more  large  and  liberal  view  of 
it — we  may  contemplate  that  the  success 
of  gospel  efforts  shall  have  the  most 
powerful  influence  on  the  destinies  of 
thrones,  on  the  condition  of  empires,  on 
the  state  of  nations  ;  for  we  look  forward 
to  a  period  when  the  whole  world  shall 
become  the  kingdom  of  our  God  and  of 
his  Christ ;  we  look  forward  to  this  as 
the  legitimate  result  of  the  very  object  to 
which  the  apostle  re  fers  us — the  success 
of  the  gospel,  the  glorifying  of  the  word 
of  God. 

I\Iy  brethren,  I  have  chosen  the  subject 
of  this  apostolic  injunction  as  the  topic 
of  our  present  reflections,  because  I  con- 
ceive it  to  be  peculiarly  appropriate  to 
the  end  for  which  we  are  this  day  gather- 
ed together  in  the  sanctuary.  Most  de- 
voutly do  I  rejoice,  with  the  church  and 
congregation  that  will  henceforth  assem- 
ble within  these  walls,  on  this  auspicious 
day,  and  on  the  results  to  which  their 
prayers,  and  their  liberality,  and  their 
long-continued  arrangements  have  led 
them,  and  by  means  of  which  we  are  this 
day  permitted,  with  other  churches  and 
other  congregations,  to  share  with  them 
in  their  felicity,  to  be  helpers  with  them 
in  their  joy,  and  to  unite  with  them  in 
solemn  and  fervent  supplications  to  the 
Father  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of  all 
comfort.  What,  my  beloved  friends,  is 
the  end  for  which  you  have  erected  this 
spacious  edifice  1  Why  have  you  sought 
this  ampler  territory  for  the  proclamation 
of  the  truth,  for  the  administration  of  the 
word  and  ordinances  of  the  most  high 
God  ■?  What  have  been  the  impelling 
motives  by  which,  as  a  church  of  the 
Redeemer,  you  have  been  influenced  in 
all  the  arrangements  and  all  the  liberality 
that  have  terminated  in  this  day  1  I  trust, 
my  brethren,  that  with  each  individual 
member  of  the  church  and  congregation 
there  is  a  principle  accordant  in  spirit, 
and    sympathy,   and   feeling,    with    the 


prayer  before  us.  What,  whal,  my  dear 
friends,  what  is  the  request  in  which  you 
would  unite  with  us,  whom  you  have  in- 
vited, in  the  services  of  this  day,  to  share 
with  you  in  holy  fellowship,  in  hallowed 
anticipation  1 — what  is  the  prayer  which 
would  embody  to  J'our  mind  the  most  in- 
teresting, the  most  important  ends  to 
which  all  your  efforts  have  been  directed  1 
Could  one  voice  utter  the  feelings,  and 
the  anxieties,  and  the  requests,  of  this 
church  and  congregation,  to  all  the 
churches  and  all  the  pastors  of  this  vi- 
cinity, of  this  metropolis,  and  even  of 
our  whole  country,  in  the  length  and 
breadth  of  it,  what  would  be  the  lan- 
guage of  that  request  1  "  Brethren,  pray 
for  us,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  may 
have  free  course,  and  be  glorified."  And 
we  assemble,  my  beloved  friends,  to  as- 
sure you  that  our  hearts  correspond  with 
yours  in  the  request  which  you  have  thus 
presented  ;  and  we  would  unite  our  sup- 
plications and  combine  our  sympathies 
with  yours,  and  re-echo,  from  the  inmost 
recesses  of  our  minds,  the  apostolic  in- 
junction, "  Brethren,  pray  for  us,  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course, 
and  be  glorified  amongst  us,  and  glorified 
in  every  part  of  our  country,  and  glori- 
fied throughout  the  world,  even  as  it  is 
with  you." 

This  apostolic  injunction  brings  before 
us, 

L  The  great  object  of  Christian 

DEVOTION. 

The  object  is  strikingly  represented  in 
the  phraseology  of  the  text,  and  it  con- 
sists, 

1st.  In  the  free  and  unimpeded  circula- 
tion of  the  gospel.  "  Pray  for  us,  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course." 

There  are  impediments  to  the  progress 
of  the  gospel — mighty  impediments  to 
its  progress. — They  may  all  of  them,  in- 
deed, be  resolved  into  one — hinderances, 
and  hinderances  are  overcome  in  every  in- 
stance in  which  the  word  is  the  power  of 
God  to  salvation.  But  the  impediments 
are  variously  manifested.  There  are  im- 
pediments to  the  gospel  in  the  spirit  of 
persecution — in  the  prevalence  of  idola- 
try and  superstition — in  the  power  of 
Antichrist — in  the  eflfects  of  infidelity — 


188 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


in  the  inconsistency  and  the  corruptions 
by  which  the  Christian  church  is  itself 
degraded  ;  but  all  of  them,  however  va- 
ried, may  be  resolved  into  one,  the  oppo- 
sition of  the  heart  to  the  power,  and  vir- 
tue, and  influence  of  the  gospel.  It  was, 
therefore,  with  peculiar  propriety,  my 
friends,  that  the  apostle  taught  the  be- 
lievers of  Thessalonica  to  pray  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  might  have  free  course. 
He  alludes,  in  this  injunction,  to  the 
ancient  stadium,  or  race-course,  on  which 
persons  were  employed  in  running,  for 
the  purpose  of  gaining  the  honours  of  the 
Olympic  prizes,  or  obtaining  some  perish- 
ing crown,  some  fading  distinction,  which 
the  applause  and  which  the  honours  of 
the  world  might  confer.  It  was  requi- 
site, obviously  requisite,  before  there 
could  be  the  successful  progress  of  such 
as  were  engaged  in  running  this  race,  that 
every  impediment  should  be  removed — 
that  crooked  things  should  be  made 
straight — that  rough  places  should  be 
made  plain — that  the  valley  should  be 
exalted,  and  the  hills  should  be  made  low 
^and  thus  a  way  should  be  prepared  for 
their  unimpeded  movement.  The  apos- 
tle, therefore,  applies  this  imagery  to  the 
gospel.  The  Son  of  God  is  riding  forth 
in  the  chariot  of  his  gospel,  and  those 
employed  in  preaching  it  may  well  be 
considered,  in  a  certain  sense,  as  running 
a  race,  employed  in  a  most  important 
and  honourable  competition.  But  there 
must  be  the  removal  of  all  the  hinderances 
which  exist  in  the  state  of  feeling,  in  the 
prejudices,  in  the  opinions,  in  the  cus- 
toms of  mankind,  by  means  of  which  op- 
position in  various  forms  is  presented  to 
the  power  and  the  influence  of  the  gos- 
pel. When  the  apostle,  therefore,  taught 
the  Thessalonians  to  pray  that  the  word 
of  the  Lord  might  have  free  course,  he 
was,  in  fact,  teaching  them  to  pray  for 
the  progress  of  the  cause  of  liberty ;  he 
was,  in  fact,  teaching  them  to  pray  for 
the  march  of  truth  and  knowledge ;  be- 
cause he  knew  that  liberty,  and  truth, 
and  knowledge,  in  relation  to  all  the  ob- 
jects that  could  occupy  the  thoughts  and 
attention  of  men,  would  be  ultimately 
subservient  to  the  progress  and  the  tri- 
umphs of  the  gospel.     When  he  taught 


them  to  pray  that  the  word  of  the  Lord 
might  have  free  course,  he  taught  them 
to  pray  that  whatever  hinderances  existed 
in  the  inward  opinions,  in  the  feelings,  in 
the  prejudices,  in  the  pride,  in  the  natu- 
ral scepticism  and  unbelief  of  the  heart, 
to  its  admission  and  to  its  triumphs, 
might  be  removed.  And  he  could  not 
possibly  look  back  on  the  state  of  his  own 
heart,  on  the  impediments  to  the  entrance 
of  the  word  which  existed  in  that  heart, 
and  to  the  wondrous  energy  by  which  the 
word  had  free  course,  overcame,  subdued, 
and  conquered  it,  without  feeling  that 
every  recollection  encouraged  him  to  con- 
fidence and  perseverance  in  his  hallowed 
work. 

But,  my  brethren,  it  was  not  enough 
for  the  apostle  to  have  contemplated  the 
free  and  the  unimpeded  circulation  of  the 
gospel,  the  removal  of  all  external  impe- 
diments as  a  great  and  important  end ; 
but  he  looked  upon  these  as  subservient 
to  some  other  end.  "  Pray  for  us,  that 
the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free 
course  and  be  glorified." 

What,  then,  is  it  for  the  word  of  the 
Lord  to  be  glorified ? — will  thus  demand, 
in  the  next  place,  our  consideration,  in 
illustrating  the  object  of  Christian  devo- 
tion. 

It  would  not,  my  friends,  in  your  esti- 
mate be  enough,  if  in  every  part  of  our 
country,  and  in  every  government  and 
kingdom  under  heaven,  the  most  unre- 
stricted freedom  were  enjoyed.  It  would 
not  be  enough  for  you  that  all  the  diffi- 
culties and  all  the  impediments  in  the 
way  of  the  evangelization  of  the  world, 
arising  from  persecution,  from  idolatry, 
from  anti-christian  superstition,  from  the 
systems  of  infidelity  and  of  every  other 
outward  cause,  were  removed.  It  would 
not  be  enough  for  you  that  in  every  part 
of  our  land,  in  every  part  of  our  world, 
there  were  edifices,  spacious  and  elegant 
like  your  own,  in  which  assembling 
thousands  might  unite  for  the  great  pur- 
poses of  worship  and  fellowship.  It 
would  not  be  enough  for  you  that,  on 
principles  connected  with  the  simplicity 
and  spirituality  of  the  gospel,  kings  were 
every  where  nursing  fathers,  and  queens 
nursing  mothers,  to  the  church,  and  that 


THE  GLORIFICATION  OF  THE  WOilD  OF  GOD. 


189 


the  power  and  splendour  of  rank,  autho- 
rity, and  government,  were  every  where 
subservient  to  the  progress  of  the  truth. 
Even  all  this  moral  machinery,  erected 
upon  the  very  best  principles  throughout 
every  part  of  the  world,  would  not  real- 
ize your  objects — would  not  realize  that 
for  which  you  are  taught  to  pray  in  this 
apostolic  injunction.  All  this  would  not 
meet  the  glorifying  of  the  word  of  God  ; 
for,  my  friends,  the  glorifying  of  that 
word  is  inseparably  connected  with  its 
being  made  the  power  of  God  to  salva- 
tion— is  inseparably  connected  with  that 
influence  by  means  of  which  the  under- 
standings of  men  are  enlightened,  the 
hearts  of  men  are  renewed,  and  sinners 
are  turned  from  darkness  to  light,  and 
from  the  power  of  Satan  to  the  power  of 
God,  receiving  forgiveness  of  their  sins, 
and  an  inheritance  among  them  who  are 
sanctified. 

When  then,  my  friends,  may  it  be  said 
that  the  word  of  the  Lord  is  glorifiied  1 
In  pointing  out  the  instances  which  may 
be  viewed  as  accomplishing  this  object, 
I  am  sure  that  I  am  stating  what  you  will 
regard — my  brethren,  the  members  of 
this  church  and  congregation,  you  who 
know  any  thing  of  the  power  and  influ- 
ence of  the  gospel — as  that  which  alone 
can  realize  and  accomplish  the  objects 
for  which  you  are  now  assembled.  The 
word  of  the  Lord  is  glorified  when  it  is 
the  medium  of  spiritual  renovation,  when 
its  supreme  authority  is  felt  and  recog- 
nised by  all  who  profess  to  receive  it — 
when  its  discoveries  are  cordially  received 
— when  its  injunctions  are  practically 
regarded — when  its  holy  influence  is  ex- 
emplified in  the  tempers  and  in  the  con- 
duct of  those  who  profess  to  receive  it. 
The  word  of  the  Lord  is  glorified  when 
that  word  becomes  the  law  of  all  your 
thoughts,  the  rule  of  all  your  actions, 
the  authority  to  which  you  submit  with 
implicit  deference,  the  principle  mould- 
ing all  the  elements  of  your  nature  into 
subjection  to  itself.  The  word  of  the  Lord 
is  glorified  when,  by  means  of  that  word, 
sinners  are  guided  to  the  refuge  of  mercy, 
pricked  to  the  heart,  are  led  to  exclaim, 
"  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  V — and 
are  constrained  to  cast  down,  at  the  foot 


of  the  cross,  the  weapons  of  their  hosti- 
lity, and  to  const  crate  tjjemselvf  s  to  the 
service  and  honour  of  the  divine  Re- 
deemer. 

Oh,  my  beloved  friends !  it  is  the  ac- 
complishment of  these  objects  which 
alone  can  furnish  the  answer  to  the 
prayers,  and  the  devotional  anxiety,  and 
the  earnest  solicitudes,  of  this  day.  I 
know  too  well  the  heart  of  my  beloved 
and  esteemed  brother,  the  pastor  of  the 
church  assembling  within  these  walls, 
not  to  know  that  whatever  falls  short  of 
the  realization  of  this  object  will  not 
satisfy  him.  If  within  these  walls  sin- 
ners are  led  to  feel  the  energy  of  heavenly 
truth  piercing  their  consciences,  alarming 
their  spirits,  leading  them  to  inquire, 
What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ? — if  those 
who  are  driven  in  from  accident,  or  curi- 
osity, or  even  base  and  unhallowed  mo- 
tives, should,  though  they  came  to  scoff, 
return  to  pray — if  the  arrow  of  conviction 
should  enter  the  conscience  and  subdue 
the  heart — if  the  rebel  should  be  brought 
to  submit  to  the  authority  of  the  Re- 
deemer— if  thus,  from  Sabbath  to  Sab- 
bath there  should  be  transmitted  from 
this  sanctuary,  to  the  realms  of  purity  and 
bliss,  the  glad  intelligence  that  another 
and  another  prodigal  is  brought  to  the 
house  of  his  Father,  another  and  another 
sinner  led  to  repentance,  and  thus  there 
should  be  fresh  joy  in  heaven,  and  the 
harps  of  angels  should  be  again'attuned 
to  louder  notes  of  joy,  and  the  Redeemer, 
looking  from  his  elevation,  should  be  sa- 
tisfied while  witnessing  the  triumphs  of 
his  gospel,  and  reaping  the  rewards  of 
his  humiliation  ; — these  will  be  the  ends 
which  alone  can  accomplish  the  object 
of  Christian  devotion,  that  alone  can 
realize  and  consummate  the  true  end  for 
which  you  are  this  day  gathered  together. 
It  is,  my  brethren,  that  the  word  of  the 
Lord  may  bei  glorified.  Yes,  it  is  glori- 
fied not  only  when  sinners,  by  the  energy 
of  God's  Spirit  making  it  eflfectual,  are 
turned  from  darkness  to  light,  but  it  is 
glorified  when  those  who  receive  it  ex- 
emplify its  spirit  and  adorn  its  doctrines, 
walking  worthy  of  their  high  vocation, 
proving  that  the  gospel  is  the  power  of 
God  to  their  salvation. 


190 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


Mark,  therefore,  my  beloved  brethren, 
mark  the  devout  solicitude  with  which 
the  apostle  pressed  this  very  object  on 
the  attention  of  the  believers  in  Tiiessa- 
lonica.  The  gospel  had  been  glorified 
among  them  ;  it  had  had  free  course,  even 
though  persecution  scowled  ;  it  had  had 
free  course,  by  turning  them  from  idols 
to  serve  the  living  and  true  God  ;  it  had 
had  free  course,  for  their  characters  proved 
their  election,  and  exhibited  the  evidence 
that  God  had  written  their  names  in  the 
book  of  life ;  and  thus  the  gospel,  tri- 
umphing in  their  hearts,  and  displaying 
its  practical  effects  in  their  lives,  was  in- 
deed the  power  of  God  to  their  salvation. 
But  he  was  not  satisfied  -^vith  what  had 
been  effected  ;  he  looked  forward  to  still 
greater  and  more  important  results,  and 
to  these  very  Thessalonians  we  find  him 
saying,  in  the  language  of  deep  and  earn- 
est solicitude,  "  We  give  thanks  to  God 
always  for  you  all,  making  mention  of 
j'ou  in  our  prayers,  remembering,  with- 
out ceasing,  your  work  of  faith,  and  la- 
bour of  love,  and  patience  of  hope,  in  our 
Lord  .Tesus  Christ."  He  calls  upon  them 
to  pray  that  God  might  count  them  wor- 
thy of  their  calling,  and  fulfil  in  them 
all  the  good  pleasure  of  his  goodness, 
and  the  work  of  faith  with  power.  When 
God's  word  is  glorified — Avhen  the  work 
of  God  is  carried  on  with  power — when 
in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  liberality 
of  feeling,  in  the  exercise  of  holy  charity, 
in  the  consistent  deportment  of  those  who 
name  the  name  of  Christ,  God  is  glori- 
fied— it  is  then,  my  friends,  that  we  see 
beautifully  accomplished  the  meaning  of 
the  prophetic  testimony,  "  Instead  of  the 
thorn  shall  come  up  the  fir  tree,  and  in- 
stead of  the  briar  shall  come  up  the 
myrtle  tree  :  and  it  shall  be  to  the  Lord 
for  a  name,  for  an  everlasting  sign  that 
shall  not  be  cut  off."  Such,  my  brethren, 
are  the  objects  of  Christian  devotion 
which  the  apostle  has  brought  before  us 
in  this  solemn  injunction. 

But,  while  the  text  reminds  us  of  the 
great  objects  of  Christian  zeal  and  devo- 
tion, I  remark, 

IL  It  enjoins  the  duty  of  fervent 

PRAYER  IN  ORDER  TO  ITS  ACCOMPLISH- 


"  Brethren,  pray  for  us,  that  the  word 
of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course,  and '  be 
glorified.''^ 

The  connection  between  prayer  and  the 
success  of  the  gospel  is  one  which  in- 
volves many  important  principles.  We 
may  often  find  it  difficult  to  prove  the 
connection,  but  the  word  of  God  distinct- 
ly asserts  it — the  history  of  the  Christian 
church  demonstrates  it — the  feelings  of 
all  true  believers  give  the  inward  demon- 
stration of  the  reality  of  it.  No  one  ever 
doubts  the  efficacy  of  prayer  till  he  has 
forgotten  to  pray.  The  moment  a  man  is 
under  the  influence  of  practical  scepti- 
cism in  relation  to  prayer,  that  moment 
the  power  and  spirit  of  prayer  have  lost 
their  predominancy  and  their  influence 
over  his  mind.  Prayer  is  the  first  indi- 
cation of  spiritual  life — prayer  is  a  deci- 
sive evidence  of  the  advancement  of  tliat 
life — prayer  is  the  barometer  to  determine 
the  elevation  and  depression  of  the  spi- 
ritual principle.  Li  proportion  as  we  feel 
the  power  and  spirit  of  prayer,  in  that 
proportion  we  shall  be  ready  to  perform 
every  good  word  and  work.  And  why, 
my  brethren  1     Because, 

1st.  Prayer  honours  the  agency  of  God. 

Prayer  moves  the  hand  that  moves  all 
things.  If  we  have  the  ear  of  God,  we 
are  sure  of  the  hand  of  God.  It  the  spi- 
rit of  supplication  be  poured  out  upon  us, 
the  very  consciousness  of  that  feeling  and 
energy  is  itself  the  pledge  of  success. 
God  himself  is  the  Author  of  that  good 
and  perfect  gift.  Whatever  leads  to  God 
comes  from  God,  and  whatever  comes 
from  God  leads  to  him.  He  has  not  en- 
joined upon  us  the  duty  of  prayer,  be- 
cause he  is  unwilling  to  accomplish  the 
ends  for  which  we  pray.  He  has  not  en- 
joined it  upon  us,  because  there  is  uncer- 
tainty in  his  plans  and  purposes.  He  has 
not  enjoined  it  upon  us  because  there  is 
any  thing  like  dependence  on  his  part  as  to 
our  entreaties — as  if  he  would  grant  that 
to  our  fervour  which  he  would  not  grant 
in  any  other  circumstances — as  if  he  were 
moved,  as  we  are  moved,  by  fervent  sup- 
plications. God  is  not  a  being  of  parts 
or  of  passions;  he  is  the  same  yesterday, 
to-day,  and  for  ever.  But,  though  "his 
thought  moves  on  his  undisturbed  affairs" 


THE  GLORIFICATION  OF  THE  WORD  OF  GOD. 


191 


— though  he  is  of  one  mind  and  none  can 
turn  him — though  his  counsel  will  stand, 
and  he  will  do  all  his  pleasure — it  is  as 
much  his  pleasure  to  have  connected 
prayer  with  the  accomplishment  of  his 
own  design  as  any  other  species  of  moral 
agency.  He  who  has  made  faith,  and 
hope,  and  charity,  and  practical  godli- 
ness, in  all  its  various  manifestations, 
essential  to  present  happiness,  and  es- 
sential to  your  everlasting  welfare,  has, 
for  the  very  same  reason,  made  prayer  no 
less  essential  to  the  accomplishment  of 
those  ends ;  and  could  we  resolve  the 
whole  matter  of  this  connection  into  no- 
thing but  his  own  will  and  his  own  de- 
termination, it  would  be  enough.  He 
who  is  the  Sovereign  of  the  universe, 
who  is  the  source  of  all  good — he  whose 
blessing  is  life  evermore,  and  can  com- 
mand it  if  he  please — has  a  right  to  com- 
mand the  terms  on  which  the  blessing 
shall  be  enjoyed ;  and  he  has  connected 
it  with  prayer,  because  prayer  honours 
his  agency — it  is  the  solemn  recognition 
of  it — it  brings  the  mind  at  once  into  that 
posture,  that  attitude,  before  the  majesty 
and  mercy  of  the  Most  High,  that  leads 
us  to  feel  that  in  his  sight  "  we  are  no- 
thing, and  less  than  nothing,  and  vanity." 
Unless  his  power  work  with  us,  and  by 
us,  all  our  resolutions,  and  all  our  doings, 
will  be  totally  ineffectual.  And,  therefore, 

2diy.  Prayer  is  necessary,  because  it 
is  expressly  enjoined — enjoined  by  the  most 
explicit  revelation  on  the  subject. 

God  has  said,  "Ask,  and  it  sball  be 
given  you  ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock, 
and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you."  "  For 
all  these  things  will  I  be  inquired  of  by 
the  house  of  Israel,  to  do  it  for  them." 
Nay,  we  find  Jehovah  putting  himself 
into  the  very  attitude  of  entreating,  and 
calling  upon  us  to  give  him  no  rest  till  he 
shall  arise,  and  have  mercy  on  Zion. 
And  he  calls  his  church  his  remem- 
brancer. They  are  to  appear  before  him 
for  the  very  purpose  of  putting  him  in 
remembrance — not  that  he  forgets,  or  is 
unwilling  to  bestow — not  that  his  pur- 
poses can  ever  change,  but  because  he 
has  thus  connected  the  spirit  and  duty 
of  prayer  with  the  accomplishment  of  his 
own  designs. 


3d.  We  see-  the  connection  proved, 
because,  in  all  the  institutions  (J'  the  church 
in  every  age,  and  in  the  history  if  indivi- 
dual believers,  the  spirit  of  prayer  is  invU' 
riably  coruiected  with  success. 

No  one  ever  prayed  for  himself  that 
did  not  succeed.  Let  this  encourage  the 
anxious  inquirer — let  this  tranquillize  the 
troubled  spirit  in  this  assembly,  who  may 
sometimes  be  led  to  fear  that  God  hath 
not  heard,  and  will  not  answer,  his  sup- 
plications. Oh,  persevere  in  prayer, 
whatever  your  present  doubts,  whatever 
your  misgivings,  whatever  your  fearful 
apprehensions,  whatever  your  painful 
and  overwhelming  anxieties  !  Oh,  let 
not  the  enemy  of  your  souls — let  not  the 
temptations  of  Satan — let  not  the  enjoy- 
ments of  the  world — let  not  the  deceit- 
fulness  of  your  own  hearts,  cause  you  to 
relax  in  prayer !  If  you  have  not  at 
once  all  the  comfort  and  all  the  confi- 
dence that  you  would  wish  to  enjoy,  con- 
tinue to  pray.  "  Be  instant  in  prayer — 
pray  without  ceasing;"  and  you  will 
find,  sooner  or  later,  that  praying  breath 
will  never  be  spent  in  vain.  Can  you, 
brethren,  refer  to  any  Christian  church, 
on  which  the  spirit  of  prayer  descended, 
that  was  not  a  successful  church  1  Can 
you  mention  any  individual  believer,  the 
head  of  a  family,  who  was  really  a  man 
of  prayer,  who  did  not  succeed  in  the 
most  important  objects  that  lay  nearest 
his  heart  ?  Can  you  tell  me  of  any  who 
have  ever,  really  and  sincerely,  approach- 
ed the  throne  of  mercy,  and  sought  a 
blessing  from  the  eternal  throne,  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  God,  and  sought  it  in 
faith,  and  yet  have  not  received  it  1  My 
friends,  there  is  much  of  practical  infi- 
delity amidst  all  our  professions.  We 
talk  more  of  prayer  than  we  really  prac- 
tise in  reference  to  it.  We  may  defend 
the  duty  on  the  ground  of  unanswerable 
argument ;  we  may  refer  to  the  fact  which 
the  history  of  the  church  in  all  ages  has 
illustrated,  that  God  is  the  hearer  of 
prayer;  but  what  we  need,  for  ourselves 
and  for  others,  is  the  spirit  of  prayer. 
The  apostle  felt  the  importance  of  it,  and 
therefore  did  he  enjoin  upon  the  believers 
of  Thessalonica  that  they  would  pray  for 
him,  and  pray  for  all  connected  with  him 


192 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


in  the  great  work  of  preaching  the  g-os- 
pel,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  might  be 
glorified.  Oh,  let  the  history  of  the 
church,  in  past  ages,  encourage  you,  my 
friends,  to  the  spirit  of  prayer  I  This 
will  be  to  your  own  pastor,  and  to  all 
connected  with  him  in  the  ministry  of 
the  word,  the  most  delightful  evidence 
of  the  reality  of  your  faith,  and  the  sin- 
cerity of  your  devotion.  This  will  be 
evidence  which  God  himself  will  ac- 
knowledge and  approve.  You  never 
knew  eminent  usefulness  secured  with- 
out an  eminent  portion  of  the  spirit  of 
prayer.  What  is  it  that  has  embalmed, 
in  the  history  of  the  Christian  church, 
the  illustrious  names  of  Brainerd  and 
Martyn,  and  others  of  modern  times,  who 
stood  before  us  arrayed  in  the  beauties 
of  holiness,  and  who  are  lights  thrown 
on  our  path  to  guide  us  onward,  and  to 
animate  us  in  the  Christian  pilgrimage  ] 
What  was  it  that  distinguished  those 
men  ]  The  spirit  of  earnest,  fervent, 
persevering  prayer.  When  we  see  our 
places  of  worship  crowded  at  the  period 
when  we  meet  for  prayer — when  we  see 
the  arrangements  of  social  life,  as  far  as 
possible,  made  to  adjust  themselves  to 
the  period  agreed  upon  in  the  church  for 
united  prayer — when  we  see  religion 
made  the  object,  the  commanding  object, 
to  which  every  thing  else  is  subservient, 
both  in  the  arrangements  of  the  family 
and  the  world,  then  will  the  church  arise 
from  her  lowly  state  of  degradation — then 
will  she  put  on  her  beautiful  garments, 
for  God  himself  will  have  arrayed  her 
with  salvation — then  will  be  the  precur- 
sor that  he  himself  is  about  to  arise,  and 
pour  out  his  Spirit  in  rich  effusion  on  the 
4'  church  and  on  the  world  ;  and  then  will 
come  salvation  ;  and  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  will  become  the  kingdoms  of  our 
God  and  of  his  Christ,  and  he  will  reign 
for  ever  and  ever.  The  duty  of  prayer  is 
enjoined, 

4thly.  Because  those  engaged  in  pro- 
moting this  object,  xvho  have  it  directly  in 
view,  whose  office  it  is  peculiarly  to  regard 
it,  have  especial  claims  on  you.  "  Bre- 
thren, pray  for  us." 

It  is  the  prayer  of  the  Christian  minis- 
ter to  the  church  over  whom  God  hath 


placed  him — it  is  the  prayer  of  the  apos 
tie  to  the  church  over  which,  by  divine 
authority,  he  was  commissioned  to  pre- 
side— it  is  the  prayer  we  present  to  you 
ihis  day,  as  the  united  pastors  of  churches 
mingling  our  supplications  with  those  of 
our  beloved  brother  at  the  throne  of  the 
heavenly  mercy,  and  we  say  to  you, 
^^Breihren,  pray  for  us.''^  The  minister 
is  encouraged  in  his  work  who  knows 
that  his  people  are  thus  engaged.  Like 
Moses  on  the  mount,  he  is  upheld  by  the 
hands  of  prayer.  The  man  goes  through 
the  labours  and  the  toils  of  his  pastoral 
duties,  and  the  various  engagements  of  his 
office,  who  is  surrounded  by  devout  men 
who  bear  him  up  in  their  affectionate  re- 
membrance in  private  retirement — in  the 
family  circle.  When  you  meet  for  prayer, 
if  you  knew  how  much  of  the  true  com- 
fort, of  the  holy  courage,  of  the  sacred 
joy  of  the  Christian  minister  is  connected 
with  the  spirit  of  prayer  for  him  and  for 
the  success  of  his  labours,  you  would 
never  be  weary  in  well  doing  in  this  re- 
spect— you  would  never  forget  him.  You 
would  not  remember  him — nor  would  he 
be  anxious  that  you  should  remember 
him — on  the  ground  of  any  merely  per- 
sonal and  selfish  considerations  ;  but  he  is 
anxious  you  should  remember  him,  be- 
cause in  proportion  to  the  degree  of  youi 
zeal,  and  sincerity,  and  constanfcy  in  this 
work,  you  will  listen  to  him  with  affec- 
tion— his  doctrine  will  distil  as  the  dew, 
and  drop  as  the  rain  on  the  tender  grass, 
and  your  hearts  will  be  open  to  receive 
the  ingrafted  word.  The  man  who  cornea 
to  the  sanctuary  in  the  spirit  of  captious, 
capricious  feeling,  desiring  to  make  a 
man  an  offender  for  a  word,  is  one  who 
has  not  presented  for  his  minister  earnest 
supplication.  The  man  who  is  indiffer- 
ent and  unmoved,  who  sits  before  the 
pulpit  altogether  unconscious  of  the  im- 
portance and  authority  of  the  truth  pre- 
sented to  his  notice,  and  hears  as  though 
he  heard  not — that  man  has  not  the  spi 
rit  of  earnest  and  fervent  supplication. 
If  he  had,  there  would  be  vitality — there 
would  be  deep  and  affectionate  interest — 
there  would  be  earnest  concern  to  profit 
— faith  would  be  mixed  with  what  he 
hears — there  would  be  a  risrht  construe- 


THE  GLORIFICATION  OF  THE  WORD  OF  GOD. 


193 


tion  put  on  every  explanation  5};ivpn,  and 
while  there  would  he  a  faithful  regard  to 
the  authority  of  God's  word,  as  the  only 
rule  of  doctrine  and  precept,  still  there 
would  be  that  humility,  that  teachable- 
ness, which  is  always  found  connected 
with  spiritual  success,  and  with  social 
edification. 

But  all  this  depends  on  the  spirit  of 
prayer ;  and  if  God  is  to  be  honoured  in 
this  sanctuary  by  his  assembled  people — 
if  3'GU  are  to  comfort  the  heart  of  your 
pastor — if  he  is  to  succeed  in  the  hallow- 
ed work  to  which  he  has  devoted  himself, 
you  must  enter  into  the  spirit  of  this  apos- 
tolical injunction,  and  pray  for  him,  that 
the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course 
and  be  glorified.  Your  own  interest  is 
intimately  connected  with  it.  And  re- 
member, brethren, 

5thly.  And  finally  on  this  point,  ihat  in 
proportion  to  the  spirit  of  prayer,  really  and 
ho7iesfly  cherished,  will  yoti  be  prepared  to 
manifest  the  spirit  of  activity,  of  liberality, 
and  if  Christian  zeal. 

Holy  constancy  of  prayer  will  regulate 
all  the  motions  of  the  inward  man,  and 
all  the  actions  of  the  outward  man ;  and 
you  will  be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conver- 
sation, in  proportion  as  you  walk  humbly 
with  God,  take  hold  of  his  strength,  and 
maintain  a  daily  correspondence  with 
heaven,  and  live  not  to  yourselves,  but  to 
Him  who  died  for  you  and  rose  again. 

But  this  apostolic  injunction,  while  it 
brings  before  us  the  great  objects  of 
Christian  zeal,  and  enjoins  the  duty  of 
prayer  in  order  to  their  accomplishment, 
in  the 

HI.  Place,  REFERS  TO  KNOWN  INSTANCES 
OF  SUCCESS,  AS  A  GROUND  OF  ENCOURAGE- 
MENT. ^^Brethren,  pray  for  us,  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course  and 
be  i^lorifed,  even  as  it  is  xinth  you." 

I  am  confident,  my  brethren,  that  with- 
out intending  to  awaken  any  feelings 
whatever  allied  to  self-complacency  on 
your  part,  much  less  which  could  subject 
the  speaker  to  the  charge  of  adulation,  I 
may  with  humble  confidence  and  devout 
gratitude  make  the  appeal  of  the  apostle, 
in  the  text,  to  the  church  of  Christ  be- 
fore me.  You,  I  am  persuaded,  are  not 
taught  by  your  pasto'  to  be  satisfied  with 

Vol.  L— 25 


the  success  which  has  been  secured. 
You  have  too  high  a  standard  of  charac- 
ter, and  motive,  and  principle,  brought 
before  you,  to  feel  self-compl<icency  ;  you 
know  that  every  statement  of  the  truth  to 
which  you  are  accustomed  to  listen  ia 
intended  to  abase  you  before  God — to 
produce  the  deepest  personal  humiliation 
— and,  oh,  for  that  humiliation  that  ele- 
vates the  standard,  both  of  your  efforts 
and  of  your  hopes  !  Still,  humiliation 
does  not  forbid  gratitude  ;  and  abasement 
before  God,  on  account  of  our  person- 
al short-comings,  and  our  multiplied 
transgressions,  is  not  incompatible  with 
thanksgiving  for  what  he  has  done  hith- 
erto, in  us  or  by  us.  And  if  in  any  mea- 
sure the  word  of  the  Lord  is  glorified — 
if  the  church  of  God  is  enlarged — if  those 
are  brought  into  connection  with  the 
church,  who  not  long  before  were  walk- 
ing in  paths  of  folly  and  of  sin — !f  there 
are  continued  and  repeated  acknowledg- 
ments before  God,  and  the  church  is  con- 
stantljT^  saying,  "These,  where  have  they 
been,  and  who  hath  begotten  me  these?"' 
— and  if,  as  the  effect  of  these  additions,, 
your  hearts  are  continually  rejoicing  in 
the  progress  of  the  truth,  in  the  conver- 
sion of  sinners,  I  may  say  to  my  brethren, 
"  Pray  for  us,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord 
may  have  free  course  and  be  glorified, 
even  as  it  is  tvith  you.^^  Bless  God  and 
take  courage.  Be  not  satisfied  with  the 
past — be  not  satisfied  with  the  present — 
but  be  concerned  that  in  all  other  churches, 
in  every  place  where  the  name  of  Jesus 
is  recorded — under  every  pastoral  admi- 
nistration where  the  truth  is  proclaimed, 
and  the  ordinances  of  the  Redeemer  are 
administered,  the  word  of  the  Lord  may 
be  the  power  of  God  to  salvation — may 
be  glorified  among  you,  and  in  like  man- 
ner glorified  among  others. 

How  was  it  glorified  among  the  be- 
lievers at  Thessalonica  1  It  was  glori- 
fied by  faith — it  was  glorified  by  the  libe- 
rality of  the  church — by  the  patience  of 
hope — by  the  self-denial  of  their  libera- 
lity. The  word  through  them  sounded 
out  into  all  the  surrounding  region,  and 
many  turned  from  dumb  idols  to  serve 
the  living  God  through  their  instrumen- 
tality. Pray  that  the  word  of  the  Lord 
R 


** 


194 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


may  have  free  course;  every  where  else, 
as  it  has  been  glorified  among  you.  And 
why  did  the  apostle  thus  refer  to  known 
instances  of  success  as  a  ground  of  en- 
couragement] For  two  reasons.  Jin  an 
illustration  of  what  God  can  do,  and  as  a 
pledge  of  what  God  will  do. 

May  I  not  say  to  some  who  are  mem- 
bers of  the  church  of  Christ  here,  Is  there 
any  case  of  depravity,  of  opposition  to 
the  truth,  of  ignorance  of  vital  interests, 
greater  than  that  which  you  yourselves 
once  exhibited]  Look  upon  the  history 
of  your  own  conversion ;  consider  how 
the  arm  of  the  Lord  has  been  made  bare 
in  turning  you  yourselves  ;  how  the  word 
was  glorified  in  bringing  you  to  the  Re- 
deemer ;  how  the  ministry  of  God's  ser- 
vant was  honoured  in  your  conversion  ! 
Pray  that  others,  by  the  same  power,  in 
connexion  with  the  same  truth,  may  be 
led  to  the  feet  of  the  Redeemer.  There 
is  nothing  which  God  has  done  that  does 
not  encourage  the  hope  of  a  still  greater 
manifestation  of  his  power  and  of  his 
mercy ;  and  there  is  nothing  that  we  are 
warranted  to  expect  him  to  accomplish 
that  he  has  not  already  effected.  The 
power  that  is  requisite  to  convert  the 
world  to  himself  is  not  greater  than  the 
power  that  has  converted  ynur  heart,  and 
turned  you,  from  being  enemies,  to  be  his 
friends,  and  led  you  to  the  obedience  of 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  Therefore  the 
apostle,  you  perceive,  reasoned  on  this 
ground  to  encourage  the  believers  at 
Thessalonica  to  pray.  He  knew  that  the 
experience  of  divine  energy  in  their  own 
conversion  warranted  the  most  enlarged 
expectations  of  success.  He  knew  they 
could  not  refer  to  themselves  without 
thinking  of  what  the  mighty  grace  of 
God  had  effecte^,  and  therefore  he  in- 
dulged in  all  the  confidence  of  future  tri- 
umph. Expect  great  things,  and  then 
you  will  attempt  great  things. 

The  subject,  my  brethren,  demands  in- 
quiry. Has  the  word  of  the  Lord  been 
glorified  in  you]  I  would  not  pass  by 
the  opportunity  which  the  first  service  of 
God  in  this  place  presents  for  making  a 
direct  appeal  to  those  before  me  whose 
consciences  tell  them  that  they  have  not 
yet  received  the  truth  in  the  love  of  it. 


Oh,  if  this  opening  service  shall  be  so 
followed  with  the  blessing  of  the  Most 
High  that  some  hardened  spirit  shall  be 
subdued — some  careless  hearer  brought 
to  experience  anxious  solicitude — some 
wanderer  restored  to  the  paths  of  wisdom 
and  of  peace — there  will  indeed  be  rea- 
son to  rejoice  in  the  recollection  of  this 
day.  It  will  be  hallowed  in  the  future 
remembrance  of  the  church,  and  even 
with  thanksgiving  through  eternity.  Are 
there  some  connected  with  the  congrega- 
tion, especially  assembling  together  with 
this  church— are  there  any  brought  by 
other  circumstances  to  the  services  of 
this  day,  who  have  been  living  without 
God  in  the  world  ]  You  are  asking,  per- 
haps, why  all  this  excitement — why  his 
manifestation  of  liberality — why  this  con- 
cern to  enlarge  the  place  of  worship,  to 
increase  the  number  of  hearers,  to  bring 
more  within  the  sound  of  the  gospel,  and, 
the  administration  of  the  ordinances  of 
God  ]  Ah,  my  friends  !  you  have  never 
yet  reflected  on  the  value  of  the  soul— 
you  have  never  yet  reflected  on  the  dan- 
ger to  which  you  are  exposed — j'ou  have 
never  yet  considered  eternity  in  all  its 
appalling  realities — you  have  never  yet 
asked,  "  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ]" 
— you  have  never  yet  fled  to  the  refuge 
of  mercy.  If  you  had,  there  would  be  no 
surprise.  You  would  not  wonder  at  any 
effort,  or  any  possible  demonstration  of 
zeal,  or  devotedness,  or  charity,  in  pro- 
moting the  object  for  which  we  are  this 
day  assembled  ;  and  if  there  had  been  ten 
thousand  times  more  zeal  and  liberality 
displayed,  still  you  could  feel  no  asto- 
nishment, if  you  had  ever  felt  the  value 
of  the  soul.  The  very  feeling  of  surprise 
tkat  the  professors  of  religion  manifest 
any  solicitude,  or  make  any  efforts,  for 
the  objects  connected  with  the  truth  of 
God,  the  word  of  God,  the  honour  and 
the  glory  of  God — that  very  feeling  is 
an  indication  that  you  have  never  yet 
thought  about  your  own  eternal  destinies. 
I  beseech  you  to  remember  that  the  word 
of  God  must  be  to  you  the  savour  of  life 
unto  life,  or  death  unto  death.  Remem- 
ber that  if  you  are  not  receiving  it,  you 
are  rejecting  it — that  there  is  no  neutral- 
ity here,  no  middle  state  and  condition 


THE  PULPIT  GALLERY. 


195 


\iere- — you  are  either  for  God  or  against 
him.  We  live  in  eventful  times — vi^e 
live  in  times  that  are  bringing  principle 
to  action — we  live  in  times  that  are  try- 
ing men — that  are  exhibiting  the  true 
character  of  men,  whether  they  are  the 
friends  of  God,  or  the  enemies  of  God ; 
whether  they  are  the  friends  of  man,  or 
the  enemies  of  man  ;  and  it  becomes  each 
individual,  capable  of  reflection,  to  look 
at  passing  events,  and  to  consider  what 
will  be  their  future  results  :  and,  above 
all,  to  look  forward  to  the  period  when 
the  secrets  of  all  hearts  shall  be  revealed, 
and  when  the  convulsions  of  empires,  and 
the  destinies  of  thrones,  will  be  nothing, 
and  less  than  nothing,  compared  with  the 
value  of  an  individual  immortality.  Yes, 
big  as  present  events  are  with  the  fate  of 
empires,  important  as  are  the  results  of 
pending  circumstances  in  the  present  con- 
dition of  nations,  all  these  results,  and 
all  these  events,  are  less  than  nothing 
and  vanity — are  but  as  the  shadow  of  the 
morning — are  but  as  the  feverish  dream 
of  night — are  but  of  momentary  insigni- 
ficance, when  compared  with  the  immor- 
tality of  one  individual  hearer  of  the  gos- 
pel this  morning.  Your  salvation,  your 
individual  salvation,  my  friends,  is  of 
more  consequence  than  the  state  and  the 
condition  of  the  whole  inhabited  globe, 
as  to  every  thing  secular,  and  as  to  every 
thing  temporal :  for  "  what  shall  it  profit 
a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and 
lose  his  own  soul  ] — or  what  shall  a  man 
give  in  exchange  for  his  soull"  I  then 
turn  your  attention  to  your  own  salvation, 
and  would  lead  you  to  ask — Is  this  word 
of  the  Lord  glorified  in  me  "?  Is  this  word 
of  the  Lord  glorified  by  me  ?  Am  /  obey- 
ing the  gospel  of  God  1 

Let  this  subject  encourage  hope.  The 
word  of  the  Lord  shall  be  glorified;  for 
the  purposes  of  the  Most  High — the  pro- 
mises of  the  everlasting  covenant — the 
state  of  the  Christian  church — the  pros- 
pects of  the  world — support  our  confi- 
dence. 

The  subject  enjoins  adiviiy.  "  Be  ye 
steadfast,  unmoveable,  always  abounding 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  forasmuch  as  ye 
know  that  your  labour  is  not  in  vain  in 
the  Lord." 


THE   PTn:.FZT  CrAJjJJSSi-vr. 

NO.    IX. 

REV.  JOSEPH  FLETCHER,  D.D. 

Of  Stepney. 


Dr.  Fletcher  was  born  m  Chester,  in 
the  year  1784.  In  his  native  city  he  ob- 
tained a  classical  education,  and  in  his 
eighteenth  year  was  removed  to  Hoxton 
College.  In  1804  he  went  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Glasgow,  and  remained  about 
three  years,  preparing  himself  for  the 
ministry  among  the  dissenters.  In  1807, 
he  graduated,  taking  the  degree  of  A.M. 
and  was  ordained  to  the  pastoral  char§e 
of  a  congregation  the  same  year.  He 
shortly  afterwards  became  divinity  tutor 
in  the  Dissenters'  College  at  Blackburn, 
at  the  same  time  discharging  the  duties 
of  a  pastor  over  the  Independent  church 
in  that  town.  In  1822  he  received  a  call 
from  the  church  at  Stepney  to  become 
their  minister,  which  he  accepted.  The 
university  in  which  he  graduated  has  not 
been  inattentive  to  his  preaching,  his  prin- 
ciples, his  character,  and  the  manner  in 
which  he  spends  his  time.  In  1830  he 
was  honoured  by  the  Senatus  Jicucltniicus 
of  the  University  of  Glasgow  with  the 
diploma  of  Doctor  in  Divinity. 

The  preaching  of  Mr.  F.  is  distinguish- 
ed by  various  excellencies.  His  appear- 
ance commands  respect.  His  capacious 
forehead,  his  eloquent  and  expressive  eye, 
unite  with  the  seriousness  and  solemnity 
of  his  deportment,  to  convince  every  at- 
tentive observer  that  he  is  about  to  hear 
an  intelligent,  eloquent,  pious  sermon. 
His  voice  is  good,  and  occasionally  pow- 
erful;  his  diction  is  easy  and  graceful^ 
his  action  is  chaste  and  impressive ;  and 
there  is  an  impassioned  glow  about  his 
whole  address  which  causes  the  hearer 
to  listen  with  eager  attention.  His  exor- 
diums are  pertinent,  and  often  striking, 
his  arrangements  simple  and  luminous; 
his  conclusions  pointed  and  energetic 
His  whole  sermons  are  indicative  of  a 
mind  richly  furnished  for  the  office  of  thf 
ministry,  by  retirement,  meditation,  and 
prayer;  and  are  well  calculated  to  inform 
the  judgment,  to  convince  the  conscience, 
and  to  lead  to  the  Saviour. 


SERMON  XXI. 

THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES. 
BY  THE  REV.  J.  BLACKBURN. 


The  VMrds  of  the  Lord  are  pure  words :  as  silver  tried  in  a  furnace  of  earth  purified  seven 
times." — Psalm  xii.  6. 


^T  was  once  said  to  our  blessed  Mas- 
ter, "  Thou  bearest  witness  of  thyself, 
and  thy  witness,  therefore,  is  not  true;" 
and  some  may  be  prepared  to  say,  "  You 
quote  a  text  commending  the  Scriptures 
from  the  Scriptures  themselves ;  and, 
as  the  Scriptures  commend  themselves, 
such  a  commendation  does  not  come 
with  much  force  to  our  minds."  We 
would  cite  what  the  Scriptures  say  to 
you,  brethren;  but  we  are  anxious  this 
evening  to  discuss  the  question  whether 
they  are  excellent  or  not,  and  shall  only 
adopt  these  words  as  supplying  a  conve- 
nient mode  of  advancing  what  we  have 
to  state. 

Now,  in  our  text  I  perceive — 
I.    A  holy   description   of  the   sacred 
writings  ;  and, 

IL  A  striking  illustration  of  the  scru- 
tiny they  have  endured.     We  have, 

L    A  HOLY  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  SACRED 

WRITINGS.  They  are  called  in  our  text, 
"  Tha  words  of  the  Lord." 

Here,  then,  we  have  a  description, 
1st.  Of  their  high  authority.  This  is 
plainly  perceived  throughout  the  whole 
of  these  books.  We  find  that  the  men 
who  wrote  these  books  say,  "  The  Spirit 
of  God  spake  by  me,  and  his  word  was 
upon  my  tongue"  —  "Thus  saith  the 
Lord" — "  The  burden  of  the  word  of  the 
Lord" — "  All  Scripture  is  given  by  in- 
spiration of  God,  and  is  profitable  for 
doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for 
instruction  in  righteousness."  "  Holy 
men  of  old  spake  as  they  were  moved  by 
the  Holy  Ghost."  Now,  those  men  who 
196 


wrote  these  books  thus  claim  high  au- 
thority for  what  they  wrote,  and  plainly 
assert  that  they  were  under  the  influence 
of  the  Spirit  of  God,  who  inspired  them 
to  write  what  is  here  contained. 

On  the  subject  of  inspiration  I  am  dis- 
posed to  admit  that  it  is  not  necessary 
we  should  suppose  that  they  had  the 
same  degree  of  inspiration  in  all  cases. 
One  degree  of  inspiration  was  necessary 
to  foretell  future  events,  and  to  reveal  truths 
professedly  unknown  among  men ;  and  a 
lesser  degree  of  inspiration  was  neces- 
sary to  narrate  facts  which  the  writers 
saw,  and  which  it  was  only  necessary 
that  they  should  be  guided  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  to  record  in  the  best  possible 
manner  ;  so  that,  while  we  say  they  were 
under  the  influence  of  inspiration,  we  do 
not  mean  to  assert  that  it  required  the 
same  degree  of  inspiration  to  write  the 
Proverbs  of  Solomon  or  the  gospel  of  St. 
Matthew,  as  it  required  to  reveal  what 
should  be  the  fate  oC  nations  centuries  to 
come,  and  what  should  be  the  way  of 
salvation  for  those  who  were  perishing 
without  a  Redeemer.  But  we  perceive 
that  all  the  men  who  wrote  claim  a  high 
authority  for  what  they  wrote.  They 
W37e  honest  men — they  were  holy  men, 
who  loved  purity — men  who  commended 
integrity  and  uprightness  in  all  their 
writings;  and  one  cannot  conceive  that 
men  who  thus  advocate  holiness,  who 
declare  that  liars,  and  adulterers,  and  all 
unjust  persons,  shall  come  under  the 
wrath  of  God  —  men  who  could  write 
such  pure  morality  themselves,  were  at 


THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTUREa 


197 


tlie  same  time  guilty  of  a  detestable  fraud, 
and  were  imposing  upon  those  who  should 
read  their  writings  the  idea  that  this  mo- 
rality had  come  from  God,  when  they 
gathered  it  we  know  not  where. 

You  may  be  ready  to  say,  "  Yes,  these 
good  men  might  have  a  consciousness 
that  they  were  under  divine  influence, 
but  hov/  are  we  to  know  it  1  We  cannot 
see  them ;  we  cannot  enter  into  their 
state  of  mind ;  and  therefore,  though 
they  have  stated  that  their  writings  are 
the  word  of  God,  how  shall  we  attest  to 
our  own  satisfaction  that  such  was  the 
easel"  Now,  friends,  our  text  supplies 
us  not  only  with  the  high  authority  of 
these  books,  but — 

2dly.  With  their  inherent  sanctity:  for 
the  text  says,  "  The  words  of  the  Lord 
are  pure  words."  They  possess  an  in- 
herent worth  ;  and  it  has  justly  been  said 
that  every  word  of  God  is  pure — that  as 
metals  are  made  free  from  the  alloy  by 
the  action  of  fire,  so  the  Scriptures  are 
free  from  all  insincerity,  all  error,  all  de- 
ceit, all  defilement.  And,  my  friends,  I 
may  appeal  to  you.  Are  not  all  their 
requirements  just] — are  not  ail  their  pre- 
cepts holy  1 — are  not  all  their  statements 
reasonable]  May  we  not  say  that  the 
Scriptures  are  indeed  "  holy,  just,  and 
good  ■?"  And  when  we  remember  that, 
from  the  last  book  of  Moses  to  the  last 
book  of  John,  a  period  of  fifteen  hundred 
years  rolled  on — so  that  from  the  time 
that  Moses  laid  down  his  pen,  to  the  time 
that  John  laid  down  his  pen,  fifteen  hun- 
dred years  had  elapsed — that  they  were 
written  in  different  countries,  under  dif- 
ferent circumstances,  in  different  lan- 
guages ;  and  yet,  now  that  the  writings 
are  brought  together  in  one  book,  if  you 
compare  spiritual  things  with  spiritual 
things,  studying  one  book  with  another, 
you  will  find  such  harmony  of  sentiment, 
such  a  blessed  and  luminous  harmony  of 
doctrine,  and  of  precept,  and  of  promise, 
as  must  show  you  that  there  is  no  alloy 
here  of  error,  no  alloy  here  of  insincerity, 
no  alloy  here  of  ungodliness. 

But  I  know,  friends,  it  has  been  de- 
clared by  some  unblushing  infidels,  in 
this  city,  that  the  Bible  is  the  most  im- 
moral book  in  the  world.    It  has  been 


printed  and  circulated  among  the  opera- 
tive classes  of  society,  and  they  have 
been  taught  to  regard  it  in  that  light,  that 
the  Bible  is  the  most  immoral  book  in 
the  world.  And  the  way  in  which  it  is 
proved  is  this :  they  cite  the  different 
texts  which  contain  accounts  of  grossly 
immoral  actions,  and  then  they  say,  "See 
what  an  immoral  book  the  Bible  is !" 
because  it  records  these  immoral  actions. 
But  the  question  is,  Could  the  Scriptures 
have  given  a  faithful  portraiture  of  human 
nature  without  having  recorded  such  ac- 
tions ?  Do  you  say  that  the  mirror  is 
impure  and  false,  because  it  faithfully 
exhibits  the  distorted  features  and  the 
crooked  frame  of  some  unhappy  cripple 
who  may  gaze  upon  it  ?  The  mirror  is 
pure,  the  glass  is  true,  but  the  object  re- 
flected happens  to  be  ugly  and  deformed  ; 
and  thus  the  deformity  is  not  in  the  glass, 
but  in  the  subject  of  which  it  treats. 

Now  let  me  entreat  you  to  remember 
that  the  slander  to  which  I  have  referred 
is  put  down  at  once  by  asking  the  ques- 
tion. In  what  style  are  these  acts  record- 
ed, and  for  what  purpose  are  they  writ- 
ten ]     Are  these  unholy  transactions  that 
are   recorded   in  this  book  written  in  a 
flowing,  ample,  descriptive  style — in  the 
style  of  a  Scott  or  a  Bj'ron,  with  finely 
enriched  and  glowing  terms,  to  impress 
the  facts  upon  the  imagination,  and  to 
make  them  lay  hold  of  the  feelings  of  the 
heart?     Are  they  not  detailed  in  plain, 
short  sentences — things  called   by  their 
right   names — and    so  called  and   stated 
that   the   reader,   instead   of   loving   the 
thing,  hates  it?     Oh  !  if  a  man  sit  down 
to  write  a  book  which  is  to  contain  nar- 
ratives of  depravity,  and  these  are  to  be 
wrought  up  till  they  are  made  palatable 
to  our  corrupt  nature,  it  is  one  thing;  but 
if  a  man  describe  the  depravity  of  human 
nature  to  deter  men  from  practising  that 
depravity,  it  is  another ;  and  let  any  man 
look  at  the  word  of  God,  and  see  whether 
those  records  are  not  intended  to  make 
such  as  peruse  them,  not  in  love  with 
vice,  but  with  virtue,  and  not  to  practise 
iniquity,  but  to  aspire  to  holiness.     We 
may  appeal  to  the  fact,  to  prove  the  purity 
of  the  sacred  volume — that  those   who 
have  studied  it  most,  those  who  are  most 
b2 


9S 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


.■amiliar  ■with  it,  the  most  completely 
under  its  influence,  are  the  very  class  of 
society  whom  we  find  most  to  exemplify 
all  the  social  and  public  virtues;  and  to 
such  an  appeal  there  can  be  no  contradic- 
tion. 

Oh,  my  friends!  our  modern  infidels 
are  not  so  candid  as  those  who  lived  in 
the  eighteenth  century.  Rousseau  could 
say,  "  I  will  confess  that  the  majesty  of 
the  Scriptures  strikes  me  with  admira- 
tion, as  the  purity  of  the  gospel  hath  its 
influence  on  my  heart.  Peruse  the  works 
of  our  philosophers,  with  all  their  pomp 
of  diction ;  how  mean,  how  contempti- 
ble are  they,  compared  with  the  Scrip- 
tures !  Is  it  possible  that  a  book  at  once 
so  simple  and  sublime  should  be  merely 
the  work  of  man  V  Oh,  that  he  had 
been  enabled  to  answer  the  inquiry  to  the 
saving  of  his  soul ! 

Having  thus  noticed  the  high  authority 
and  inherent  purity  of  the  Scriptures,  I 
would  notice, 

3dly.  Their  intrinsic  worth:  for  our 
text  says,  "  The  words  of  the  Lord  are 
pure  words :  as  silver  tried  in  a  furnace 
of  earth,  purified  seven  times."  The  late 
celebrated  Bishop  Horsley  read  the  pas- 
sage thus  : — "  The  words  of  Jehovah  are 
pure  words,  silver  essayed  in  a  cruci- 
ble of  earth,  gold  purified  seven  times." 
Thus  the  Scriptures  are  compared  to  the 
finest  silver  and  gold ;  and  this  opinion 
of  their  intrinsic  worth  has  been  enter- 
tained by  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
servants  of  God.  David  says  concerning 
the  Scriptures,  "  More  to  be  desired  are 
they  than  gold,  yea,  than  much  fine  gold  : 
sweeter  also  than  honey,  and  the  honey- 
comb." And  in  the  one  hundred  and 
nineteenth  psalm,  and  seventy-second 
verse,  we  find  him  saying,  "  The  law  of 
thy  mouth  is  better  unto  me  than  thou- 
sands of  gold  and  silver." 

Now,  why  do  we  see  the  sacred  writ- 
ings spoken  of  as  being  as  precious  even 
as  gold  and  silver?  Because  they  speak 
of  God  in  a  way  most  reasonable,  and 
they  describe  the  state  of  man  in  harmony 
with  our  own  experience  of  its  truth. 
They  speak  of  religion  in  a  way  that  sa- 
tisfies man  upon  the  most  anxious  ques- 
tions—  a  future  state  of  rewards    and 


punishments — the  pardon  of  sin  by  a 
Mediator — the  means  of  grace  by  which 
our  fallen  nature  may  be  restored  to  rec- 
titude and  holiness.  These  are  things 
about  which  natural  religion  has  never 
been  able  to  supply  us  with  satisfactory 
information.  Philosophers  may  speak  of 
godliness,  and  speak  of  what  man's  duty 
is ;  but,  as  we  have  often  had  occasion 
to  observe,  they  are  like  individuals  who 
turn  their  backs  on  the  rising  sun,  and 
say,  "  See  what  a  light  our  philosophy 
gives!"  whereas  all  the  light  spread  on 
the  landscape  is  borrowed  from  the  lu- 
minary on  which  they  have  turned  their 
backs.  But  natural  religion  never  was 
able  to  teach  man,  with  certainty,  that 
there  was  a  future  state  of  rewards  and  pu- 
nishments; natural  religion  never  taught 
man  that  he  might  expect,  with  certainty, 
the  pardon  of  sin  through  a  Mediator;  na- 
tural religion  never  taught  man  that  there 
were  spiritual  influences  with  God  by 
which  he  could  restore  to  rectitude  and 
holiness  our  fallen  nature.  If  you  feel 
the  stirrings  of  immortality  within  you — 
if  you  be  led  to  ask  yourself,  What  is  to 
become  of  me  when  my  body  dies  and 
spirit  departs  ? — who  can  answer  that 
question  but  he  who  believes  the  Bible  ? 
When  you  feel  that  you  are  a  sinner  be- 
fore God,  and  ask  yourselves.  How  can 
your  sins  be  forgiven  ? — who  can  answer 
that  question  but  he  who  believes  in  the 
Bible  ?  When  you  feel  temptations  war- 
ring against  your  characters,  and  against 
your  interests,  and  against  your  souls, 
and  you  ask.  How  can  we  be  delivered 
from  the  power  of  temptation  ? — who  can 
answer  that  question  but  one  who  believes 
in  the  Bible  1  And  those  who  read, 
mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest  the 
truths  of  the  Bible,  are  those  who  can 
answer  these  questions  to  the  joy  and 
rejoicing  of  your  heart. 

Now,  I  hope  I  have  shown  some  rea- 
sons for  asserting  the  high  authority,  and 
the  inherent  sanctity,  and  the  intrinsic 
worth,  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  ;  and  I 
proceed  to  notice, 

II.  The   striking  illvstrations  of 

THE  scrutiny  THEY  HAVE  ENDURED 
WHICH       OUR       TEXT       SUPPLIES.  "  The 

words  of  the  Lord  are  pure  words  :  aa 


THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES. 


199 


silver  tried  in  a  furnace  of  earth,  purified 
seven  times." 

Here  you  perceive  that  there  is  a  refer- 
ence to  the  searching  process  of  a  refiner, 
by  which  the  presence  of  an  alloy  of  cop- 
per, or  any  other  metal,  is  detected  in 
the  gold  or  silver;  and  all  the  copper,  or 
lead,  or  any  other  baser  metal,  is  searched 
out  and  extracted  from  the  pure  ore. 
And  as  the  precious  metals  are  thus 
searched  by  the  action  of  fire,  and  the  art 
of  the  refiner,  so  the  word  of  God  has 
been  searched.  For  allow  me  to  say  that 
though  you  may  hear  those  who  declaim 
against  the  Bible  say  that  it  is  the  book 
of  priests — and  people  have  been  led  by 
priestcraft  all  their  days,  and  take  the 
Bible  because  they  are  told  it  is  a  good 
book — yet  I  will  show  you,  before  I  close 
these  remarks,  that  the  word  of  God  has 
passed  under  a  scrutiny  like  that  of  fire, 
and  that  it  has  come  forth  as  gold  seven 
limes  purified.  And  this  part  of  the  sub- 
ject will  lead  me  to  talk  on  matters 
which  are  not  ordinarily  introduced  into 
pulpit  discussion,  but  which  are  interest- 
ing and  valuable,  because  they  inform 
the  minds  of  those  who  are  inquiring 
upon  such  topics.     Now,  I  will  say, 

1st.  The  sacred  writings  have  been  the 
subject  of  scrutiiiy  and  investigation. 
There  have  been  men  in  this  city  who 
have  possessed  impudence  enough — T  do 
not  qualify  the  term — to  stand  up  before 
an  audience  of  the  inhabitants  of  London, 
and  assert  that  the  Bible  was  a  book  ma- 
nufactured by  priests  in  the  dark  ages, 
and  at  some  time — they  know  not  ex- 
actly the  name,  the  date,  or  the  place — 
but  at  some  period  this  book  was  intro- 
duced into  circulation,  and  imposed  upon 
the  public. 

Now,  it  is  very  providential  for  the 
Christian  cause  that  there  is  abundant 
evidence  to  put  this  down.  In  the  first 
place,  it  is  known  by  profane  history  that 
there  was  such  a  man  as  Alexander  the 
Great,  who  built  the  city  of  Alexandria 
in  Egypt,  and  who  was  anxious  to  en- 
courage the  learning  of  the  known  world. 
He  was  anxious  that  the  Jews  who  dwelt 
in  Alexandria,  as  well  as  the  Greeks,  and 
who  spoke  the  Greek  language,  should 
have  a  translation  of  the  Old  Testament 


made  for  their  use.  Thus  two  hundred 
and  eighty-seven  years  before  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  came  into  the  world  the  Old 
Testament  was  translated  into  Greek; 
and  what  is  called  by  the  learned  the 
Scptuagint — that  is,  the  translation  made 
by  the  seventy,  which  is  a  Greek  trans- 
lation— existed  between  two  and  three 
hundred  years  before  our  Lord  appeared 
on  earth.  Now,  this  book  is  extant  to 
the  present  day  ;  it  is  to  be  found  in  all 
the  libraries  of  the  learned  throughout 
Europe;  and  this  historical  fact  at  least 
shows  that  the  Old  Testament  existed 
nearly  three  hundred  years  before  Jesua 
Christ  came  into  our  world.  But,  then, 
in  reference  to  the  five  books  of  Moses, 
there  happens  to  be  other  proof.  The 
five  books  of  Moses,  or  what  we  call  the 
Pentateuch,  were  translated,  oi' rather  ex- 
isted, in  what  is  called  the  Samaritan, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  the  original 
Hebrew  tongue.  When  Judah  and  Israel 
separated,  in  the  reign  of  Rehoboam,  the 
Israelites  went  to  Samaria,  and  took  with 
them  what  they  call  the  Samaritan  Pen- 
tateuch, while  the  tribe  of  Judah  kept  the 
book  also.  By  their  going  into  Babylon 
the  character  was  altered  ;  but  the  Sama- 
ritans kept  their  Pentateuch  in  its  origi- 
nal state.  Thus  you  perceive  that  there 
have  been  two  distinct  copies  of  the  Pen- 
tateuch ;  and  as  the  Samaritans  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  Jews  on  the  other, 
were  very  bitter  the  one  against  the  other, 
and  the  Jews  had  no  dealings  with  the 
Samaritans,  it  was  like  two  angry  clients, 
each  of  whom  was  keeping  the  counter- 
part of  a  bond,  the  one  not  allowing  the 
other  to  have  any  thing  to  do  with  it ; 
and,  when  both  these  documents  come 
into  court,  they  are  found  to  agree  with  a 
harmony  which  proves  their  value  and 
truth.  When  we  come  to  compare  the 
Pentateuch  of  the  Samaritans  with  the 
five  books  of  Moses  which  the  Jews  pos- 
sess, the  variations  are  unimportant;  and 
the  one  thus  confirms  the  other  in  the 
most  interesting  way.  And  there  hap- 
pened to  live  such  a  man  as  Josephus, 
who  was  a  very  learned  Jew.  This  Jo- 
sephus was  acquainted  with  the  Roman 
emperor  Titus  Vespasian,  and  wrote,  for 
the  use  of  the  Romans,  a  history  of  his 


200 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


own  country  in  Greek.  In  this  work 
there  is  a  catalogue  of  the  books  which 
the  Jews  regarded  to  be  sacred  books ; 
and  there  we  have  the  list  of  those  books 
that  are  found  in  the  Old  Testament. 
The  list  was  circulated  in  this  book 
within  eighty  years  of  the  Lord's  death, 
and  circulated,  as  far  as  manuscripts 
could  be  circulated,  throughout  the  Ro- 
man empire.  Hence  the  Old  Testament 
evidently  is  not  a  book  of  yesterday. 
The  Jews  have  been  scattered  all  over 
the  world  during  the  last  eighteen  hun- 
dred years  ;  and  you  have  only  to  step  to 
the  neighbouring  synagogue,  and  ask  the 
chief  rabbi  how  long  the  parchments  and 
documents  they  have  have  existed,  and 
he  will  laugh  to  scorn  the  foolish  quib- 
blings  of  those  who  desire  to  invalidate 
the  antiquity  of  the  Old  Testament. 
These  facts  condemn  them. 

After  the  Christian  religion  was  esta- 
blished, the  Old  Testament  became  the 
property  of  the  Christians  as  well  as  the 
Jews.  Now  you  know  that  the  Chris- 
tians and  the  Jews  did  not  agree,  and 
consequently  there  was  a  mutual  jealousy 
between  them — ^justas  I  have  shown  you 
existed  between  the  Jews  and  the  Sama- 
ritans. In  consequence  of  this  jealousy 
the  Christian  doctors  looked  sharply  after 
the  Jewish  rabbles,  that  they  did  not 
alter  the  text ;  and  the  Jewish  rabbles 
looked  sharply  after  the  Christian  doc- 
tors, that  they  did  not  alter  the  text;  be- 
cause, if  the  Jewish  rabbles  had  altered 
the  prophecies  respecting  Christ,  the 
Christians  would  have  said,  "  You  are 
corrupting  God's  word,  to  show  that  the 
Messiah  has  not  come;"  and  if,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  Christian  doctors  had 
been  meddling  with  the  text,  to  make  it 
appear  that  the  advent  of  Christ  had 
taken  place,  the  Jews  would  have  said, 
"  You  have  altered  the  text — it  is  not  so  in 
our  books."  Thus  you  see  that,  by  the 
mutual  jealousies  of  Jews  and  Christians, 
the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  have  been 
preserved  to  the  present  time  in  an  un- 
corrupted  state;  so  that,  when  efforts 
were  made,  a  few  years  ago,  to  get  a 
new  edition  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures, 
eleven  hundred  and  fifty  Jewish  manu- 
scripts were  compared,  and  the  variations 


were  so  unimportant  as  scarcely  to  affect 
the  sense.  This  shows  that  the  word  of 
God  has  been  tried,  as  silver  tried  in  a 
furnace  of  earth,  so  far  as  the  Old  Testa- 
ment IS  concerned,  and  nothing  faulty  has 
been  found  in  it. 

Then  let  us  look  at  the  New  Testa- 
ment. How  do  I  know  that  the  books 
of  the  New  Testament  have  existed  from 
the  time  they  profess  ]  Why  it  happens, 
as  I  have  said,  very  providentially,  that 
there  are  writings  called  the  writings  of 
the  Christian  fathers,  writings  both  in 
Greek  and  Latin,  which  exist  to  the  pre- 
sent day,  and  which  were  composed  by 
pastors  and  bishops  of  churches  at  a  very 
early  period,  in  which  they  quote  the 
New  Testament,  both  the  gospels  and 
epistles ;  so  that  those  who  have  read 
and  consulted  the  Greek  and  Latin  fa- 
thers have  declared  that  the  whole  body 
of  the  gospels  and  epistles  might  be  ga- 
thered from  them,  if  the  New  Testament 
w^ere  to  be  destroyed.  Now  it  is  most 
important  to  think  that  there  is  so  much 
of  the  Scriptures  mixed  up  with  the  writ- 
ings of  those  great  men  who  wrote  in  the 
second,  third,  and  fourth  centuries — that 
there  is  to  be  found  imbodied  in  their 
writings,  as  insects  in  amber,  preserved 
from  age  to  age,  the  substance  of  the 
New  Testament.  This  might  be  said  in 
reference  to  more  recently  published 
works.  If  all  the  puritan  and  noncon- 
formist works  that  were  ever  written 
were  collated,  I  have  no  doubt  that  you 
might  gather  out  of  them  a  large  portion 
of  the  New  Testament.  As  they  inter- 
wove a  large  part  of  the  New  Testament, 
so  these  fathers  did  the  same;  and  thus 
we  see  that  the  writings  must  have  ex- 
isted at  that  time,  or  else  they  could  not 
have  been  quoted.  Then  there  are  things 
which  are  called  artcienl  versions,  that  is, 
translations  of  the  New  Testament  made 
at  a  very  early  period.  There  was  the 
Syriac  translation,  made  in  the  second 
century;  then  the  Coptic,  supposed  to  be 
made  in  the  third  or  fourth  century ;  then 
there  is  the  Armenian,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  made  about  the  same 
time.  Now  these  are  so  many  proofs 
that  the  word  of  God  has  been  preserved 
as  a  genuine  document;  and,  when  you 


THE  e:xcellency  of  the  holy  scriptures. 


201 


think  of  that  fact,  you  have  a  clear  proof 
that  it  is  not  a  forgery.  And,  my  dear 
friends,  I  cannot  resist  the  feeling  which 
at  this  moment  comes  over  me,  to  remind 
you  that  in  this  very  place  there  preach- 
ed, for  many  years,  that  man  who,  under 
God,  was  made  the  instrument  of  settling 
this  question,  by  his  most  laborious  re- 
searches—  I  mean  the  venerable  Dr. 
Lardner,  whose  writings  contain  a  store- 
house of  evidence  in  favour  of  the  credi- 
bility and  genuineness  of  the  Christian 
Scriptures. 

But  there  is  another  order  of  scrutiny 
through  which  the  sacred  Scriptures  have 
passed  ;  and  that  is, 

2dly.  Antiquarian  and scientijic  research. 
The  Bible,  as  you  know,  contains  much 
that  relates  to  the  creation  of  the  world, 
and  the  changes  which  have  passed  upon 
our  globe;  and  there  are  multitudes  of 
individuals  who  have  affected  to  be  very 
profound  on  these  matters,  and  have  sup- 
posed that  they  have  found,  by  the  dis- 
coveries of  science,  that  the  books  of 
Moses  were  only  old  wives'  fables,  and 
deserved  no  credit.  I  am  anxious,  there- 
fore, to  quote  to  you  the  words  of  an 
eminent  scientific  gentleman  —  I  mean 
Professor  Jameson,  of  Edinburgh.  He 
is  not  a  clergyman,  but  a  layman.  He 
undertook  the  editing  of  an  edition  of 
Cuvier's  Theory  of  the  Earth;  and  he 
makes  these  remarks  in  the  preface,  on 
the  subject  of  the  scriptural  account  of 
the  creation:  —  "Although  the  Mosaic 
account  of  the  creation  of  the  world  is  an 
inspired  writing,  and  consequently  rests 
on  evidence  independent  of  human  ob- 
servation and  experience,  still  it  is  inte- 
resting, and  in  many  respects  important, 
to  know  that  it  coincides  with  the  various 
phenomena  observable  in  the  mineral 
kingdom.  The  structure  of  the  earth, 
and  the  mode  of  distribution  of  extrane- 
ous fossils  or  petrifactions,  are  so  many 
direct  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the  Scrip- 
ture account  of  the  formation  of  the  earth  ; 
and  they  might  be  used  as  proofs  of  its 
author  having  been  inspired,  because  the 
mineralogical  facts  discovered  by  modern 
naturalists  were  unknown  to  the  sacred 
historian.  Even  the  periods  of  time,  the 
six  days  of  the  Mosaic  description,  are 

Vol.  I.— 26 


not  inconsistent  with  our  theories  of  the 
earth.  There  are,  indeed,  many  physi- 
cal considerations  which  render  it  proba- 
ble that  the  motions  of  the  earth  may  have 
been  slower  during  the  time  of  its  forma- 
tion, than  after  it  was  formed,  and,  con- 
sequently, that  the  day,  or  period  between 
morning  and  evening,  may  have  been  in- 
definitely longer  than  it  is  at  present. 
If  such  a  hypothesis  is  at  all  admissible, 
it  will  go  far  in  supporting  the  opinion 
which  has  long  been  maintained  on  this 
subject,  by  many  of  the  ablest  and  most 
learned  Scripture  critics.  The  deluge, 
one  of  the  grandest  natural  events  de- 
scribed in  the  Bible,  is  equally  confirmed, 
with  regard  to  its  extent  and  the  period 
of  its  occurrence,  by  a  careful  study  of 
the  various  phenomena  observed  on  and 
near  the  earth's  surface.  The  age  of  the 
human  race,  also  a  most  important  in- 
quiry, is  satisfactorily  determined  by  an 
appeal  to  natural  appearances  ;  and  the 
pretended  great  antiquity  of  some  nations, 
so  much  insisted  on  by  certain  philoso- 
phers, is  thereby  shown  to  be  entirely 
unfounded."  These  are  the  opinions  of 
a  distinguished  naturalist,  occupying  a 
professor's  chair  in  Edinburgh,  and  edit- 
ing one  of  the  works  of  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  naturalists  in  Europe,  who 
is  recently  dead.  Here  is  the  scrutiny 
of  God's  word — a  scrutiny  of  science, 
and  science  doing  homage  to  the  testi- 
mony of  revelation. 

And  so  we  may  say,  not  only  in  refer- 
ence to  scientific  pursuits,  such  as  geolo- 
gy, but  in  respect  to  geography,  and  the 
customs  of  the  East.  The  Bible  de- 
scribes many  of  the  usages  and  customs 
which  have  existed  among  the  people 
where  the  book  was  written.  Now,  our 
countrymen,  and  other  Europeans,  have 
visited  those  countries,  they  have  ex- 
plored those  regions  ;  and  we  have  some 
of  the  most  respectable  testimonies — the 
testimonies  of  laymen,  and  some  of  them 
not  believers  in  revelation — who  have 
declared  that  they  found  the  Bible,  espe- 
cially the  New  Testament,  the  best  guide 
to  Palestine ;  and  that,  by  the  statements 
therein  contained,  they  found  better  di- 
rections than  they  derived  from  any  other 
source.     And  so  we  may  speak  in  refer- 


202 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


ence  to  the  labours  of  antiquarians, 
riiere  was  a  time  when  the  infidel  philo- 
sophers of  Europe  affected  to  have  a 
great  perception  of  the  blow  that  was  to 
De  given  to  revealed  religion  by  the  dis- 
closures which  should  be  made  from 
Chinese  literature.  Now  one  of  our  own 
Christian  missionaries  has  mastered  the 
Chinese  language,  has  produced  a  lexi- 
con containing  all  the  words  of  that  ex- 
traordinary tongue,  and  has  opened  up 
all  their  literature.  And,  with  all  this 
done,  have  they  found  any  thing  that  can 
oppose  the  testimony  of  Scripture  1  Have 
they  found  one  "  rnusty  record"  that  can 
put  down  the  wise  and  faithful  sayings 
of  sacred  writ?  Oh,  no!  And  then 
Egypt  was  to  be  a  mighty  source  from 
whence  we  were  to  derive  information  to 
put  down  revelation.  There  was  the 
mysterious  zodiac,  which  was  supposed 
to  settle  the  Mosaic  chronology  for  ever, 
and  to  show  the  world  was  I  know  not 
what  age.  All  these  things  are  explain- 
ed ;  and,  instead  of  yielding  any  thing  to 
help  the  infidel  cause,  it  has  yielded  every 
thing  to  help  the  Christian  cause.  Bel- 
zoni,  in  visiting  the  tomb  of  Zammas, 
found  a  representation  of  the  Jews  held 
in  captivity,  marking  the  truth  of  what  is 
contained  in  the  Kings  and  Chronicles 
concerning  the  triumph  of  that  monarch 
over  the  Jewish  people. 

I  might  say,  also,  that  the  word  of 
God  has  been  tried  by  a  third  order — not 
only  by  these  critical  investigations,  and 
by  these  antiquarian  researches,  but, 

3dly.  Jii/  philosophical  and  moral  disco- 
veries. As  I  have  already  said,  all  the 
philosophy  of  China  has  been  opened,  all 
the  learning  of  the  Hindoos  has  been 
opened  ;  all  the  simple  children  of  nature 
in  the  islands  of  the  South  Seas,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  South  America,  ever  knew 
— all  the  people  of  Africa  ever  knew,  has 
all  been  brought  to  light;  and  what  has 
been  the  result  of  the  combined  disco- 
veries of  the  human  mind  in  reference  to 
morals  and  religion  1  Why,  we  have 
found  that  they  have  been  poor — that 
they  have  been  unsatisfactory — that  they 
have  been  confused  ;  and,  as  the  light  of 
the  sun  appears  more  glorious  by  the 
glimmering  of  the  gas-lights  in  the  streets 


on  a  summer's  morning,  so  the  light  of 
Scripture  has  appeared  more  glorious 
when  compared  with  the  feeble  tapers 
which  the  human  intellect  in  various 
parts  of  the  world  has  lit  up. 

Now  I  will  quote  to  you,  as  I  have 
already  done,  the  testimony  of  another 
layman  on  this  subject,  and  that  one  shall 
be  the  testimony  of  our  own  countryman, 
so  eminent  for  oriental  literature  and  good 
morals — I  allude  to  Sir  William  Jones. 
He  says,  "  The  Scriptures  contain,  inde- 
pendently of  a  divine  origin,  more  true 
sublimity,  more  exquisite  beauty,  purer 
morality,  more  important  history,  and 
finer  strains  both  of  poetry  and  eloquence, 
than  could  be  collected  within  the  same 
compass  from  all  other  books  that  were 
ever  composed,  in  any  age,  or  in  any 
idiom.  The  two  parts  of  which  the 
Scriptures  consist  are  connected  by  a 
chain  of  compositions  which  bear  no 
resemblance,  in  form  or  style,  to  any 
that  can  be  produced  from  the  stores  of 
Grecian,  Indian,  Russian,  or  even  Ara- 
bian learning.  The  antiquity  of  these 
compositions  no  man  can  doubt ;  and  the 
unrestrained  application  of  them  to  events 
long  subsequent  to  their  publication,  is 
a  solid  ground  of  belief  that  they  were 
genuine  productions,  and  consequently 
inspired."  Now  this  is  not  the  declara- 
tion of  some  uneducated  Christian  mi- 
nister, but  it  is  the  deliberate  judgment 
of  the  greatest  oriental  scholar,  perhaps, 
our  country  has  produced — a  man  whose 
statue  adorns  our  own  cathedral,  and 
whose  name  will  live  as  long  as  British 
literature 'continues.  This  man  declares 
that  the  Bible  contains  more  true  sublimi- 
ty than  could  be  found  in  all  the  other 
books  that  were  ever  composed  in  any 
age  or  country.  Now  the  testimony  of 
another  individual  to  prove  this  shall  be 
from  the  writings  of  Chateaubriand,  the 
most  distinguished  member  of  the  French 
literati  of  the  present  day.  He  says, 
"  The  productions  most  foreign  to  our 
manners,  the  sacred  books  of  the  infidel 
nations,  the  Zendavesta  of  the  Parsees, 
the  Vidan  of  the  Brahmins,  the  Koran  of 
the  Turks,  the  Edda  of  the  Scandina- 
vians, the  Sanscrit  poems,  the  maxims 
of  Confucius,  excite  in  us  no  surprise 


TIIK  EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES. 


203 


we  find  in  all  these  works  the  ordinary 
chain  of  human  ideas :  they  have  all 
some  resemblance  to  each  other,  both  in 
tone  and  ideas.  The  Bible  alone  is  like 
none  of  them ;  it  is  a  monument  detached 
from  all  the  others.  Explain  it  to  a  Tar- 
tar, to  a  Caffre,  to  an  American  savage  ; 
put  it  into  the  hands  of  a  bonze  or  a  der- 
vise :  they  will  all  be  equally  astonished 
by  it — a  fact  which  borders  on  the  mira- 
culous. Twenty  authors,  living  at  pe- 
riods very  distant  from  one  another,  com- 
posed the  sacred  books  ;  and  though  they 
are  written  in  twenty  diiferent  styles,  yet 
these  styles,  equally  inimitable,  are  not 
to  be  met  with  in  any  other  performance. 
The  New  Testament,  so  different  in  its 
spirit  from  the  Old,  nevertheless  par- 
takes with  the  latter  of  this  astonishing 
originality." 

Now  these  are  not  the  testimonies  of 
priests;  they  are  the  testimonies  of  lay- 
men— of  men  who  have  travelled  in  every 
part  of  the  globe,  and  who  have  become 
acquainted  with  the  literature  of  all  na- 
tions ;  and  what  they,  as  scholars,  pro- 
nounce concerning  this  book,  we,  as 
Christians,  are  able  to  confirm.  The 
good  Spirit  of  God  has  made  it  to  our 
souls  the  foundation  of  our  hopes,  and 
the  solace  of  our  days. 

After  having  shown  you,  as  I  have 
thus  attempted  to  do,  that  the  word  of 
God  has  been  tried  by  a  threefold  pro- 
cess, and  come  out  of  the  furnace  like 
gold  seven  times  purified,  I  would  make 
a  personal  appeal  to  you,  and  say.  How 
is  it  that  you  venture  to  neglect  such  a 
book  as  this?  God  has  preserved  it; 
God  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  our  pious 
ancestors  to  translate  it;  God  put  it  into 
the  hearts  of  men,  of  our  own  time,  to 
print  it  so  extensively,  by  the  labours  of 
the  Bible  Society,  that  now  every  indi- 
vidual may  possess,  at  the  smallest  pos- 
sible price,  the  word  of  God  in  his  own 
tongue.  This  book  is  declared  in  our 
text  to  be  pure  as  silver,  tried  in  a  fur- 
nace of  earth,  purified  seven  times ;  and 
this  book  now  invites  your  attention. 


Oh,  my  friends!  I  am  no  enemy  to 
general  knowledge  ;  I  am  thankful  to  the 
Society  for  Promoting  Useful  Know- 
ledge; I  am  thankful  to  the  Society  for 
Promoting  Religious  Knowledge,  for 
putting  forth  penny,  six-penny,  and  shil- 
ling publications,  inviting  you  to  read 
lliem ;  but  let  me  remind  you  that  time 
is  short — that  the  opportunities  for  read- 
ing are  but  limited,  and  that  this,  the 
greatest  and  the  best  of  books,  this  book 
which  is  "  a  light  to  your  feet,  and  a 
lamp  to  your  path,"  which  guides  you  in 
the  way  to  heaven,  and  in  the  way  to 
immortality,  invites  you  to  peruse  it. 
And  shall  it  lie  upon  your  shelves,  cover 
ed  with  dust,  untouched,  forsaken  ]  Le*" 
me  entreat  you,  then,  to  form  the  habit  of 
reading  some  portion  of  God's  word  every 
day — to  remember  that  this  blessed  book 
can,  by  the  Spirit,  enlighten  your  minds 
Oh,  then,  cry,  "  Lord,  open  my  eyes,  tha 
I  may  behold  wondrous  things  out  of  thy 
law  !"'  If  you  come  to  it  with  a  teacha- 
ble mind,  you  shall  find  that  it  will  in- 
struct you  in  the  clearest  morality — that 
it  will  supply  you  with  the  most  blessed 
consolation — that  it  will  transform  you" 
mind  from  sin  to  holiness — that  it  will 
form  the  foundation  of  your  hopes  of 
blessed  immortality.  Let  me  entrea* 
you,  then,  to  remember  these  words  o» 
the  Redeemer — he  who  is  able  to  save 
sinners :  "  Search  the  Scriptures,"  said 
the  Son  of  God,  "  for  in  them  ye  think 
ye  have  eternal  life,  and  these  are  they 
which  testify  of  me." 

Should  there  be  any  one  here  disposed 
to  take  up  this  book  to  trifle  with  it,  le* 
me  quote  to  him  two  lines  from  a  poem 
penned  by  one  of  the  greatest  geniuses 
that  have  adorned  our  empire,  and  whose 
intellectual  light  has  just  been  lost  to  us 
He  says,  in  a  beautiful  little  poem  on  th 
Bible, 

"  Better  had  he  ne'er  been  born 

Who  reads  to  doubt,  who  reads  to  scorn." 

God  grant  that  you  may  read  to  be- 
lieve and  to  obey  !     Amen. 


204 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


THE   ASCENSION. 

The  humiliation  of  the  Son  of  God 
was  now  drawing'  rapidly  to  a  close. 
He  had  "  accomplished  his  decease  at 
Jerusalem  :"  he  had  risen  victorious  from 
the  grave  :  and,  during  forty  days,  he 
had  been  living  among  his  disciples — 
convincing  them,  "  by  many  infallible 
proofs,"  that  he  was  indeed  restored  to 
life.  There  remained  but  one  more  thing 
to  be  done — that  for  which  he  had  prayed, 
in  John  xvii.  5 — "  And  now,  O  Father, 
glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self,  with 
the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before 
the  world  was."  This  prayer,  as  you 
have  heard  in  my  text,  was  fulfilled  ;  he 
"  ascended  up  far  above  all  heavens,  that 
he  might  fill  all  things,"  and  become 
Head  over  his  church  for  ever. — The  text 
sets  before  us, 

I.  The  last  acts  of  the  Redeemer 
ON  earth. 

1.  He  selects  a  suitable  place  from  which 
to  take  his  departure. — He  had  conversed 
with  his  friends  at  Jerusalem,  "  in  an 
inner  chamber,"  "  when  the  doors  were 
shut  ....  for  fear  of  the  Jews ;"  and  if 
secrecy  was  desirable  then,  it  was  now 
much  more  so.  The  last  glorious  dis- 
play was  not  intended  for  malicious  Pha- 
risees, for  unbelieving  Sadducees  and 
Scribes.  Evidence  enough  had  been 
given  to  them,  and  more  would  hereafter 
be  added.  The  public  ministry  of  Jesus 
ended  with  his  great  sacrifice  ;  and  what 
remains  of  earthly  intercourse  shall  be 
devoted  exclusively  to  his  friends.  He 
therefore  "  led  them  out"  from  Jerusa- 
lem, "  as  far  as  to  Bethany." 

It  has  been  argued  that  this  could  not 
be  the  town  of  Martha  and  Mary — be- 
cause that  Bethany  was  two  miles  from 
Jerusalem  ;  whereas  the  apostles  are  said 
to  have  returned  from  this  sight  only  "a 
sabbath-day's  journey" — that  is  to  say, 
one  mile.  But  why  may  we  not  suppose 
that  he  first  visited  the  town  of  Bethany, 
even  if  he  did  afterwards  return  part  of 
the  way,  before  he  ascended  up  to  hea- 
ven ]  The  supposition  is  far  from  being 
improbable;  and,  if  such  were  the  fact, 
what  a  touching  circumstance  was  here  ! 
He  cannot  forget  Martha,  and  her  sister, 


and  Lazarus!  Whom  he  loveth,  "he 
loveth  unto  the  end  :"  and  as  they  are  to 
see  him  no  more,  they  shall  be  of  those 
who  see  him  the  last.  It  is  one  of  the 
manifold  proofs  of  the  Saviour's  kind 
affection.  Love  him,  brethren,  as  that 
pious  family  did,  and  you  shall  see  greater 
things  than  this.  "  The  secret  of  the 
Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  him,  and  he 
will  show  them  his  covenant." 

2.  He  solemnly  blesses  his  disciples. — 
He  had  by  his  deeds  been  blessing  them, 
from  the  first  moment  of  their  acquaint- 
ance with  him ;  for  he  had  converted 
their  souls,  and  had  instructed  them  in 
the  things  relating  to  his  kingdom.  But 
he  now  does  it  by  an  express  outward 
act.  With  uplifted  hands,  he  calls  on  his 
Father  to  protect,  comfort,  sanctify,  and 
prosper  them. — If  you  would  know  what 
gifts  that  blessing  included,  you  may  see 
them  fully  enumerated  in  John  xvii. :  he 
could  ask  no  greater — he  would  ask  no 
less — than  are  there  recorded.  "  Neitlier 
prayed  he  for  these  alone,  but  for  them 
also  which  should  afterwards  believe  on 
him  through  their  word."  Happy  be- 
liever !  who  can  by  faith  see  those  hands 
of  love  still  stretched  over  him,  and  ap- 
ply to  himself  the  Saviour's  blessing! 
May  such  be  your  privilege  and  mine : 
for  I  wot  that  he  whom  thou.  Lord,  bless- 
est,  is  blessed  indeed. — At  length, 

3.  He  ascends  up  to  heaven. — Here  was 
no  imposition !  St.  Luke,  in  another 
place,  tells  us  that  the  act  was  done 
•'  while  tliey  beheld."  My  text  describes 
the  circumstantial  order  of  the  event. 
"  He  was  parted  from  them" — literally, 
"  he  stood  aside  from  them ;"  both  to 
prevent  interruption,  and  that  all  might 
see  the  whole  transaction.  Then — "  he 
was  carried  up  ;"  moving  towards  heaven 
in  full  view  of  the  whole  party,  till,  at 
length,  "  a  cloud  received  him  out  of 
their  sight."  Carried  1  by  whom  1  By 
hosts  of  invisible  beings — "  angels  that 
excel  in  strength,  that  do  his  command- 
ments, hearkening  to  the  voice  of  his 
word."  For  now  was  fulfilled  that 
which  was  spoken  of  the  Lord  by  David 
— "  The  chariots  of  God  are  twenty  thou- 
sand, even  thousands  of  angels  :  the  Lord 
is  among  them,  as  in  Sinai,  in  the  holy 


THE  ASCENSION. 


205 


place.  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high, 
thou  hast  led  captivity  captive."  Doubt- 
less there  were  angels  assisting  on  the 
occasion ;  for  we  find  two  of  them  re- 
turning, in  visible  form,  to  comfort  the 
disciples  with  a  promise,  that  he  would 
hereafter  come  again  in  like  manner  from 
heaven.  As,  therefore,  we  believe  that 
he  rose  from  the  dead,  so  also  do  we  be- 
lieve that  he  is  "  gone  into  heaven  .  .  .  . 
angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers  being 
made  subject  unto  him." 

II.  The  first  acts  of  the  redeemed 

AFTER  HIS  DEPARTURE. 

1.  They  worshipped  him, — Remember 
that!  The  appointed  teachers  of  the 
Christian  religion  "  worshipped"  Christ 
— it  was  their  very  first  act  after  they  had 
ceased  to  behold  him.  And  do  not  sup- 
pose that  it  was  merely  some  respectful 
inclination  of  the  body — such  as  is  meant 
in  our  marriage  service.  No — it  was 
holy  adoration,  as  to  the  invisible  God ; 
and  accompanied,  doubtless,  by  such 
words  as  Thomas  was  once  permitted  to 
use  without  censure — "  My  Lord,  and 
my  God  !"  Had  they  given  such  honour 
to  the  two  angels,  they  would  have  met 
with  a  rebuke  like  that  which  St.  .John 
afterwards  received  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances— "  See  thou  do  it  not !  .  .  .  . 
worship  God  !"  But  in  worshipping 
Jesus,  they  did  worship  God  ;  and  were 
therefore  blameless. 

2.  They  were  filled  with  joy — great  joy. 
O  how  different  from  what  they  had  once 
anticipated  !  "  Now  I  go  my  way  to  him 
that  sent  me ;  and  because  I  say  this, 
sorrow  hath  filled  your  heart."  But 
now,  when  he  does  this,  they  are  "  filled 
with  joy."  Whence  this  difference  1  It 
was  because  Jesus  had  now  opened  their 
understanding  to  discern  the  mystery  of 
his  sufferings  and  his  glory.  The  Com- 
forter, moreover,  I  am  inclined  to  believe, 
was  immediately  sent  down  with  his 
sanctifying  influences ;  although  for  his 
miraculous  gifts  they  had  yet  to  wait  ten 
days  longer. 

3.  In  the  use  of  appointed  means  they 
sought  and  expected  his  gifts  of  grace. — In 
Jerusalem  were  they  to  receive  the  "  pro- 
mise of  the  Father;"  therefore  they  at 
once  returned  thither.     On  their  arrival, 


behold  them  "  continually  in  the  temple, 
praising  and  blessing  God  !"  continually 
— that  is,  at  every  appointed  service. 
Surrounded  as  they  were  by  formal  and 
ignorant  worshippers,  how  different  their 
views,  hopes,  and  feelings ! — Yet  such, 
brethren,  as  theirs  were- — such,  by  divine 
grace,  may  yours  also  be.  What  though 
others  gain  no  blessing  in  public  wor- 
ship, in  hearing  the  word,  in  the  holy 
communion ;  yet  this  need  not  be  the 
case  with  you.  Only  look  up  to  the  Lord 
of  the  temple,  and  he  will  make  it  a 
Bethel  to  your  soul.  "In  the  breaking 
of  bread"  Jesus  himself  shall  be  "  known 
of  you,"  if  by  faith  you  seek  him.  O, 
then  "  enter  into  his  gates  with  thanks- 
giving, and  into  his  courts  with  praise : 
be  thankful  unto  him  and  bless  his  name. 
For  the  Lord  is  good  ;  his  mercy  is  ever- 
lasting; and  his  ^ruth  endureth  to  all 
generations." — Rev.  J.  Jowett,  A.M. 


PAGANISM. 


The  dead  are  not  always  forgotten  by 
the  pagan  negroes  :  they  resort  annually 
to  their  graves,  and  offer  food  and  liquor 
to  their  departed  relatives.  A  negro  mo- 
ther in  Jamaica  was  known,  for  thirteen 
years,  to  make  this  annual  visit  to  the 
grave  of  her  daughter,  and,  in  an  agony 
of  feeling,  to  offer  her  oblation.  Thus 
"  they  sorrow  without  hope."  We  re- 
spect the  strength  of  the  affection ;  we 
lament  its  downward,  earthly  tendency  : 
all  the  thoughts  of  that  poor  mother  were 
in  the  grave  with  her  child,  and  the  only 
object  of  that  unabated  love  was  the  mere 
dust  of  a  dissolved  frame.  Such  is  hea- 
thenism !  Melting  and  mournful  thoughts 
steal  over  the  recollections  of  the  be- 
reaved Christian  mother  too,  and  time 
has  no  power  to  dry  up  the  fountain  of 
her  tears  ;  years  may  pass  away,  but  the 
memory  of  the  forms  over  which  she  has 
hung  with  maternal  fondness  suffers  no 
decay ;  it  keeps  its  place  to  the  last  hour 
of  the  most  extended  life.  But,  when 
she  thinks  of  her  children,  she  thinks  of 
them  as  in  heaven,  not  as  in  the  grave  y 
and,  urged  onward  by  this  hope  through 
her  remaining  pilgrimage,  she  hastens  to 
embrace  them  again  in  the  kingdom  of 
God.^i2.  Watson. 
S 


SERMON  XXII. 

THE  ONLY  ALTERNATIVE. 
BY  THE  REV.  JOSEPH  SOMMERVILLE, 

MINISTER  OF  ST.  JOHN's  CHAPEL,  GLASGOW. 


"  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve." — Josh.  xxiv.  15. 


There  are  few  delusions  more  fatal, 
"ind  yet  more  common,  than  that  of  per- 
sons labouring  to  negotiate  a  treaty  be- 
twixt the  service  of  sin  and  the  service 
of  holiness,  striving  to  reconcile  the 
claims  of  Christianity  with  the  claims  of 
the  world,  to  make  compatible  the  ho- 
mage due  to  the  Creator  with  the  obedi- 
ence and  slavery  required  by  the  creature. 
Such  individuals  profess  to  entertain  a 
veneration  for  the  perfections  and  worship 
of  the  Deity  ;  they  acknowledge  their 
readiness  to  submit  to  the  obligations  of 
piety  ;  they  own  the  legality  of  the  divine 
authority;  they  evince  an  indefinite  love 
and  longing  after  the  spiritual  privileges 
and  pre-eminences  of  the  saints ;  and  it 
would  afford  them  the  highest  satisfac- 
tion, when  the  storms  and  conflicts  of 
mortality  are  past,  to  be  landed  safe  on 
the  shore  of  paradise,  and  to  be  introduced 
to  the  perfect  beatitudes  and  triumphs  of 
immortality. 

For  the  sake  of  reaping  so  invaluable 


attaining  to  so  brilliant  a  consummation 
of  glory,  they  are  willing  to  forego  not  a 
few  temporal  conveniences,  and  to  sub- 
mit to  not  a  few  sacrifices  of  ease  and 
coarse  indulgence;  to  cultivate  certain 
principles,  and  to  prosecute  a  particular 
course  of  conduct;  to  abstain  from  crimi- 
nal pursuits,  and  to  practise  various  re- 
straints and  personal  mortifications.  At 
the  same  time,  they  feel  their  habits  of 
sin  to  be  inherent  and  inveterate;  their 
addiction  to  selfish  and  constitutional 
indulgences,  violent  and  inordinate ;  their 
206 


propensity  to  consult  their  favourite 
tastes,  and  to  gratify  their  sensual  incli- 
nations, too  vehement  to  be  relinquished. 

The  demands  of  religion  they  hold  to 
be  inconsistent  with  the  requirements  of 
worldly  pleasure ;  they  feel  themselves 
to  be  too  much  curbed  and  fettered  by 
the  laws  of  the  gospel,  and  they  will  not 
yield  to  the  crucifixion  of  every  corrupt 
affection,  exercise  that  abnegation  of  self 
and  sin,  or  make  that  entire  and  uncon- 
ditional surrender  of  themselves  to  the 
influences  of  the  truth,  and  to  tlie  power 
and  life  of  godliness,  which,  nevertheless, 
they  must  acknowledge  to  be  their  su- 
preme duty  and  highest  interest. 

In  this  dilemma,  they  labour  for  an 
accommodation  of  matters ;  they  pant  for 
a  compromise  of  principle  ;  they  become 
solicitous  to  adopt  a  system  of  half  mea- 
sures; they  are  fain  to  see  an  alliance 
struck  between  the  objects  of  sense  and 
the  things  of  the  spirit — between  the  in- 
terests of  time  and  the  interests  of  eter- 


a  harvest  of  felicity ;  for  the  purpose  of,  nity ;  while  they   are  most  desirous   to 


unite,  in  their  own  persons,  the  opposite 
and  distinctive  characters  of  a  friend  of 
God  and  a  friend  of  the  world — a  disciple 
of  Christ  and  a  votary  of  Belial ;  and  they 
strain  to  secure  the  enjoyments  of  carnal- 
ity, while  they  would  not  fall  short  of  the 
recompense  of  righteousness.  In  a  word, 
the  summit  of  their  ambition  is,  to  reap 
all  the  advantages  and  delights  peculiar 
to  the  two  conditions — a  state  of  nature 
and  a  state  of  grace — a  state  of  unregene- 
racy  and  a  state  of  conversion  ;  to  live  on 
amicable  terms  with  the  adherents  of  both 


THE  ONLY  ALTERNATIVE. 


207 


parties ;  to  maintain  a  kind  of  see-sawing 
between  the  votaries  of  dissipation  and 
the  children  of  holiness — to  aim  at  once 
for  earth  and  heaven  ;  to  "  fear  the  Lord 
and  to  serve  their  own  gods  ;"  to  have  all 
the  combined  happiness  which  the  grati- 
fications of  sense  and  time  can  afford,  and 
to  inherit  all  the  felicities  which  Chris- 
tianity can  minister,  and  which  immortal- 
ity can  supply. 

But  surely,  my  friends,  it  would  be  a 
superfluous  waste  of  time  and  arguments, 
to  stop  to  demonstrate  the  impossibility 
of  uniting  things  so  essentially  distinct 
and  discordant  in  their  natures — of  recon- 
ciling what  is  so  absolutely  and  perfectly 
at  variance — of  harmonizing  interests  so 
totally  dissimilar — of  amalgamating  ele- 
ments, in  their  very  essence,  of  utter  and 
eternal  contrariety. 

Though  the  population  of  this  globe  is 
composed  of  many  different  races  of  men, 
discriminated  by  a  thousand  graduated 
shades  of  spiritual  character  and  situation, 
yet  are  they  all  comprehended  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  under  two  divisions  only — 
the  church  and  the  Avorld  ;  believers  and 
unbelievers  ;  those  who  are  in  a  state  of 
spiritual  death  and  condemnation,  and 
those  who  are  in  a  state  of  spiritual  life 
and  reconciliation;  children  of  God,  and 
children  of  the  devil ;  heirs  of  grace,  and 
heirs  of  wrath;  those  who  are  in  Christ 
Jesus,  and  those  who  "lie  in  the  wicked 
one." 

Between  those  two  great  and  opposite 
classes,  there  is,  even  in  this  present  life, 
"  a  great  moral  gulf  fixed,"  so  that  they 
who  would  pass  from  the  one  society  to 
tne  other,  are  unable;  and  the  broad  line 
of  separation  and  seclusion  cannot,  on 
any  account,  be  violated.  "He  that  is 
not  with  me,"  says  Christ,  "  is  against 
me."  "  No  servant  can  serve  two  mas- 
ters ;  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one  and 
love  the  other;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the 
one  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot 
serve  God  and  mammon."  Be  assured, 
then,  that  in  a  matter  of  such  infinite  mo- 
ment as  this,  it  is  impossible  you  can  be 
any  thing  else  than  exclusives,  or  can, 
with  any  degree  of  safety  or  consistency, 
stand  in  doubt  or  incertitude.  You  must, 
of  necessity,  be  either  the  friends  or  the 


foes  of  God  ;  either  the  devoted  servants 
of  Christ,  or  the  avowed  despisers  of  the 
great  salvation ;  you  must  be  enlisted 
either  on  Jehovah's  side,  or  on  that  of  hia 
adversary  ;  for  on  no  account  can  you,  in 
tl;is  question,  belong  to  an  equivocal  race, 
or  occupy  an  intermediate  or  middle 
position. 

In  many  cases  of  every  day  life,  neu- 
trality is  not  only  lawful,  but  commend- 
able. In  many  questions  of  intricate 
solution,  and  difficult  interpretation,  im- 
plicating the  reputation,  the  property,  or 
happiness  of  our  fellow-men,  where  the 
evidence  is  dubious,  and  almost  equally 
balanced,  it  may  be  the  dictate  at  once  of 
wisdom  and  discretion,  to  hold  the  judg- 
ment in  suspense,  and  to  come  to  no  de- 
cision. In  domestic  feuds,  in  private 
dissensions,  and  in  the  fierce  collision  of 
stormy  passions,  it  may  be  often  advisa- 
ble to  stand  neutral,  and  to  take  part  with 
neither  set  of  combatants,  seeing  inter- 
ference may  tend  to  irritate,  rather  than 
to  reconcile — to  exasperate,  rather  than 
to  allay,  animosities;  to  foment,  rather 
than  to  heal,  divisions.  But  it  is  far 
otherwise  in  matters  of  religion,  and  in 
the  high  interests  of  immortality.  Here 
no  reserve  can  be  admitted — no  demur  or 
debate  sanctioned — no  discreet  caution 
allowed — no  indifference  tolerated  ;  for 
in  this  case,  every  motive,  as  it  is  most 
obvious,  must  be  urgent  and  immediate, 
that  you  make  an  option,  that  you  choose 
your  side,  and  that  you  resolutely,  and 
inflexibly,  and  for  ever,  adhere  to  it. 

As  you  have,  then,  been  constituted 
moral  agents,  left  to  the  freedom  of  your 
own  wills,  with  a  capacity  to  choose  and 
determine  for  yourselves,  we  ask  you,  in 
the  language  of  the  text,  "  whom  you 
will  this  day  serve  1"  And  in  propound- 
ing to  yon  this  question,  it  is  the  farthest 
possible  from  our  intention  to  insinuate, 
that  we  regard  it  as  one  of  small  import, 
or  of  trivial  or  temporary  moment,  which 
may  be  evaded,  disregarded,  or  postponed 
without  great  detriment  or  hazard  to  your 
eternal  interests.  On  the  contrary,  we 
j  avow,  that  we  consider  this  question  as 
one  of  transcendant  consequence,  and  in- 
]  finite  magnitude,  proposed,  not  as  the 
I  Shibboleth  of  a  party,  but  as  the  grand 


208 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


and  paramount  concern  of  all ;  that  it  em- 
braces whatever  can,  to  an  immortal 
spirit,  be  most  dear  and  vital — being 
auspicious  or  fatal  to  all  his  hopes  for 
eternity,  productive  to  him  of  unmeasured 
benefit,  or  of  incalculable  disaster.  We 
do  unequivocally  and  solemnly  avow,  that 
the  one  side  of  the  alternative  is  life,  that 
the  reverse  of  the  alternative  is  death ; 
that  paradise  is  on  the  one  side,  and  per- 
.  dition  on  the  other;  that  the  one  choice 
\  lays  the  foundation  of  an  empire  of  feli- 
city and  of  glory,  greater  and  happier  a 
thousand  fold  than  heart  ever  conceived  ; 
■while  the  other  decision  will  impregnate 
an  infinitude  of  existence  with  lamenta- 
tion, wo,  and  despair.  In  making  your 
option,  too,  in  this  matter,  you  must  stand 
solely  on  your  own  responsibility.  You 
must  of  necessity  be  a  party  in  this  case, 
to  your  own  eternal  shame  or  renown,  to 
your  own  enduring  bliss  or  misery.  The 
very  nature  of  the  case  precludes  the 
adoption  of  all  coercive  and  compulsory 
measures.  It  rests  with  yourselves  to 
determine,  on  which  side  the  scale  shall 
preponderate.  The  decision  is  committed 
into  your  own  hands.  The  whole  is  left 
to  your  own  discrimination  and  choice. 
Nothing  remains  for  us  but  to  make  the 
proposals.  Like  advocates,  we  can  do 
no  more  than  state  the  case  and  plead  the 
cause.  You,  the  judges,  sit  and  hear  it 
tried,  must  weigh  and  sum  up  the  evi- 
dence, return  the  verdict,  and  by  that  de- 
termination stand  or  fall  for  ever. 

We  propose,  then,  in  the  first  place,  to 
submit  for  your  adoption,  one  of  the  two 
sides  of  the  alternative  specified ;  and,  in 
the  second  place,  to  advert  to  the  particu- 
lar time  when  this  election  is  to  be  made. 

I.  We  are  to  submit  to  your  choice  one 
of  the  two  sides  of  the  alternative  pro- 
posed. And  the  first  particularized,  is 
the  tragical  or  fatal  side. 

If  you  listen  to  no  other  but  the  dic- 
tates of  your  own  carnal  and  unrenewed 
inclinations ;  if  it  seem  good  unto  you  to 
follow  the  popular  current;  if  you  are 
determined  to  exhibit  the  last  excess  of 
madness  and  wretchedness,  and  to  be 
guilty  of  the  most  daring  and  atrocious 
deed  of  self-destruction  which  it  is  pos- 
sible for  a  creature  to  perpetrate ;  if  such 


be  the  incurable  fatality  of  your  nature,  the 
invincible  hardihood  and  intractability  of 
your  mind,  your  confirmed  regardlessness 
of  every  consideration  of  glory,  happiness, 
and  self,  and  your  utter  insensibility  to 
the  highest  claims  of  tenderness,  o-ene- 
rosity,  and  gratitude,  then  choose  the  j 
service  of  idolatry — embark  in  the  basest 
thraldom  to  which  Satan  can  degrade  his 
votaries — be  the  veriest  slaves  of  your 
own  natural  corruptions — the  most  de- 
voted martyrs  to  the  servitude  of  that 
iniquity,  whose  fruit  is  shame,  and  whose 
wages  is  death.  If  you  have  been  smit- 
ten with  judicial  blindness  of  eyes,  and 
seared  hardness  of  conscience;  if  the  v 
great  enemy  of  souls  has,  by  the  potency 
of  his  sorceries,  and  by  the  brilliancy  of 
his  enchantments,  so  fascinated  your 
minds,  and  so  debauched  your  hearts,  aa 
to  make  you  stumble  at  every  step,  and 
receive  erroneous  impressions  from  every 
object;  if,  in  the  science  of  spiritual 
arithmetic,  you  discover  such  a  stultifi- 
cation of  intellect,  and  incapacity  of  moral 
discrimination,  as  to  prefer  a  life  fleeting 
as  the  shadow,  to  an  existence  of  infinite 
duration ;  if  you  deem  the  pampering 
of  the  appetites,  and  the  gratification  of 
the  propensities  of  the  "  vile  body,"  as 
of  weightier  consideration  than  the  im- 
provement of  the  powers,  and  the  assu- 
rance of  the  well-being  of  the  never- 
dying  spirit;  if  the  most  evanescent  and 
unsatisfying  of  animal  indulgences  far 
overbalance,  in  your  estimation,  the  purest 
and  the  sublimest  of  celestial  ecstacies  ; 
if  flames  and  torments  unutterable  have 
deeper  charms  for  you  than  triumphs  and 
transports  inconceivable  ;  if  you  wish  to 
be  the  "  greatest  architect  of  ruin"  that 
ever  existed,  the  destroyers  of  the  largest 
amount  of  righteousness  and  felicity 
which  the  world  ever  beheld,  then  de- 
clare yourselves  at  once  to  be  the  devotees 
of  ungodliness,  and  the  heirs  of  wrath. 
Plunge  headlong  into  every  excess  of 
criminality  and  frenzy ;  cast  away  from 
you  the  last  desire  and  hope  of  salvation  ; 
pronounce  boldly  and  fearlessly  the  deci- 
sion, that  you  have  "judged  yourselves 
unworthy  of  everlasting  life;"  and  say  in 
a  spirit  betraying  an  equal  defiance  of 
the  thunders  of  divine  judgment,  and  the 


THE  ONLY  ALTERNATIVE. 


209 


•»leadings  of  divine  compassion,  "  \A  no 
s  the  Lord  that  we  should  obey  his  voice  1 
we  know  not  the  Lord,  neither  will  we 
serve  him ;  for  we  have  loved  strangers, 
and  after  them  will  we  go." 

If  you  greatly  prefer  the  pleasures  and 
pursuits  of  a  present  world ;  if  it  have 
attracted  and  satisfied  your  fondest  re- 
gards ;  if  a  predilection  for  its  degrading 
slavery,  its  ever  fluctuating  frivolities, 
and  its  ruinous  excesses,  has  become  the 
darling  and  dominant  passion  of  your 
soul,  then  see  that  you  adore  no  other 
idol  than  the  world — that  its  spirit  and 
maxims  be  identified  with  all  your 
sentiments,  and  tastes,  and  mental  opera- 
tions— and  that  you  permit  no  other  ob- 
ject to  interfere  with  its  claims  of  affec- 
tion, or  to  dispute  with  it  the  rights  of 
supremacy.  See,  that  you  bow  impli- 
citly, and  without  control,  to  all  its  per- 
nicious, demoralizing  manners;  that  you 
permit  its  pageants  and  its  pomps,  its 
trappings,  and  its  airy  nothings,  to  intoxi- 
cate your  imagination,  to  steal  away  your 
senses,  and  to  cultivate  a  vulgar  admira- 
tion. Let  it  be  farther  proved  and  pro- 
claimed, by  every  principle  of  character, 
by  every  syllable  of  speech,  and  by  every 
feature  of  external  deportment,  that  you 
re  the  unceremonious  and  unscrupulous 
votaries  of  sin — assuming  an  unbounded 
license  of  folly  and  vice — making  fashion 
your  only  law,  the  flesh  your  only  god, 
and  pleasure  your  only  pursuit. 

In  "  walking  in  the  counsels  and  in  the 
imagination  of  your  heart,"  you  may,  if 
it  so  please  you,  violate  with  remorseless 
scorn  all  the  established  rules  of  piety 
and  virtue ;  you  may  smile  with  con- 
temptuous disdain  at  the  maxims  of  an- 
cient wisdom,  at  the  sobrieties  and  the 
godliness  of  former  days.  You  may 
applaud  and  imitate  every  thing,  merely 
oecause  it  is  of  foreign  importation,  mo- 
dish and  current,  however  vicious  in 
principle,  and  however  contaminating  in 
its  tendencies.  You  may  also  overleap 
all  the  ordinary  barriers  which  divine 
wisdom  and  grace  have  erected,  to  fence 
in  the  way  of  transgressors,  to  prevent 
them  from  precipitating  themselves  over 
the  verge,  into  the  bottomless  abyss  that 
yawns,  beneath ;  and  you  may  deride  all 
Vol.  I 27 


the  most  solemn  warnings  and  cautions 
that  have  been  enforced  upon  yon;  and 
you  may,  with  reckless  despite,  spurn  at 
the  most  powerful  safeguards  which  rea- 
son and  revelation,  which  law  and  con- 
science have  created,  for  averting  the 
catastrophe  of  your  endless  destruction, 
and  for  shutting  you  up  to  the  enjoyment 
of  everlasting  redemption.  "  Choose  you 
this  day,"  that  you  will  not  pause  at  the 
commission  of  any  iniquity,  however 
flagrant ;  that  you  will  not  quail  for  the 
consequences  of  any  conduct,  however 
irrational  or  revolting  ;  that  you  will  com- 
ply with  every  invitation  to  sinful  indul- 
gence ;  and  that  you  will  not  avoid  even 
the  last  extremes  of  delinquency.  If  the 
service  of  darkness  and  unrighteousness 
have  for  your  taste  the  highest  attractions, 
then  embark  your  whole  soul's  aff'ections 
in  that  cause — labour  in  it  zealously,  and 
labour  in  it  incessantly.  Let  no  scruples 
damp  your  ardour ;  let  no  fears  or  diffi- 
culties cause  you  to  flinch  or  swerve  one 
hair-breadth  from  the  road  that  leads  to 
hopeless  and  inevitable  perdition.  Let 
all  the  combined  considerations  of  pru- 
dence and  self-interest  be  awed  into 
silence ;  all  the  ties  of  duty,  and  all  the 
obligations  of  generosity,  be  disclaimed 
and  dissolved;  let  no  eloquence  of  love, 
no  solicitations  of  friendship,  no  menaces 
of  wrath,  and  no  promises  of  richest 
mercy  have  efficacy  to  move  or  to  melt 
your  hearts.  Let  neither  the  terrors  of 
hell  alarm  nor  the  hopes  of  paradise  allure 
you.  Let  neither  the  eternal  compassions 
of  the  Father,  the  expiring  tears  and  ago- 
nies of  the  Son,  nor  the  expostulations 
and  beseechings  of  the  Spirit  of  grace, 
be  able  to  unnerve  or  soften,  or  to  drive 
you  from  the  career  of  folly,  self-willed- 
ness,  and  contumacy,  on  which  you  have  so 
boldly  entered,  and  along  which  you  may 
be  advancing  with  fearful  and  portentous 
celerity.  If  you  choose  this  day  to  give 
yourselves  up  to  the  thrall  of  your  turbu- 
lent passions,  and  to  become  the  slaves 
of  all  ungodliness,  then  drown  every 
rising  conviction,  strangle  in  the  birth 
all  boding  apprehensions,  and  all  gloomy 
forecastings  of  the  future.  Let  the  re- 
proofs and  the  reproaches  of  the  divine 
word,  the  rebukes  of  an  outraged  law, 
S2 


210 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


the  pleadings  and  the  pathos  ot  a  still 
importunate  gospel  be  utterly  contemned  ; 
and  let  the  tender  expostulations  of  pious 
relatives,  the  frequent  and  urgent  admo- 
nitions of  the  ambassadors  of  Jesus,  the 
appointments  and  the  discipline  of  a  cor- 
rective Providence,  with  all  the  other 
appliances  and  expedients  of  exuberant 
grace  in  all  their  rich  variety,  and  con- 
centrated union  of  moral  force,  fall  blank 
and  bluntless  on  the  soul,  and  be  scorn- 
fully repelled,  even  as  the  surges  of  the 
chiding  main  are  indignantly  thrown  back 
and  churned  into  spray,  on  the  impregna- 
ble ramparts  of  an  iron  bound  strand. 

2.  But  if  you  choose,  as  we  trust  in 
God  you  will,  an  opposite  course  ;  if  you 
prefer,  as  we  pray  heaven  you  may,  the 
service  of  Jehovah  to  the  service  of  Satan 
— the  pleasures  of  holiness  to  the  plea- 
sures of  unrighteousness  ;  if  the  dedica- 
tion of  yourselves  to  the  worship  and 
enjoyment  of  the  Almighty  have  more 
attractions  for  you  than  devotedness  to 
the  vile  slavery  of  the  world  ;  if  you  give 
a  preference  to  felicities  that  are  uncloy- 
ing  and  unperishable,  to  flashes  of  mo- 
mentary hilarity,  and  to  bursts  of  carnal 
and  obstreperous  merriment,  then  stand 
not  for  a  moment  in  fatal  hesitation,  but 
range  yourselves  at  once  under  the  stand- 
ard of  the  cross,  and  resign  yourselves, 
without  reserve  and  without  condition,  to 
the  faith  and  obedience  of  the  gospel — to 
the  love  and  service  of  God,  your  Saviour 
and  Sanctifier.  Be  assured,  that  if  vital 
Christianity  be  to  you  any  thing,  it  must 
be  your  all  in  all.  If  salvation  be  a  pearl, 
it  is  one  of  infinite  price,  and  you  must 
feel  it  to  be  your  primary  duty  and  super- 
lative interest  to  sell  all,  to  relinquish 
fortune,  life  itself,  if  required,  and  the 
inheritance  of  a  whole  material  imiverse, 
did  you  possess  it,  in  exchange  for  a 
treasure  so  inestimable — a  prize  so  far 
above  and  beyond  all  calculation.  If  you 
are  sincerely  desirous  to  have  your  guilt 
canceliet!,  your  persons  accepted,  and 
your  title  to  the  immense  and  inexhausti- 
ble benefits  of  salvation  secured  beyond 
the  possibility  of  alienation,  cling  with 
avidity  to  the  divine  and  all-sufficient 
righteousness  of  the  Redeemer;  and  if 
you  are  truly  solicitous  to  be  the  subjects 


of  a  moral  transformation  ;  that  yon  may 
feel  God's  service  to  be  at  once  your 
dignity  and  delight,  apply  with  fervent 
assiduity  and  perseverance  to  the  reno- 
vating and  purifying  fountains  of  the 
spirit  of  holiness.  Let  there  be  no  oscil- 
lation in  your  will — no  vagueness  in  your 
purposes,  but  be  distinguished  for  the 
exclusiveness  with  which  you  attach 
yourselves  to  the  cause  of  religion,  on 
which  so  many  mighty  and  great  inter- 
ests are  depending. 

If  you  desire  to  be  Christians,  be  so  in 
deed  and  in  truth.  God  is  not  to  be 
mocked.  Let  your  intentions  be  une- 
quivocal, your  declarations  overt  and 
avowed,  your  life  unambiguous,  and  your 
character  above  all  suspicion.  Let  every 
feeling,  and  word,  and  action,  be  distinct- 
ly indicative  of  the  cause  you  have  es- 
poused, the  side  for  which  you  have 
arrayed  yourselves,  the  sanctified  society 
with  which  you  consort,  and  the  illustii- 
ous  heritage  which  you  have  chosen.  Let 
no  earthly  objects  divide  and  distract  your 
attention  from  the  prosecution  of  every 
holy  aim,  and  from. the  attainment  of 
every  moral  perfection.  Let  no  solicita- 
tions of  folly  or  pleasure  allure  you  from 
the  cross  of  Jesus,  no  proffers  of  reward 
or  recompense  from  any  quarter  seduce 
you  to  a  compromise  of  principle,  breach 
of  engagement,  or  violation  of  fidelity. 
If  you  have  enlisted  on  the  side  of  the 
great  Mediator,  and  taken  the  oath  of 
fealty  to  his  service,  then  see  that  you 
live  on  terms  of  intimate  and  devoted 
fellowship  with  him ;  that  there  be  an 
endearing  interchange  of  all  tender  offices 
and  sympathies  between  you ;  that  you 
are  powerfully  attached  to  his  person,  to 
his  righteousness,  to  his  laws,  and  to  his 
people;  that  he  habitually  lives  in  your 
thoughts,  in  your  confidence,  in  your 
affections,  in  your  hopes,  and  through 
your  entire  and  undivided  being;  that 
you  are  his  true  and  trusty  followers,  and 
that  your  hearts  are  fast  and  faithful  to 
every  impression  made  upon  them  by  his 
word  and  by  his  power,  by  his  Spirit  and 
by  his  providence.  Let  it  be  demonstra- 
tive that  the  Saviour  reigns  paramount 
in  your  souls — that  you  yield  implicit 
submission  to  every  tittle  of  his  will — 


THE  ONLY  ALTERNATIVE. 


211 


that  his  character  is  the  model  of  your 
perpetual   imitation — and   that  his   com- 
Tiandment  is  the  standard  of  all  your  holy 
obedience.     Let  it  be  farther  apparent, 
that    you   bear  a  close   resemblance   to 
Christ  in  all  his  moral  imitable  attributes, 
— in  piety  and  patience,  in  meekness  and 
humility,  in    heavenly-mindedness,   and 
in    universal    sanctity.     If  you   profess 
your  faith  and  attachment  to  the  gospel, 
if  you  avouch  yourselves  to  be  the  ser- 
vants of  the  living  God,  then  let  all  the 
distinctive  and  discriminating  evidences 
of  that  illustrious  relationship  beam  forth 
bright  and  conspicuous  from   the   inner 
temple  of  the  mind  ;  let  all  the  character- 
istics and  divine  excellences  of  the  reno- 
vated man  be  brought  out  into  warm  and 
vivid     manifestation     in    your     history. 
Shun  the  very  appearance  of  evil ;  let  sin 
be  dethroned  both  in  your  heart  and  in 
vour    life.      Abjure    all   communication 
■  with  the  world,  in  its  spirit  and  in   its 
pleasures,   in   its   principles   and   in   its 
practices.     "  Taste  not,  touch  not,  handle 
not,"  the  charmed  poisoned  cup  which  it 
mingles   and   proffers   to   intoxicate   the 
senses,   to   bewitch   the  reason,   and   to 
provoke  criminal  desire.     Hold  no  dally- 
ing with  its  follies,  no  flirtation  with  its 
vanities,  make  no  concession  to  its  de- 
mands, but  keep  a  retired  and  separate 
walk;  maintain  towards  it  a  distant  and 
studied  reserve.     And  farther,  make  no 
secret  of  the  election  you  have  made,  and 
the  interest  to  which  you  have  sworn  in- 
violable constancy.     Hesitate  not  for  an 
instant  to  avow  your  sentiments,  to  assert 
the  character  you  are  determined  to  sus- 
tain;  the  affections  you  are  resolved,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  to  cherish  ;  the  exalted 
motives  from  which  you  profess  to  act; 
the  noble  ends  you  have  in  view,  and  the 
glorious  destination  on  which  your  ambi- 
tion is  devotedly  centred.     Let  your  pro- 
fession,  your    principles,   and   all   your 
actions  clearly  and  unequivocally  testify, 
that  you  consider  you  have  no  intrinsic 
interest,  no  inherent  or  permanent  portion, 
in  the  riches,  honours,  or  possessions  of 
this  earth;  that  you  estimate  yourselves 
in  no  other  capacity  than  that  of  short 
lived  strangers,  making  a  precipitate  pas- 
sage through  its  territories,  and  hasten- 


ing to  another  and  eternal  countrv,  to  the 
enjoyment    of   a  fortune,    splendid    and 
sublime  as  are  the  stars,  and  enduring  as 
is   immortality   itself.     Let  it  be   there- 
fore distinctly  evident,  from  your  whole 
conversation,  appearance,  and   accoutre- 
ments, that  you  are  on  a  journey  ;  let  the 
sandalled   feet,  and   the   girt  loins,   the 
lights  burning,  and  the  staff  in  hand,  be- 
speak your  character,  profession,  and  pur- 
suit.    Let  every  thing  bear  attestation  to 
the  fact,  that  you  consider  you  have  ? 
work  to  execute  of  great  difficulty  and  of 
infinite  importance,  on  the  issue  of  whicl 
the  whole  burden  of  the  destinies  of  end 
less  ages  is  staked,  and   therefore    yot 
cannot  permit  your  attention  to  be  for  a 
moment    diverted   away   from    this   one 
grand  and  all-absorbing  business  of  your 
existence,   or  your    faculties   to   be   en- 
grossed by  an  inferior  object;  that  you 
are  the  citizens  of  another  world,  with 
high  prerogatives,  refined  tastes,  and  ex- 
quisite  moral   sensibilities,   and    cannot 
therefore  stoop  to  be  detained  by  trifles, 
or  amused  with  levities,  or  entertained 
with  vulgar  debasing   indulgences;  but 
must  act  up  to  the  dignity  of  a  celestial 
pedigree,  and  to  the  nobility  of  a  divine 
nature,  and  must  walk,  speak,  and  deport 
yourselves  in  every  respect,  as  becomes 
the  heirs  of  God,  the  kings  of  heaven, 
and  the  high  priests  of  eternity  ! 

n.  We  are  in  the  second  and  last 
place,  briefly  to  advert  to  the  special  time 
when  this  option  is  to  be  made,  and  this 
decision  come  to. 

The  text  specifies  and  limits  it  to  the 
present  hour — to  this  fleeting  moment  of 
existence.  "  Choose  ye  this  day  whom 
ye  will  serve."  In  every  relation  and 
condition  of  human  life,  we  know  how 
much  depends  on  the  cultivation  of  favour- 
able junctions,  and  the  improvement  of 
propitious  moments.  The  greatest  revo- 
lutions that  have  taken  place,  the  most 
splendid  victories  that  have  been  won, 
and  the  most  permanent  conquests  that 
have  been  achieved,  have  all  depended 
upon  a  judicious  estimate  and  critical 
application  of  time.  In  this  point  of 
view,  even  minutes  are  of  incalculable 
value,  seeing  the  most  important  transao 
tions  that  have  illustrated  and  signalized 


%12 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


the  world  have  hinged  upon  them.  If  it 
be  true,  what  a  writer  has  observed,  "  that 
it  is  possible  to  live  a  thousand  years  in 
a  quarter  of  an  hour,"  it  holds  still  truer, 
that  a  few  minutes  lost  or  improved  may 
decide  the  complexion  of  our  whole  des- 
tiny for  eternity.  A  single  hour  devoted 
to  the  best  purpose  may  suffice  to  reverse 
the  entire  existence  of  an  immortal  spirit, 
as  was  exemplified  in  the  case  of  the  dy- 
ing malefactor  who  was  suspended  by  the 
Redeemer's  side,  and  in  that  of  the  three 
thousand  souls  converted  by  a  few  brief 
sentences  spoken  by  the  apostle  Peter; 
while  it  is  a  position  of  equal  verity,  that 
ages,  even  illimitable  duration  itself,  will 
be  altogether  ineffectual  in  neutralizing 
or  remedying  the  deplorable  consequences 
of  talents  wasted,  privileges  abused,  pre- 
cious opportunities  frittered  away,  during 
the  flow  of  a  few  winged  months  of  this 
mortal  existence.  You  may,  therefore, 
be  this  very  moment  within  an  hour  of 
endless  ruin  or  everlasting  salvation. 
And  does  not  this  serve  to  convince  you, 
that  the  present  time — this  very  day — this 
very  night — may  be  the  knot  or  conjunc- 
ture to  which  the  whole  issues  of  your 
intellectual,  spiritual,  and  interminable 
being  are  intrusted ;  when  you  may  be 
building  a  superstructure  of  dignities  and 
felicities  on  a  scale  the  most  magnificent, 
or  be  entailing  and  perpetuating  all  the 
unbearable  and  aggravated  miseries  of  a 
violated  law  and  a  despised  gospel. 

"  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will 
serve,"  because  if  you  do  not  now  cast 
yourselves  into  the  arms  of  divine  com- 
passion, repose  unlimited  faith  in  the 
merits  and  mediation  of  the  Redeemer, 
and  "  repent  as  in  dust  and  ashes,"  your 
keeping  this  vital  question  in  a  state  of 
suspension  and  abeyance  can  only  be  the 
means  of  multiplying  all  the  difficulties 
that  lie  in  the  way  of  your  salvation,  and 
probably  defeating  or  preventing  the  ac- 
complishment of  it  altogether.  Procras- 
tination may  stave  off,  but  it  can  do  no 
more  than  simply  stave  off,  its  own  imme- 
diate crisis.  This  faltering  and  demur- 
ring can  only  tend  awfully  to  increase 
the  perils  you  brave,  and  the  hazards  you 
run,  to  charm  reason  and  conscience  to 
sleep,  to  nourish  and  confirm  those  habits 


of  lethargy  and  carnality  on  which  this 
reluctance,  and  even  aversion  to  practical 
Christianity  is  grafted.  Every  day's 
delay  is  augmenting  the  power,  and  con- 
solidating the  dreadful  influences,  of  ini- 
quity over  you,  entangling  you  deeper 
and  deeper  in  the  pollutions  and  snares 
of  the  world,  in  widening  the  breach  be- 
tween you  and  God,  in  piling  up  fresh 
materials  of  offence  and  condemnation, 
and  in  making  your  case  proportionately 
hopeless  and  desperate.  "  Choose  you 
this  day  whom  you  will  serve,"  because 
if  you  do  not  now  comply  with  the  paci- 
fic overtures  of  redemption,  embrace  God 
as  your  only  portion,  and  his  service  as 
your  only  delight,  another  offer  of  life 
may  never  be  made  to  you,  another  op- 
portunity of  exercising  saving  repentance 
may  not  again  be  afforded.  Many  cir- 
cumstances may  conspire  to  defeat  or 
frustrate  so  blessed  a  consummation — the 
exceeding  deceitfulness  of  sin,  the  illu- 
sions of  a  present  evil  world,  the  absorb- 
ing cares  of  business,  the  pomps  and 
amusements  of  life,  severe  bodily  weak- 
ness, mental  imbecility  or  sudden  disso- 
lution; and  just  as  you  are  going  on  de- 
bating the  point,  wishing  to  speculate  a 
little  longer  on  the  subject,  continuing  to 
alternate  between  what  you  shall  choose 
and  what  you  shall  reject,  the  door  of 
grace  may  abruptly  close,  your  last  hope 
may  be  wrested  from  you,  and  your  doom 
sealed  for  ever.  In  fine,  "  Choose  you 
this  day  whom  you  will  serve,"  because 
time  is  rushing  to  its  conclusion  with 
every  man  and  woman  of  this  generation, 
with  ominous  and  precipitate  speed  ;  and 
when  the  curtain  of  death  falls  upon  you 
— and  it  falls  often  suddenly,  and  gene- 
rally when  least  expected,  and  on  those 
who  are  worst  prepared  for  it — it  will  re- 
veal the  fallacy  and  the  inefficiency  of 
the  whole  stock  of  those  subterfuges  and 
shifts,  palliations  and  excuses,  which 
mark  in  all  the  unregenerate  so  strong  a 
disposition  to  evade  and  parry  off,  from 
Sabbath  to  Sabbath,  and  from  month  to 
month,  and  from  year  to  year,  the  united 
force  of  arguments  amounting  to  moral 
demonstration  in  favour  of  immediate 
faith  and  moral  reformation.  On  the  day 
of  solemn  reckoning  and  retribution,  will 


THt  O^LY  ALTERNATIVE. 


213 


it  not  be  an  aggravating  feature  In  the 
guilt  of  many,  that  they  were  ever  form- 
ing vague  and  undefined  plans  of  amend- 
ment, but  never  carried  them  into  effect; 
that  they  were  ever  making  magnanimous 
resolves,  but  never  executing  them ;  ever 
on  the  point  of  joining  themselves  to  the 
Lord,  and  yet  consuming  their  whole  ex- 
istence in  worshipping  and  doing  sacrifice 
to  the  idols  of  time;  and  will  not  the 
severest  doom  be  reserved  for  "  those 
slothful  and  undutiful  servants,"  who 
knew  their  Master's  will,  but  did  it  not; 
"  who,  when  required  to  go  and  work  in 
the  vineyard,  said,  We  go,  but  went 
not?" 

Seeing,  then,  that  there  is  equal  hazard 
and  criminality  in  every  moment's  delay, 
in  a  business  so  critical  and  so  moment- 
ous as  the  restoration  of  the  soul  to  God's 
favour  and  image,  and  the  insurance  of 
its  eternal   well-being,  we  would,  with 
all  earnestness,  press  it  upon  you  as  your 
first,  your  predominant,  and  your  ultimate 
interest,  to  give  yourselves  to  God  now, 
to  give  yourselves  to  God  wholly,  and  to 
give  yourselves  to  God  for  ever.     This 
is  your  paramount  obligation,  your  su- 
preme interest,  your  distinguishing  hon- 
our.    It  involves  also  the  only  infallible 
hope  of  your  final  salvation.     The  gospel, 
while  it  unfolds  a  remedial  economy  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  all  the  diversities  of 
our  most  necessitous  and  destitute  condi- 
tion, and  is  replete  with  blessings  of  the 
first  magnitude,  and  of  the  richest  variety, 
and    which    blessings   are    gratuitously 
tendered  to  all,  as  they  were  purchased 
for  all,  and  are  needed  by  all,  has  never- 
theless revealed  and  bequeathed  them  to 
the  human  race  upon  the  express  under- 
standing that  they  meet  with  an  instanta- 
neous   and  cordial  reception :  while   no 
excuse  will  be  sustained,  and  no  apology 
admitted,   on    any    ground    or  pretence 
whatsoever,  for  hesitation  or  delay,  which, 
in  every  case,  is  held  in  Scripture  equiva- 
lent to  a  disparagement,  or  actual   dis- 
claiming, of  the  whole  generous  and  gra- 
cious  proposals.      The    entire   word   of 
inspiration,   from  beginning   to  end,   is 
most  definite  and  specific  on  the  point  of 
the  present,  and  that  only,  being  "  man's 
day ;"  and  all  its  overtures  of  mercy  are 


restricted  and  circumscribed  to  this  re- 
volving, fleeting  hour.     The  gospel  lan- 
guage of  invitation  and  promise  to  sinners 
is  ever  couched  in  the  present  tense ;  and 
it  does  not  hold  out  one  distinct  hope  or 
pledge  that  its  calls,  if  unanswered  or  dis- 
regarded to-day,  will  be  repeated  to-mor- 
row, or  at  any  future  time.     Its  voice  is  I 
never  to  be  heard  but  in  the  accents  of 
precipitation  and  despatch  ;  its  messages 
of  love  and  forgiveness  to  perishing  crimi- 
nals are  all  sent  by  an  express,  while  it 
exhausts  the  vocabulary  of  denouncement 
and  condemnation  of  every  form  of  parley 
and  truce,  of  tampering  and  temporizing. 
It  inculcates,   in   the   most  urgent   and     ^ 
peremptory  tone,  "  Flee  from  the  coming 
wrath.      Hasten   your  escape  from   the 
stormy  wind  and  tempest.     Escape  for 
thy  life,  look   not  behind   thee,   neither 
stay  thou  in  all  the  plain  :  escape  to  the 
mountains,  lest  thou  be  consumed.     Now 
is  the  accepted  time,  now  is  the  day  of 
salvation."     Again,  he  limiteth  a  certain 
day,  saying,  in  David,  "  To-day,  if  ye 
will  hear  his  voice.     Exhort  one  another 
daily,  while  it  is  called  to-day."     And 
while  we  read  of  nothing  relating  to  faith, 
repentance,  and  salvation,  which  is  not 
spoken  of  as  critical  and  hazardous  in  the 
extreme,  if  deferred  to  some  future  and 
indefinite  period  ;  and  while  every  me- 
nace is  levelled,  and  every  admonition  is 
pointed,  against  faltering  and  procrastina- 
tion, every  gospel  blessing  is  proffered, 
every   distinction    and   pre-eminence   of 
salvation  is  pledged,  and  will  infallibly 
be  conferred  upon  those  who  yield  com- 
pliance with  its  pressing  summons,  and 
who  immediately  accede  to  its  treasures 
of  grace,  which  are  on  a  scale  of  magni- 
tude and  glory  that  transcend  all  cost  and 
all  calculation.     "Turn  ye  to  the  strong 
hold,  ye  prisoners  of  hope ;  even  to-day 
do  I  declare   that  I  will  render  double 
unto  you.     Ye  stand  this  day  all  of  you 
before  the  Lord  your  God,  that  he  may 
establish  you  to-day  for  a  people   unto 
himself,  and  that  he  may  be  unto  you  a 
God,  as  he  hath  said  unto  you."     If  you 
will  this  day,  then,  "  Choose  the  Lord  to 
be  your  God,"  we  proffer  to  you,  in  his 
name  and  by  his  authority,  that  you  shall 
be  presently  installed  in  the  possession 


214 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


of  all  the  benefits  and  immunities  of  the 
Redeemer's  purchase  without  deduction 
and  without  qualification  ;  that  you  shall 
instantaneously  emerge  from  under  the 
dark  shadows  of  the  fall,  that  mighty  and 
mysterious  eclipse  of  humanity,  into  the 
effulgence  of  the  light,  and  the  plenitude 
of  the  joy,  of  a  renovated,  heaven-born 
nature ;  and  the  silent  tide   of  oblivion 
shall  instantly  close   for   ever   over   all 
your  past  and   greatest   sins ;   and   you 
shall   be   immediately   admitted    within 
the  privileged  circle  of  the  redeemed  of 
the  Lord,  shall  have  discerned  to  you  the 
prince  of  honours,  and  the  meridian  of 
felicities  ;  that  your  brow  shall  be  encir- 
"'*    cled  with  a  double  diadem  of  life  and 
righteousness ;  that  a  patent  to  all  the 
titles  and  the  illustrious  dignities  of  the 
nobility  of  the  heaven  of  heavens,  shall 
be  made  out  for  you,  which   nothing  in 
time  or  eternity  can  alienate  or  rescind  ; 
that   paradise  shall   unlock   for  you   its 
everlasting  gates,  and  the  soul  of  grace  and 
godliness  be  poured  into  your  expanded 
hearts;  and  you  shall  behold  the  intermi- 
nable future  through  a  vista  of  brightest 
hopes,  and  inherit  a  name  immortal  in  the 
records  of  glory;  and  while  you  continue 
on  earth  your  spirit  shall  be  bathed  in  a 
flood  of  heavenly  bliss,  and  from  habitual 
communion    and    intercourse    with    the 
Godhead,  prayer  shall  swell  into  praise, 
praise  into  adoration,  and  adoration  into 
rapture  I 

Awake,  then,  awake  from  this  delirium 
and  trance.  Rouse  from  this  extreme 
and  passive  torpidity  of  soul,  and  shake 
off  the  inexplicable  stupor  that  has  fallen 
upon  your  spirits.  Bealive  to  the  affect- 
ing realities  of  your  perilous  situation; 
sit  not  a  moment  longer  in  silent  and  ab- 
stracted musing,  but  precipitate  your 
escape  from  impending  disaster  and  death, 
and  hasten  this  mighty  question,  so  long 
pending,  to  an  immediate  and  final  adjust- 
ment. We  do  entreat,  that  all  other 
cares  and  avocations  be  for  the  time  sus- 
pended, and  your  whole  faculties  bent  to 
the  furtherance  of  this  one  grand  concern  ; 
we  implore,  that  all  other  interests,  being 
immeasurably  inferior  and  subordinate, 
be  silent  before  this  overwhelming  inter- 
est of  the  soul ;  we  call  upon  your  strenu- 


ous and  sustained  application  in  contend- 
ing for  the  last  great  stake  of  life ;  and 
we  beseech  you,  if  any  good  feeling  and 
conviction  be  now  at  work,  that  you  fan 
the  holy  flame,  and  entirely  resign  your- 
selves to  the  divine  impulse ;  for  oh  !  the 
course  of  many  of  you  is  now  almost  run, 
and  your  life  hangs  by  a  single  hair,  and 
the  term  of  grace  and  opportunity  is  wear- 
ing rapidly  away.  "  Wo  unto  us,  for 
the  day  goeth  away ;  for  the  shadows  of 
the  evening  are  stretched  out;"  and  God 
only  knows  what  the  next  hour  may  de- 
velope,  and  on  what  new  perils  each  suc- 
cessive morn  may  break.  The  sunshine 
is  fast  fading  away  ;  the  storm  is  brewing, 
and  will  quickly  burst:  every  moment's 
delay  may  cost  a  life,  and  a  solitary  spark 
may  ignite  the  train  of  an  endless  confla- 
gration. All  things  have  now  come  to  a 
point.  Half  measures  will  no  longer 
suffice ;  this  is  the  very  bruTit  and  crisis 
of  your  eternal  fate.  Now  is  the  ultima- 
tum of  gospel  remonstrance  and  solicita- 
tion with  you.  This  is  the  solemn  and 
momentous  juncture,  when  you  must 
secure  or  lose  your  everlasting  interest 
in  the  great  redemption  ;  when  your  an- 
swer to  the  grand  question  must  be  clear 
and  categorical,  affirmative  or  negative  : 
for  yet  another  hour  and  the  high  game 
of  time  is  up  with  you,  and  the  last  stake 
will  be  played  for  good  or  CA'il,  for  life 
or  death,  for  two  worlds,  of  ecstacy  or  of 
agony,  through  the  utmost  range  of  an 
unbounded  existence.  You  have  gone 
too  far  now  to  recede.  The  passes  of 
flight  are  insuperably  barred.  You  are  too 
deeply  and  personally  implicated  in  this 
matter  ever  to  retract.  You  are  shut  up, 
and,  all  your  destinies,  spiritual  and  eter- 
nal, are  concentrated  within  this  narrow 
verge.  Escape  is  impossible;  you  are 
hemmed  in  on  every  side,  and  your  last 
retreat  is  cut  off.  Either,  then,  you  must 
immediately,  and  on  the  spot,  surrender 
at  discretion  to  the  proposals  of  amnesty 
and  tenderest  clemency ;  consent  to  be 
pardoned  and  redeemed,  to  reign  in  life, 
to  flourish  in  renown,  and  to  be  crowned 
with  endless  felicity  ;  or  to  be  condemned 
as  renegades,  taken  with  the  weapons  of 
rebellion  in  their  hands,  and  adjudged  to 
never-ending    shame    and     punishment. 


A  HOLY  LIFE  IMPORTANT. 


215 


And  let  the  truth  be  branded  into  your 
inmost  heart,  that  at  whatever  conclusion 
you  arrive  in  this  case,  and  whether  you 
make  your  option  this  day  or  not,  the  cir- 
cumstance will  assuredly  not  prevent  the 
transit  of  this  day  into  the  womb  of  the 
past.  However  lightly  you  may  hold, 
and  however  wantonly  you  may  riot 
away,  the  successive  winged  hours  of 
this  poor  mortal  span,  the  loss  of  each 
hour  is  an  important  abstraction  from  the 
scanty  remnant  of  a  most  fragile  and 
fugitive  life.  Your  hesitancy  and  delay 
will  not  retard  for  one  moment  the  sun, 
which  has  mounted  the  heavens  this 
morning,  from  going  down  at  his  ap- 
pointed time ;  your  dreaming  and  yawn- 
ing away  of  this  brief  term  of  grace  will 
not  preclude  its  rushing  to  its  conclusion 
with  equal  and  portentous  speed ;  even  if 
the  very  existence  and  happiness  of  the 
whole  universe  were  suspended  on  the 
phenomenon,  the  shadow  upon  the  dial- 
plate  would  not  go  backward  this  evening 
by  one  degree ;  and  were  it  to  be  the 
means  of  averting  the  whole  catastrophe 
of  your  immortal  doom,  time  would  not 
stop  for  you  one  wave  of  its  unstaying  and 
resistless  tide. 

Oh  !  flee,  then,  to  the  sovereign  and 
infallible  refuge  set  before  you  in  the 
gospel.  Avail  yourselves  of  the  noble 
and  all-efficient  remedy  instituted  by  God 
for  your  deliverance  from  wrath,  and  re- 
storation to  his  friendship  and  moral  like- 
ness ;  improve  and  apply  for  your  perfect 
salvation,  the  admirable  and  inexhaust- 
ible provisions  of  infinite  wisdom  and 
everlasting  grace.  "  And  what  thou 
doest  do  quickly."  Put  not  the  question 
of  heaven  or  hell,  bliss  or  misery,  salva- 
tion or  destruction,  one  hour  longer  in 
quarantine,  but  bring  it  to  a  summary 
and  solemn  bearing.  Give  in,  this  very 
instant,  your  submission  to  the  overtures 
of  reconciliation  and  peace;  expedite 
your  escape  to  the  broad  and  imperish- 
able Rock  of  ages,  that  rears  its  head 
aloft,  far  above  the  surrounding  surges, 
for  the  protection  and  security  of  exposed, 
shipwrecked  sinners.  Return  like  the 
dove,  after  wandering  over  the  face  of 
the  earth,  seeking  rest  and  finding  none, 
to  the  ark  of  your  salvation-      Throw 


yourselves  into  the  everlasting  and  out- 
stretched arms  of  the  once  suffering  and 
slain,  but  now  the  ascended  and  life- 
giving  Redeemer,  who  is  beseeching  you 
by  all  the  overflowing  compassions  he 
has  manifested  for  you,  and  by  the  ten 
thousand  claims  which  he  has  estab- 
lished upon  your  admiration,  confidence, 
and  obedience,  that  ye  come  to  him, 
t^hat  ye  may  be  justified,  renovated,  and 
glorified.  And  let  the  trumpet  of  gos- 
pel mercy,  as  it  vibrates  with  thrilling 
transport  through  your  frame,  be  cor- 
dially and  joyfully  responded  to;  and 
let  its  tenders  of  love,  and  oblivion  of 
all  guilt,  be  more  grateful  to  you,  than 
the  proclamation  of  life  to  the  condemned 
malefactor  on  the  scaffold  ;  its  purifying 
and  refreshing  fountains,  more  welcome 
than  streams  in  the  desert  to  the  parched 
and  prostrate  caravan;  and  the  discovery 
of  its  splendid  heritage  of  rest  and  glory, 
more  delightful  to  your  eyes  than  the 
sight  of  harbour  to  the  sea-sick  and  tem- 
pest-beaten mariner! 


A    HOLY    LIFE   IMPORTANT. 

I  WILL  be  sure  to  live  well,  because 
the  virtuous  life  of  a  clergyman  is  the 
most  powerful  eloquence  to  persuade  all 
that  see  it  to  reverence  and  love,  and  at 
least  to  desire  to  live  like  him.  And  this 
I  will  do,  because  I  know  we  live  in  an 
age  that  hath  more  need  of  good  examples 
than  precepts.  And  I  beseech  that  God, 
who  hath  honoured  me  so  much  as  to 
call  me  to  serve  him  at  his  altar,  that  as 
by  his  special  grace  he  hath  put  into  my 
heart  these  good  desires  and  resolutions ; 
so  he  will,  by  his  assisting  grace,  give 
me  ghostly  (spiritual)  strength  to  bring 
the  same  to  good  effect.  And  I  beseech 
him,  that  my  humble  and  charitable  life 
may  so  win  upon  others,  as  to  bring  glory 
to  my  Jesus,  whom  I  have  this  day  taken 
to  be  my  master  and  governor;  and  I  am 
so  proud  of  his  service,  that  I  will  always 
observe,  and  obey,  and  do  his  will  ;  and 
always  call  him,  Jesus  my  master;  and 
I  will  always  contemn  my  birth,  or  any 
title  or  dignity  that  can  be  conferred  upon 
me,  when  I  shall  compare  them  with  my 
title  of  being  a  priest,  and  serving  at  the 
altar  of  Jesus  my  master. — Herbert, 


SERMON  XXIII. 

THE    DESTINY   OF    MAN. 
BY  THE  REV.  THEOPHILUS  LESSEY. 


"  Then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was :  and  the  spirit  shall  return  unto  God  who 
gave  it." — Eccles.  xii.  7. 


"  God  speaketh  once,  yea,  twice,  but 
man  regardeth  it  not,"  is  the  language  of 
Elihu.  It  was  true  then  ;  it  is  true  now: 
the  voice  of  God  is  not  listened  to  by  a 
careless,  thoughtless  world.  He  speaks 
through  various  means  ;  not  only  by  the 
instituted  ordinances  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  the  regular  ministration  of  his  holy 
Word  ;  he  speaks  by  the  dispensations  of 
his  providence.  He  speaks  in  the  calm 
and  serene  dispensations  of  mercy  and 
love ;  he  speaks  in  the  storm  and  in  the 
tempest :  but  how  are  they  disregarded 
by  us  !     Thoughtless  man  ! 

And  yet,  my  brethren,  man  is  not  es- 
sentially inattentive  to  future  things ;  it 
is  not  characteristic  of  man  to  live  for  the 
present  alone :  he  is  distinguished  from 
the  inferior  orders  of  the  creation  by  his 
attachment  to  futurity.  He  is  a  prospect- 
ive creature,  looking  forward,  taking  a 
prospective  view  of  what  may  be  sup- 
posed to  be  his  situation  and  circum- 
stances at  some  remote  period.  And 
even  with  reference  to  the  separation  of 
his  mysterious  nature  in  this  world,  death 
becomes  the  subject  of  arithmetical  calcu- 
lation :  almost  every  thing  valuable  is 
insured.  Man  strives  to  set  up  a  security 
against  the  consequences  of  his  own  dis- 
solution ;  he  takes  care  that  all  his  title- 
deeds  are  valid  ;  he  takes  care  to  make 
his  will  and  provide  for  his  posterity, 
and  especially  for  his  posthumous  repu- 
tation ;  he  links  his  feelings  with  remote 
futurity ;  he  anticipates  what  the  coming 
generation  will  think  concerning  him. 
He  is  there  going  out  into  the  profound  of 
216 


the  future  ;  he  is  allowing  his  imagination 
to  expatiate  amidst  scenes  that  are  distant 
— and  yet  neglects  his  immortal  future, 
and  is  careless  about  his  deathless  spirit. 

Certainly  this  must  proceed  from  a 
moral  cause  ;  it  does  not  proceed  from 
any  physical  defect.  We  are  not  sur- 
prised at  the  improvidence  of  the  brute 
creation  :  they  live  by  instinct ;  they  are 
intended  to  ruminate  on  present  scenes. 
Man  is  distinguished  from  the  brute  crea- 
tion by  his  capacity  for  reflection  and 
anticipation :  we  must,  therefore,  trace 
this  unaccountable  neglect  of  man  to  a 
moral  cause.  It  proves  that  a  calamity 
has  happened  to  him,  that  he  is  a  fallen 
creature ;  a  perverted  heart,  a  depraved 
mind,  have  turned  him  aside ;  he  is  not 
what  God  created  him. 

Nothing,  my  brethren,  more  certainly, 
more  affectingly  proves  that  man  is  sold 
to  the  captivity  of  this  world  than  his 
regard  for  it,  his  unconquerable  adher- 
ence to  it.  You  cannot  break  him  off: 
no  power  but  the  Omnipotence  that  called 
him  into  being  can  dissolve  the  chain  that 
binds  him  to  earth — no  pestilence  walk- 
ing in  darkness,  no  calamity  befalling 
his  species,  no  distress  happening  to 
himself:  he  is  proof  against  them  all. 
He  loses  a  friend ;  he  indulges  in  sorrow 
for  a  moment  or  two,  and  it  passes  away; 
he  returns  from  the  burial  of  his  friend  to 
his  business,  and  plunges  into  it  with  a 
total  indifference  to  futurity.  The  whole 
world  is  moving  all  around — he  is  care- 
less ;  or,  if  he  is  at  all  alarmed  by  some 
fearful    manifestation   of  Divine   provi- 


THE  DESTINY  OF  MAN. 


217 


dence,  it  is  only  the  alarm  of  a  brute  gaz- 
ing for  a  moment ;  and  we  may  indeed 
apply  to  too  many  the  humiliating  lan- 
guage which  David  employs  with  refer- 
ence to  himself:  "  So  foolish  was  I,  and 
ignorant;  I  was  as  a  beast  before  thee." 
The  report  of  a  gun,  or  some  circumstance 
of  danger,  will  cause  the  oxen  to  pause 
and  gaze ;  they  forget  it,  and  they  graze 
again.  So  it  is  with  man  ;  for  a  moment 
he  may  be  agitated  and  affected,  and  then 
he  sinks  into  a  lethargy,  and  remains  in- 
sensible to  eternal  things.  Oh,  how  ne- 
cessary it  is  that  there  should  be  a  perpe- 
tual voice  to  remind  man  of  his  mortality  ! 
God  has  instituted  the  Christian  minis- 
try ;  and  though  that  ministry  is  designed 
to  bring  forth  evangelical  truth,  to  place 
it  in  a  clear  and  conspicuous  light,  and 
bring  it  home  to  the  conscience  with  fear- 
ful and  impressive  manifestations,  yet  it 
is  often  powerless. 

The  subject  presented  by  the  text  is 
one  of  a  most  solemn  kind.  Some  sub- 
jects, in  order  to  be  understood,  must  be 
explained :  death  requires  no  explana- 
tion ;  "  the  living  know  that  they  must 
die."  Some  subjects,  in  order  to  be  be- 
lieved, must  be  proved,  must  be  argued, 
must  be  confirmed  :  death  wants  no  argu- 
ment ;  there  it  is.  Some  subjects  are  not 
sufficiently  interesting  to  obtain  attention  ; 
they  are  interesting  to  a  certain  class,  not 
to  all  classes  ;  they  press  with  peculiar 
weight  on  certain  individuals — they  do 
not  touch  others  :  death,  like  the  atmos- 
phere, presses  on  all ;  death  is  a  subject 
that  should  come  home  to  every  man's 
bosom  and  conscience ;  I  must  die  as 
certainly  as  I  live — as  certainly  as  you 
live  you  must  die :  a  few  years  will  re- 
move this  large  mass  of  human  beings  into 
eternity.  "  Then" — I  know  not  when  ; 
perhaps  the  "  then"  may  be  very  near — 
perhaps  the  momentous  hour  may  be 
approaching — "  Then  shall  the  dust  re- 
turn to  the  earth  as  it  was :  and  the  spirit 
shall  return  to  God  who  gave  it."  Oh, 
may  we  be  assisted  in  our  meditations  on 
this  passage  !  Our  thoughts  now  rumi- 
nate on  solemn  subjects;  and  I  earnestly 
pray  that  we  may  be  assisted  to  disen- 
gage our  minds  from  all  earthly  and  tri- 
vial concerns ! 

Vol.  I.— 28 


The  royal  preacher  here  pronounces  the 
destiny  of  man.  Several  things  are  pre- 
sented to  our  consideration  in  the  declara- 
tion. First,  the  compound  nature  of  man  ; 
he  consists  of  a  body  and  a  spirit.  Se- 
condly, the  resolution  of  that  material 
body  to  its  original  dust.  Thirdly,  the 
return  of  the  immortal  spirit  to  its  great 
Creator. 

First,  we  are  taught  by  the  text,  the 

COMPOUND  NATURE  OF    MAN.       He  COUsistS 

of  two  very  different  natures,  two  very 
different  principles — a  mortal  body,  and 
an  immortal  spirit.  During  this  earthly 
life  these  two  principles  are  mysteriously 
united  in  one ;  so  that  man  lives  as  a 
compound  being.  He  was  so  formed  by 
the  Almighty  :  we  have  an  account  of  his 
creation  in  brief,  but  clear  and  simple 
language.  "  So  God  created  man  in  his 
own  image ;  in  the  image  of  God  created 
he  him."  This  could  not  refer  to  the 
material  part.  For  God  is  a  pure  spirit, 
and  all  we  know  of  the  essence  of  God  is 
that  he  is  a  spirit ;  and  the  spirituality 
of  his  nature  forms  the  basis  of  all  those 
attributes  in  which  he  is  arrayed  :  conse- 
quently no  modification  of  matter  can 
bear  any  resemblance  to  the  Divine  Being. 
We  must  look  to  something  more  than 
matter  for  the  traces  and  features  of  Di- 
vine resemblance.  Therefore  we  read, 
"  The  Lord  God  formed  man  of  the  dust 
of  the  ground,  and  breathed  into  his  nos- 
trils the  breath  of  life ;  and  man  became 
a  living  soul :"  God  breathed  into  him 
the  breath  of  life,  that  principle  in  man 
which  constitutes  his  existence — that 
principle  in  man  which  operates  on  ex- 
ternal organs,  and  which  pervades  the 
material  system,  his  God  breathed  into 
him.  "  There  is  a  spirit  in  man  ;  and 
the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty  giveth 
them  understanding."  Therefore  it  is  an 
intellectual  life :  it  is  a  life  capable  of 
thought,  volition,  and  affection.  The 
material  part  of  man,  that  which  meets 
the  eye,  is  that  with  which  we  are  best 
acquainted.  Its  growth  is  vegetative; 
that  is,  it  is  preserved  in  existence  by  a 
kind  of  involuntary  means  :  God's  care 
preserves  the  creatures  he  has  made. 

It  would  be  very  delightful  to  dwell 
on  the  wisdom  and  the  goodness  of  God 


218 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


and  the  structure  of  the  material  system, 
and  to  show  how  exactly  all  the  organs 
in  that  system  are  suited  to  the  operations 
of  the  indwelling  spirit.  We  cannot  have 
a  more  delightful  manifestation  of  the 
benevolence  of  the  Divine  Being  than  in 
the  structure  of  the  human  body.  But 
still  though  so  exquisitely  formed — as 
the  inspired  writer  says,  "  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  made" — it  is  mere  matter, 
which  has  been  combined  under  the  form- 
ing hand  of  .lehovah  with  exquisite  skill. 
It  is  impossible  to  go  into  an  examination 
of  the  internal  structure,  or  the  external 
organs  of  the  body,  without  perceiving 
that  there  was  a  presiding  intelligence 
over  the  whole;  that  God  knew  what 
kind  of  spirit  he  was  about  to  lodge  in 
the  habitation.  "  Every  house,"  says 
the  apostle,  "  is  builded  by  some  man  ; 
but  he  that  built  all  things  is  God."  The 
human  body  is  very  frequently  termed  a 
house,  a  tabernacle.  How  do  we  know 
that  every  house  is  built  by  some  man  1 
Because  it  displays  everywhere  the  signs 
of  contrivance  :  there  is  intelligence  and 
wisdom  displayed  in  the  whole.  So 
when  we  take  up  the  human  tabernacle, 
we  see  the  wisdom  of  God  everywhere 
manifest  in  adapting  the  particular  struc- 
ture of  the  organ  to  the  operation  of  that 
spirit  which  was  to  perform  its  functions 
through  the  aid  of  such  organization. 

But  still  we  cannot  avoid  coming  to 
the  humiliating  thought  that  it  is  dust: 
it  is  subject  to  the  laws  of  matter  ;  it  may 
decay  by  age  ;  it  may  be  injured  or  de- 
stroyed by  force  ;  there  is  no  dependence 
on  its  continuance  ;  it  is  frequently  out 
of  order;  it  is  perpetually  evincing  its 
fragile  and  transient  nature.  How  fre- 
quently are  we  the  painful  subjects  of 
those  evidences  of  mortality  which  sur- 
round us,  and  which  exist  within  us ! 
The  seeds  of  mortality  are  sown  in  the 
soul  of  this  earthly  tabernacle;  the  seeds 
of  mortality  are  lodged  in  this  dust,  beau- 
tiful as  it  may  be  :  they  are  vegetating, 
they  are  growing,  they  are  shooting  out 
in  different  directions,  the  fruit  is  hasten- 
ing to  maturity,  that  is,  death. 

Yes,  we  say  that  man  is  dust.  This 
is  humiliating :  and,  if  it  could  be  brought 
home,  it  certainly  would  have  its  due  in- 


fluence on  our  minds.  All  the  excellence 
of  man  resides  in  his  immortal  spirit : 
there  is  no  abstract  excellence  in  the 
body;  Just  as  there  can  be  no  abstract 
excellence,  no  abstract  intellectual  or  es- 
sential excellence,  in  any  combination  of 
matter.  From  our  association  with  mat- 
ter we  are  in  danger  of  terminating  our 
views  with  the  material  system.  This 
is  the  dangerous  tendency  to  which  that 
class  of  men  are  exposed  who  study  phy- 
siology :  the  nature  of  their  research  has 
often  led  them  into  materialism  ;  they 
have  denied  that  there  is  any  spirit  in  the 
body ;  they  have  altogether  lost  sight  of 
the  lofty  and  glorious  distinction  between 
mind  and  matter;  they  have  employed 
their  inventive  powers  to  discover  other 
causes  for  intellectual  and  moral  pheno- 
mena than  those  which  the  Scriptures 
direct  us  to.  They  have  represented  man 
as  nothing  more  than  one  of  the  clods  of 
the  valley ;  they  have  ascribed  all  the 
mysterious  functions  of  vitality  to  the 
peculiar  organization  of  the  material  sys- 
tem. 

This  is  very  affecting,  indeed  ;  because 
God  has  so  wisely  constructed  the  human 
system  that  it  is  admirably  adapted  to  all 
the  functions  of  the  spirit.  It  is  not  the 
eye  which  sees ;  it  is  not  the  ear  which 
hears.  The  organization  will  remain  the 
same  till  dissolution,  till  the  putrefaction 
of  this  piece  of  matter  takes  place  ;  there 
will  be  the  same  exquisitely  beautiful 
formation  of  the  eye,  the  same  adaptation 
of  the  ear — the  same  system  through  the 
whole  :  but  there  will  be  no  power  ;  the 
eyes  will  not  see,  the  ears  will  not  hear. 
The  fallen  jaw,  the  cold  marble  face,  the 
senseless  expression,  prove  that  the  vital 
principle  is  gone.  "  Let  me  bury  ray 
dead  out  of  my  sight."  It  no  longer  pos- 
sesses any  thing  excellent — it  is  a  vile 
body.  Let  the  rich,  and  the  great,  and 
the  noble,  remember  this.  Let  us  value 
those  things  that  belong  to  the  eternal 
spirit ;  let  us  value  those  truths  which 
relate  to  the  inner  man. 

When  the  powers  of  the  understanding 
are  sanctified  by  divine  grace,  they  are 
ennobled  :  and  even  when  they  are  7iot 
sanctified  they  excite  our  admiration,  but 
with   our    admiration   we    mingle   pity. 


THE  DESTINY  OF  MAN. 


219 


We  see  a  human  spirit  which  employs 
its  intellectual  lacullies  only  in  relation 
to  the  present  state  of  things.  He  has 
genius  of  the  highest  order ;  he  is  a  poet, 
he  is  an  orator ;  he  has  attracted  atten- 
tion and  admiration  to  himself:  hut,  alas  ! 
the  blaze  of  his  genius  expires  in  the 
tomb.  His  genius  is  not  consecrated  at 
the  footstool  of  the  throne  of  God  :  those 
amazing  powers  which  render  him  a  kind 
of  intellectual  phenomenon  are  hastening 
to  set  in  darkness :  and  there  is  an  end 
of  him.  Some  are  ready  to  say — (my 
brethren,  we  must  not  give  way  to  the 
mere  poetical  sentimentalism  of  the  day) 
— that  there  is  nothing  about  him,  bright 
and  brilliant  as  he  may  be,  that  will  sur- 
vive the  dissolution  of  his  earthly  frame  : 
those  powers  that  are  producing  such  an 
astonishing  effect,  those  powers  that  are 
throwing  out  the  brightness  of  intellectual 
discovery,  that  are  applying  themselves 
to  the  investigation  of  scientific  truth — 
those  powers  that  are  employed  in  the 
construction  of  curious  machines — those 
powers  that  are  so  lofty,  and  striking, 
and  wondrous — will  pass  away  into  the 
darkness  of  the  bottomless  pit ;  and  all 
the  dignity  and  glory,  and  all  the  majesty 
of  the  intellectual  principle  sink  into  the 
grave,  and  lower  than  the  grave.  I  tell 
you,  seriously,  that  thing  in  man  will 
survive — that  deathless  spirit  which  en- 
dears him  to  God,  that  which  endears 
him  to  angels,  that  which  gives  him  a 
high  and  noble  dignity. 

Yes,  there  is  a  spirit  in  man;  and,  oh, 
how  noble  is  that  spirit,  contemplated 
apart  from  the  desolating  influence  of  sin 
— contemplated  beforef/Tt  was  touched 
and  tainted  by  the  virus  of  iniquity — con- 
templated when  it  shone  in  the  beauty  of 
its  original  form,  when  it  was  prepared 
by  God  to  reflect  his  own  image,  and  en- 
dued with  an  understanding  that  was  to 
expatiate  in  the  opening  manifestations  of 
divine  truth  ;  an  understanding  capable  of 
perpetually  new  combinations  of  intellec- 
tual beauty  and  glory  ;  an  understanding 
that  qualified  the  favoured  being  for  inter- 
course with  the  eternal  fountain  of  life  ; 
with  powers  connected  with  that  under- 
standing— a  memory  that  should  be  a 
treasure  of  all   that  was  excellent  and 


good — an  imagination  that  should  be  em- 
ployed in  shadowing  forth  celestial  and 
spiritual  blessedness — a  will  that  siiould 
ever  be  ready  to  hasten  on  the  errands 
of  God,  and  attach  the  individual  to  the 
purposes  of  God — affections,  modifica 
tions  of  that  will,  that  should  run  in  per- 
fect harmony  with  the  will  of  God  !  Oh, 
yes,  it  was  a  spirit  breathed  from  God; 
it  was  God's  own  offspring:  it  was  a 
divine  emanation  ;  it  was  a  ray  from  the 
inexhaustible  fountain  ;  it  was  man  form- 
ed in  the  image  of  God.  Oh,  how  fallen 
and  how  inglorious  now  ! 

But  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  grace  of 
God  repairs  the  ruined  house  ;  it  raises 
up  the  fallen  nature  of  man ;  and  it  gives 
to  the  clayey  tenement  again  a  happy  and 
immortal  spirit.  Remember  that  the  best 
part  of  man  is  the  deathless  spirit.  Think 
of  this  :  you  are  dust,  however  clothed 
in  purple  and  fine  linen,  however  decked 
in  the  insignia  of  dignity  and  royalty, 
however  separated  and  distinguished  from 
your  fellows — whatever  may  be  your  situ- 
ation in  life,  however  you  may  disgrace 
or  adorn  it — you  are  dust,  you  are  has- 
tening to  the  dust.  But  there  is  a  spirit 
that  will  survive  that  dissolution;  and 
that  spirit  forms  the  proper  dignity  and 
glory  of  man. 

The  royal  preacher  teaches  us  the  re- 
solution OF  THIS  MATERIAL  PART  OF  MAN 

INTO  ITS  ORIGINAL  DUST.  "  Then  shall 
the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was : 
and  the  spirit  shall  return  unto  God  who 
gave  it."  How  difficult  it  is  to  prevail 
on  man  to  contemplate  his  own  dissolu- 
tion !  It  is  a  subject  studiously  avoided  ; 
and  yet  it  is  to  man  of  all  subjects  the 
most  solemn,  the  most  solemnly  and  in- 
tensely interesting. 

There  is  no  point  of  view  in  which 
man  can  be  contemplated  that  will  give 
to  his  spirit  admonitory  lessons  of  in- 
struction more  powerful,  more  practical, 
and  more  permanent,  than  the  Study  and 
contemplation  of  his  dissolution — his  de- 
parture from  this  world.  This  dissolu- 
tion may  be  preceded  by  the  infirmities 
of  old  age,  according  to  the  beautiful 
description  of  the  royal  preacher  in  the 
verses  preceding  the  text :  "  In  the  day 
when  the  keepers  of  the  house  shall  trem- 


220 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


ble,  and  the  strong  men  shall  bow  them- 
selves, and  the  grinders  cease  because 
they  are  few,  and  those  that  look  out  of 
the  windows  be  darkened  ;  and  the  doors 
shall  be  shut  in  the  streets,  when  the 
sound  of  the  grinding  is  low ;  and  he 
shall  rise  up  at  the  voice  of  the  bird ; 
and  all  the  daughters  of  music  shall  be 
brought  low  :  also  when  they  shall  be 
afraid  of  that  which  is  high,  and  fears 
shall  be  in  the  way,  and  the  almond  tree 
shall  flourish,  and  the  grasshopper  shall 
be  a  burden,  and  desire  shall  fail ;  be- 
cause man  goeth  to  his  long  home,  and 
the  mourners  go  about  the  streets :  or 
ever  the  silver  cord  be  loosed,  or  the 
golden  bowl  be  broken,  or  the  pitcher 
be  broken  at  the  fountain,  or  the  wheel 
broken  at  the  cistern  :  then  shall  the  dust 
return  to  the  earth  as  it  was ;  and  the 
spirit  shall  return  unto  God  who  gave  it." 

This  beautiful  imagery  may  be  distri- 
buted into  three  parts :  the  first  is  alle- 
gorical ;  the  second  literal ;  and  the  third 
again  is  allegorical.  The  middle  verse, 
"Also  when  they  shall  be  afraid  of  that 
which  is  high,"  &c.,  is  certainly  literal: 
it  denotes  the  tremulousness,  and  the 
apprehensive  character  of  old  age.  All 
firmness  is  gone ;  every  thing  produces 
a  palpitation,  a  trembling ;  the  individual 
becomes  the  subject  of  highly  nervous 
irritability ;  there  is  general  weakness 
and  debility  ;  he  is  sinking  into  the  grave. 
In  the  former  description  there  is  refer- 
ence to  a  frequent  simile — a  house  and 
its  inhabitant.  There  is  a  striking  dis- 
tinction between  the  habitation  and  the 
inhabitant.  You  perceive  the  exact  adap- 
tation of  all  the  imagery  to  the  relation 
in  which  the  spirit  stands  to  its  decaying 
tenement.  And,  oh!  experience  will  bear 
me  out :  you,  my  brethren,  are  witnesses 
of  the  decaying  nature  of  your  earthly 
tenement :  you  already  begin  to  feel  the 
hand  of  time,  the  hand  of  disease,  bring- 
ing on  dissolution.  There  is  dulness  in 
the  ear,  there  is  feebleness  in  the  step ; 
there  are  all  the  indications  that  the  ha- 
bitation is  about  to  drop,  that  this  taber- 
nacle of  clay  is  about  to  sink  into  its  na- 
tive dust. 

But  how  few  live  out  half  their  days, 
even  though  they  are  not  wicked — I  mean 


in  the  common  and  ordinary  signification 
of  the  term.  But  we  are  told  explicitly 
that  "  the  wicked  shall  not  live  out  half 
his  days."  Visit  the  regions  of  silence 
and  death :  go  and  explore  the  records 
on  the  tombstones  in  the  opposite  ground  : 
go  into  any  receptacle  for  the  dead,  and 
you  will  find  that  death  comes  on  all 
ages,  that  death  is  not  to  be  kept  off  by 
any  circumstance  whatever.  No  : — pa- 
rents bury  children,  perhaps,  oftener  thau 
children  bury  their  parents.  How  many 
just  appear,  and  a  blight  comes  over  them, 
and  in  the  very  bud  of  being  they  return 
to  dust  again  !  How  many  just  grow  up 
to  entwine  themselves  round  the  affec- 
tions of  their  parents,  to  be  the  delight 
of  their  eye,  the  desire  of  their  hearts ; 
and  just  when  they  arrive  at  that  age  in 
which  friendship  is  formed,  and  love  is 
matured,  and  the  parent  is  already  living 
over  again  in  his  child,  and  the  child  is 
enjoying  the  maturity  of  the  friendship 
of  the  parent — death  touches  the  child  ; 
he  drops,  and  the  parent  mourns,  and 
Rachel  weeps  for  her  children,  because 
they  are  not. 

I  am  aware  that  all  this  representation 
may  be  given  you,  and  yet  no  effect- 
ual impression  be  made  on  your  minds. 
Strange  to  say,  that  while  all  men  neg- 
lect their  own  mortality,  the  mortality 
of  the  human  race  is  the  subject  of  po- 
etry and  eloquent  discussion.  We  have 
a  great  deal  of  sentimental  description  of 
this  kind.  I  want  you  to  feel  that  you 
are  obnoxious  to  the  stroke  :  there  is  the 
point.  Are  you  dust?  Yes,  you  know 
it ;  you  cannot  resist  the  evidence.  Your 
material  frame,  that  is  nourished,  cheered, 
warmed,  and  invigorated  by  the  atmos- 
phere— your  material  system,  that  is  un- 
der the  government  of  material  laws — 
your  material  system  may  be  deranged 
and  disordered,  and  the  operations  of  it 
may  be  impeded — your  material  system 
is  dust.  You  know  that :  and  what  is 
the  law  1  Why,  it  is  to  mingle  with  the 
dust.  Here  is  a  law  that  cannot  be  re- 
versed. Your  death  is  as  much  a  part 
of  your  physiology  as  your  growth,  as 
your  nourishment :  you  are  as  certain  to 
return  to  dust  as  that  you  are  made  of 
dust.     It  is  vain  to  attempt  to  ward  off 


THE  DESTINY  OF  MAN. 


221 


the  stroke.  There  is  a  laAV,  "  The  dust 
shall  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,"  a  law 
which  has  never  been  interrupted  in  its 
course  but  in  two  splendid  instances,  and 
certainly  it  will  not  be  interrupted  either 
for  you  or  for  me — there  is  a  law  that 
bears  us  all  to  the  chambers  of  death. 

The  dust  shall  return  to  the  dust  as  it 
was.  Dissolution  may  take  place  sud- 
denly :  this  has  been  the  case  very  fre- 
quently of  late.  We  question  whether 
the  Divine  Being  has  not  been  intending 
to  produce  powerful  impressions  on  our 
minds  by  such  sudden  interpositions. 
We  have  had  our  friends  with  us  one 
hour,  and  they  have  been  separated  by 
the  veil  that  conceals  eternity  the  next 
hour :  almost  while  we  have  been  talk- 
ing with  them  they  have  disappeared. 

But  I  forbear.  Elaborate  description 
is  out  of  place.  I  would  never  indulge 
in  mere  poetical  excitement  on  subjects 
which  are  so  deeply  solemn.  You  have 
not  only  the  evidence  within  you,  but 
around  you.  Sacred  be  the  feelings  of 
mourners  :  I  would  not  intrude  into  the 
hallowed  spot.  There  is  a  grief  which 
a  stranger  must  not  intermeddle  with  ; 
there  is  a  grief  into  which  even  friend- 
ship cannot  be  admitted  ;  there  is  a  grief 
too  solemn,  too  sacred,  to  be  approached 
even  by  friendship ;  and  kindness  itself 
may  be  persecuting,  may  be  obtrusive. 
Many  of  you — and  I  cast  my  thoughts 
back  to  the  commencement  of  my  minis- 
try here — many  of  you  have  had  to  mourn 
over  friends  with  whom  you  have  asso- 
ciated, whom  you  have  loved,  with  whom 
you  have  taken  sweet  counsel.  They 
are  not  here ;  they  are  not  in  that  pew 
where  they  used  to  sit,  and  uTeditate,  and 
worship,  and  pray.  They  are  not  with 
that  household,  gladdening  it  by  their 
presence,  and  guiding  it  by  their  wisdom. 
They  are  not  in  that  room  where  you  so 
frequently  sat  with  them.  They  are  not 
found,  for  God  has  taken  them.  They  are 
turned  to  dust ;  the  mortal  part  has  been 
resolved  into  its  original  grains  of  earth, 
and  the  spirit  has  returned  to  God  who 
gave  it. 

Let  us  hasten  to  take  the  last  view  of 
the  subject — The  return  of  the  spirit 
TO  its  Great  Creator.    There  is  some- 


thing not  only  solemn,  but  deeply  myste- 
rious in  death.  We  lift  our  souls  to  the 
Great  Spirit,  to  the  abstract  Spirit,  to  that 
Spirit  who  only  has  immortality  in  its 
strict  and  absolute  signification,  to  that 
Spirit  who  only  is  absolutely  and  essen- 
tially spirit ;  our  minds  are  overwhelmed, 
and  we  come  down,  and  sink,  oppressed 
with  the  contemplation  of  the  Infinite 
Being,  till  we  endeavour  to  relieve  our- 
selves by  the  contemplation  of  created 
spirits.  And  when  we  have  gone  through 
all  the  various  orders  of  spirits,  we  feel 
the  mystery,  as  well  as  the  majesty,  of 
the  subiect. 

What  is  a  spirit "?  Philosophy  tells  us 
it  is  something  distinct  from  matter. 
Matter  can  be  examined,  can  be  analyzed: 
matter  is  known  to  possess  certain  posi- 
tive qualities — solidity,  extension,  divisi- 
bility, and  so  on.  Philosophy  will  go 
into  the  examination  of  matter,  and  the 
laws  of  matter;  and  almost  the  whole 
encyclopedia  of  science  is  confined  to  the 
range  of  material  existence.  Astronomy 
expatiates  amidst  those  huge  masses  of 
matter  that  move  in  solemn  and  silent 
pomp  over  the  surface  of  the  beautiful 
canopy  above.  There  is  the  region  of 
astronomy,  with  all  its  sublime,  and  all 
its  glorious  conceptions  ;  but  it  is  mat- 
ter, and  subject  to  the  laws  of  matter ; 
for  all  the  movements  of  those  mysterious 
bodies  are  regulated  by  certain  laws, 
which  do  not  touch  spirit.  And  when 
you  have  said  all  you  can  about  the  cen- 
trifugal and  centripetal  forces,  when  you 
have  gone  far  into  the  arcana  of  these 
wonderful  subjects,  you  have  only  touch- 
ed matter ;  you  have  not  found  a  single 
law  or  principle  that  touches  spirit.  You 
come  down ;  you  range  over  the  surface 
of  the  earth  :  and  though  you  may  be  ac- 
quainted with  every  thing,  from  the  cedar 
that  iff  in  Lebanon  to  the  hyssop  that 
springeth  out  of  the  wall,  it  is  matter — 
matter  vegetated — matter  in  diversified 
forms.  You  come  to  chemistry ;  you 
examine  the  various  minerals,  and  so  on; 
you  go  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and 
explore  its  various  strata ;  it  is  still  mat- 
ter. Let  us  pursue  philosophy,  and  fol- 
low it  into  its  deepest  recesses,  whether 
lofty  or  profound ;  let  us  go  through  the 
t2 


222 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


whole  range  of  science — it  is  material. 
You  take  up  the  mysterious  body  of  man  : 
let  it  be  dissected  ;  let  its  anatomy  be 
displayed  to  us,  its  mysterious  structure 
unfolded — it  is  only  the  science  of  mat- 
ter. 

What  is  spirit?  Tell  me.  We  have 
treatises  on  the  powers  of  the  human 
mind  ;  and  we  are  told  of  perception,  of 
intelligence,  of  volition,  and  of  the  va- 
rious attributes  that  distinguish  spirit 
from  matter.  What  is  spirit?  Nobody 
can  tell.  Tiie  spirit !  My  spirit !  Why, 
it  is  the  seat  of  thought ;  it  is  the  region 
of  intelligence  ;  it  is  the  throne  in  which 
all  affection  is  seated;  it  is  the  centre 
whence  issues  all  that  renders  man  agree- 
able to  man.  It  is  there  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  takes  up  his  abode  ;  it  is  there  he 
pours  forth  his  light ;  it  is  there  he 
breathes  his  influence ;  it  is  there  he  ex- 
erts his  power.  And,  my  brethren,  it  is 
the  spirit,  after  all,  that  constitutes  the 
man. 

I  have  told  you  there  is  something  ex- 
cellent in  the  material  combination  even. 
But  what  gives  to  the  eye  its  force,  its 
beaming  benevolence,  its  charming  intel- 
ligence ?  What  renders  the  eye  the 
avenue  to  the  mind  "?  What  constitutes 
the  eye  the  opening  through  which  a 
thousand  delightful  sensations  pass  to 
the  mind  ?  What  is  it  that  forms  the  ear 
to  listen  to  the  discourses  of  wisdom — to 
the  tender,  and  impassioned,  and  cheer- 
ing tones  of  friendship — to  the  full  me- 
lody of  music  ■?  What  renders  the  heart 
instinct  with  kindness,  that  qualifies  the 
hand  to  impart  charity,  or  give  the  ex- 
pression of  friendliness  ?  What  animates 
and  nerves  the  feet  1  What  breathes,  and 
glows,  and  lives  in  this  portion  of  dusti 
It  is  the  spirit ;  and  that  spirit  shall  very 
soon  quit  tlie  body.     Now,  this  is  death. 

We  have  been  told  that  philosophy,  in 
its  attempts  to  define  every  thing,  has 
attempted  to  define  death.  It  is  the  ne- 
gation of  life,  or  the  privation  of  life. 
Why,  this  is  no  definition.  The  term 
"death"  cannot  be  applied  to  any  thing 
which  has  not  had  life.  You  never  think 
of  applying  it  to  a  stone,  or  any  thing 
that  is  not  animated.  So  far  it  is  clear 
and  distinct;   nothing  can  die  that  has 


not  life;  and  therefore  death,  in  this 
sense,  is  the  privation  of  life.  But  this 
is  a  very  meagre  definition  after  all. 

What  is  death  ?  It  is  the  separation 
of  the  immortal  spirit  from  the  mortal 
part :  it  is  quitting  the  lodgment ;  it  is 
loosening  the  silver  cord ;  it  is  opening 
the  door,  and  letting  the  inhabitant  go 
out;  it  is  spirit  leaving  matter,  and  going 
to  the  dust;  the  spirit  is  no  longer  there. 
The  spirit  was  there;  precious  was  that 
spirit  in  your  esteem;  beloved  was  that 
f.pirit  by  your  spirit;  you  held  with  that 
spirit  the  most  delightful  intercourse.  But 
now  lift  the  napkin  from  the  dead  man's 
face;  now  gaze  on  that  countenance.  It 
is  fixed,  it  is  settled  :  no  blood  circulates 
there ;  no  sensations  thrill  through  those 
nerves  ;  no  soul  beams  in  those  eyes  :  it 
is  matter.  You  might  as  well  talk  to  a 
marble  statue  :  a  marble  statue  may  be 
beautifully  chiseled,  but  it  speaks  not. 
You  might  as  well  expect  some  return 
from  the  painted  picture  :  the  canvass 
seems  to  look  and  breathe ;  it  is  matter. 
So  with  the  dead  body ;  the  spirit  is 
gone  :  and  then  the  question  is.  Where 
is  it  gone  ?  Gone  to  God  :  the  spirit  is 
returned  to  God  who  gave  it. 

Oh,  how  full  of  thought  is  this  repre- 
sentation !  The  spirit  is  returned  to  God, 
to  account  to  God.  It  is  a  responsible 
spirit :  it  has  to  deal  with  God  :  God's 
eye  is  upon  every  step  of  its  progress : 
God's  ear  is  listening  to  every  thought, 
and  every  word.  Oh,  my  brethren,  where 
shall  I  find  language  to  express  the  tre- 
mendous responsibility  of  the  soul  that  is 
thinking,  and  feeling,  and  purposing,  and 
speaking,  and  acting  in  reference  to  that 
judgment]  God  will  call  me  to  account; 
and  the  moment  the  spirit  has  quitted  the 
body  it  passes,  perhaps,  to  a  previous 
judgment.  I  am  not  now  going  into  the 
question  of  an  individual  or  general  judg- 
ment:  certain  it  is  that  the  destiny  of 
each  spirit  is  fixed  at  death,  and  that  this 
is  an  anticipation  of  that  eternal  destiny. 
Therefore  it  is  I  wish  you  to  conceive  of 
the  solemnity  of  the  spirit  passing  into 
the  immediate  presence  of  God.  The 
spirit  returns  to  God  ;  and  then  of  course 
all  hope  of  mercy  terminates  ;  the  proba- 
tion is  at  an  end.    The  present  is  the 


THE  DESTINY  OF  MAN. 


223 


probationary  state;  and,  as  a  probation- 
ary state,  it  is  enriched  with  means  of 
grace.  God  is  employing  here  all  those 
means  which  he  hath  devised  to  bring 
our  spirits  back.  "  God  so  loved  the 
world  as  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  might 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 

The  whole  economy  of  redemption  is  a 
display  of  God's  love  to  our  fallen  spirits. 
God,  who  hath  done  all  in  the  way  of 
propitiation,  is  now  doing  all  in  the  way 
of  influence  ;  his  Spirit  strives  with  men  ; 
his  holy,  his  benevolent,  his  wise  Spirit, 
meets  the  spirit  of  man  in  its  downward 
progress,  meets  the  spirit  of  man  in  its 
course  to  the  bottomless  pit,  and  strives 
with  him,  and  reasons  with  him,  and  de- 
bates the  matter  with  him.  Now  is  the 
time  for  conviction ;  now  is  the  time  for 
contrition  ;  now  is  the  time  for  earnest 
heart-examination ;  now  is  the  time  for 
prayer ;  now  the  golden  sceptre  is  ex- 
tended ;  the  vilest  sinner  may  touch  it 
and  be  reconciled.  The  rainbow  of  mercy 
appears  ;  and,  however  dark  the  storm, 
the  rainbow  is  there.  Now  is  the  pre- 
cious opportunity — I  may  obtain  mercy. 
This  probation-time  will  make  all  the 
difference  between  hell  and  heaven — will 
make  all  the  difference  between  an  eter- 
nity without  glory,  and  an  eternal  pro- 
fundity of  damnation.  But  when  the 
spirit  is  gone,  it  is  over  with  it;  it  goes 
to  God  just  as  it  quits  the  body. 

Do  not  tell  me  about  any  thing  in  the 
article  of  death.  Remember,  the  soul  is 
the  seat  of  sin,  and  the  seat  of  holiness  : 
the  soul  has  the  character ;  it  is  not  the 
body — it  is  not  the  dissolution  of  the 
earthly  system  that  can  alter  the  charac- 
ter of  the  soul :  the  soul  carries  its  own 
character  with  it.  If  it  has  a  darkened 
understanding,  a  corrupt  imagination,  a 
perverted  judgment,  a  rebellious  will,  and 
unholy  affections,  it  will  go  direct  to  God 
with  all  these.  Awful !  Awful  I  "  He 
that  is  filthy,  let  him  be  filthy  still  :  he 
that  is  unjust,  let  him  be  unjust  still." 
It  is  all  over.  The  sounds  of  mercy  will 
never  break  on  the  wailing,  and  the  yell- 
ing, and  the  gnashing,  of  the  bottomless 
pit.  The  mercy  of  the  Lamb  will  be 
changed  into  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb ! 


The  olive-branch  will  never  more  be  held 
out  for  the  acceptance  of  the  sinner ' 
The  soul  will  go  to  receive  its  doom. 

But  I  pause — but  I  hesitate.  I  ho- 
nestly tell  you  the  subject  is  too  affect- 
ing. There  is  the  death  of  the  soul,  as 
well  as  the  death  of  the  body.  The  death 
of  the  body  implies  the  absence  of  con- 
sciousness :  and  why  1  Because  the  spi- 
rit contains  the  consciousness.  Con- 
sciousness cannot  reside  in  the  body,  and 
therefore  the  death  of  the  body  implies 
the  absence  of.  consciousness.  But  the 
death  of  the  soul  does  not  imply  the  ab- 
sence of  consciousness.  It  is  not  anni- 
hilation :  no — it  is  a  perpetuity  of  exist- 
ence ;  it  is  consciousness  rendered  the 
source,  the  element,  of  unutterable  agony. 
It  is  consciousness  that  fixes  the  eternal 
destruction  of  that  individual.  It  is  not 
the  absence  of  feeling  :  it  is  the  feeling  of 
God's  wrath,  a  feeling  of  absolute  despair, 
a  feeling  of  all  that  is  horrible  in  that  con- 
dition, which  is  the  death  of  the  soul. 
That  soul  will  live  to  bear  the  wrath  of 
the  Lamb,  to  feel  the  corrosions  of  the 
deathless  worm — live  to  endure  all  that 
mysterious  punishment  which  is  reserved 
for  those  that  will  not  have  Christ  to 
reign  over  them.  When  you  gaze  on  a 
dead  body,  think  oh  the  departed  soul. 

But,  oh,  how  consolatory  is  the  thought! 
If  the  spirit  has  been  justified,  regene- 
rated, and  sanctified,  it  will  return  to  the 
eternal  fruition  of  God  in  heaven — return 
to  be  for  ever  happy.  It  will  be  a  disso- 
lution from  that  body  of  corruption  which 
has  been  a  clog,  a  weight,  a  hinderance. 
How  little  we  know  of  the  disembodied 
spirit!  How  little  do  we  know  of  the 
susceptibilities  of  the  spirit  that  has 
emerged  from  this  world  !  We  have 
often  followed  in  thought  the  flight  of  the 
spirit.     But  we  feel  that 

"  The  dead  are  like  the  stars  by  day, 
Withdrawn  from  mortal  eye  ; 

But,  not  extinct,  they  hold  their  way 
In  glory  through  the  sky. 

Spirits  from  bondage  thus  set  free 

Vanish  amidst  immensity." 

They  are  in  glory,  they  are  with  Christ; 
they  are  separated  for  ever  from  all  the 
temptations    and    trials   of   this    mortal 


224 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


scene.  The  journeying  spirit  returns ; 
he  arrives  at  home.  Yes,  after  the  toil, 
and  peril,  and  fatigues  of  his  journey — 
for  here  he  is  a  pilgrim — after  the  toil  of 
his  journey  he  enters  his  Father's  house, 
he  takes  his  seat  at  the  table ;  universal 
joy  circulates  through  the  happy  family : 

"  Mortals  cry,  'A  man  is  dead !' 
Angels  sing,  'A  child  is  born !' 

Born  into  the  world  above, 
They  our  happy  brother  greet, 

Bear  him  to  the  throne  of  love. 
Place  him  at  the  Saviour's  feet." 

Yes,  it  is  the  soldier,  the  hardy  vete- 
ran, Avho  has  endured  the  fatigues  of  suc- 
cessive campaigns,  who  has  worn  his 
armour  constantly,  and  used  his  sword 
manfully,  and  kept  the  shield  of  his  faith 
steadfastly,  and  finished  his  course  glo- 
riously. It  is  the  triumphant  soldier 
stepping  on  the  neck  of  his  last  enemy, 
and  shouting  as  he  rises,  "  O  death, 
where  is  thy  sting  1  O  grave,  where  is 
thy  victory r'  He  returns  to  God;  he 
lays  by  his  sword  ;  he  takes  the  victorious 
palm,  and  waves  it  before  the  throne  ;  he 
takes  off  his  armour,  he  unbuckles  his 
breastplate,  he  removes  his  helmet,  he 
lays  aside  his  shield  :  God  clothes  him 
with  a  robe  of  salvation,  and  he  walks 
with  those  who  are  before  the  throne. 

Yes,  it  is  the  weather-beaten  mariner  : 
he  has  endured  many  hardships,  many 
dangers  :  now  at  length  he  has  weathered 
every  storm ;  he  is  now  entering  the  port, 
no  more  to  be  dashed  on  the  surface  of 
the  troublous  ocean,  no  more  to  feel  the 
surges  beat  against  him.  Angels  wel- 
come him  ;  he  lands  on  the  shores  of  im- 
mortality to  be  for  ever  with  Jesus.  It  is 
the  spirit  returning  to  God. 

Oh,  my  brethren,  why  do  we  trifle 
with  eternity  1  Why  will  you  thus  put 
*rom  you  everlasting  life  1  "  Then" — 
"Then  !"  Oh,  there  is  a  mystery  in  that 
word  !  When  will  it  come  to  me  1) 
"Then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth 
as  it  was."  Lord,  when  1  God  will  not 
tell  you  when.  Very  soon,  perhaps : 
perhaps  very  suddenly.  And  if  I  wi^re 
to  look  on  this  congregation,  and  had  I 


the  right  to  do  it,  had  I  the  authority  to 
do  it — if  I  were  to  summon  any  one  in 
this  congregation  who  durst  do  it,  to  rise 
and  say,  before  God  and  this  assembly 
"I  am  sure  I  shall  not  die  to-night" — is 
there  one  that  would  do  it?  Is  there  one 
that  durst  do  iti  There  is  not — I  am 
sure  there  is  not :  there  is  not  one  of  all 
these  hundreds,  there  is  not  one  of  all 
these  thousands,  that  dares  say,  before 
God,  "  I  shall  not  die  to-night."  Oh, 
then,  may  we  be  prepared!  Oh,  pre- 
pare— (may  God  speak  it  home  to  your 
hearts!) — prepare  to  meet  thy  God! 
"  Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the 
Lord  from  henceforth :  yea,  saith  the 
Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  la- 
bours ;  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 


AIM   AT  PROFITING    AI,!,. 

I  REMEMBER  some  years  ago  to  have 
heard  a  young  minister,  who  was  settled 
in  a  small  obscure  town,  preach  a  ser- 
mon at  an  association  meeting,  which 
was  richly  adorned  with  the  graces  of 
finished  composition.  He  was  after- 
wards asked  by  a  senior  brother  whether 
he  preached  such  sermons  at  home  ;  and 
having  answered  in  the  affirmative,  "  And 
how  many  of  your  people,"  it  was  said, 
"  do  you  think  can  understand  you "?" 
"About  five  or  six,"  he  replied.  The 
avowal  produced,  as  might  be  expected, 
among  men  of  piety  and  experience,  a 
mixed  emotion  of  grief  and  indignation. 
Nor  can  we  conceive  of  a  more  gross  and 
revolting  inconsistency  than  that  of  a 
Christian  pastor  and  teacher  pleasing 
himself,  and  a  few  fond  admirers,  by 
picking  flowers  and  weaving  pretty  gar- 
lands, when  the  sheep  of  his  flock  are 
ready  to  perish  for  want  of  being  properly 
watched  and  fed.  What !  will  a  man 
who  has  assumed  an  office  of  deep  and 
awful  responsibility  spend  his  time,  his 
strength,  and  his  ingenuity  in  courting  the 
muses,  and  canvassing  for  literary  ho-  « 
nours,  when  the  souls  of  his  charge  are 
many  of  them  rushing,  unprepared,  into 
eternity  !  O  shameful  prostitution  of  the 
noblest  function  !     Con.  Mag.  1826 


SERMON   XXIV. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  LOVE  OF  CHRIST. 

CHARGE    DELIVERED    TO    THE     REV.    JOHN    REID,    OF    GLASGOW,    ON    HIS    ORDINATION 

AS    A    MISSIONARY, 

BY  THE  REV.  DR.  WARDLAW, 

OF    GLASGOW. 


My  dear  v'oung  Friend, 
You  have  this  evening  been  set  apart 
to  the  most  responsible  duty  which  can 
devolve  upon  you.  We  trust  the  divine 
presence  has  been  with  us  now  ;  and,  in 
answer  to  our  united  prayers,  we  hope 
his  blessed  presence  will  be  with  you. 
You  may  well  say,  as  did  Moses  of  old, 
"  If  thy  presence  go  not  Avith  me,  let  me 
not  go  hence."  The  work  to  which  you 
have  devoted  yourself  requires  the  exer- 
tion of  all  your  mental  and  intellectual, 
of  all  your  moral  and  spiritual  powers. 
It  is  one  from  which  an  angel  might 
shrink,  and  yet  one,  the  duties  of  which 
may,  through  the  divine  agency,  all  be 
performed.  You  may  confidently  rest 
assured  that  though  impotent  in  yourself, 
you  shall  yet  be  mighty  through  God. 

On  such  a  subject  the  field  is  so  ample, 
and  the  variety  so  great,  that  there  is 
some  difficulty  in  fixing.  There  is  one 
topic,  however,  very  appropriate,  and 
which  will,  I  trust,  be  in  full  harmony 
with  the  feelings  of  your  own  mind — I 
mean  that  which  is  contained  in  the  words 
of  the  apostle  Paul,  when  assigning  a 
reason  for  the  zeal  and  perseverance  of 
himself  and  his  colleagues  in  the  work  of 
the  ministry,  he  says,  "  For  the  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  us;  because  we  thus 
judge,  that  if  one  died  for  all,  then  were 
all  dead;  and  that  he  died  for  all,  that 
those  which  live  should  not  henceforth 
live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  him  which 

Vol.  I 29 


died  for  them,  and  rose  again."  (1  Cor.  v. 
14,  15.) 

"The  love  of  Christ  constraineth 
us  !"  Deeply  did  this  ambassador  for 
Christ  feel  this  motive  !  To  him  to  live 
was  Christ ;  and  he  had  no  wish  to  live 
another  hour  but  as  this  was  the  case. 
His  one  desire  was  that  Christ  might  be 
magnified  both  in  his  life  and  in  his 
death. 

What  I  now  wish  to  impress  on  your 
mind  is  this  :  The  indispensable  necessi- 
ty OF  LOVE  to  Christ  in  order  to  a  faith- 
ful discharge  of  the  duties  that  de- 
volve upon  YOU.  The  love  of  Christ — love 
to  the  divine  Saviour  in  all  the  characters 
in  which  the  gospel  reveals  him — love  to 
him  for  all  he  is,  for  all  he  has  done,  for 
all  he  has  promised  ;  this  love  belongs  to 
every  Christian.  This  is  most  plainly 
taught  in  such  passages  as  these,  "  He 
that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than 
me  is  not  worthy  of  me  :  he  that  loveth 
his  own  life  more  than  me  is  not  worthy 
of  me."  "  Grace  be  with  all  that  love 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity,"  "  If 
any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
let  him  be  anathema  maranatha."  The 
Master  whom  you  serve  is  pleased  with 
no  service  but  that  which  springs  from 
love.  It  is  not,  however,  to  this  love  to 
Christ,  in  general,  that  I  would  now  call 
your  attention,  but  to  that  which  is  pecu- 
liar to  the  office  of  the  Christian  ministry 
which  you  have  now  taken  upon  you. 
225 


226 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


Without  love  to  Christ,  all  its  services 
are  worse  than  worthless  ;  disgusting  as 
the  zealous  professions  of  a  hollow  friend- 
ship, and  incongruous  as  the  outward 
whitening  of  a  sepulchre  full  of  rotten- 
ness. This  love  to  Christ  is  important 
on  a  variety  of  accounts. 

I.  This  will  render  study  pleasant. 
Your  sentiments  and  habits  show  that  you 
consider  study  as  necessary  to  a  mission- 
ary in  India  as  to  a  minister  in  Britain. 
The  great  object  of  study  is  the  word  of 
God  ;  all  else  is  valuable  only  as  it  enables 
you  to  explain  and  understand  this.  Of 
this  word  Christ  is  the  chief  subject,  the 
sum,  and  the  substance.  This  is  like  a 
golden  thread  running  througliout  the 
whole  of  revelation.  Now,  love  to  Christ 
will  lead  you  to  trace  out  this  thread  in 
all  its  various  parts.  Let  me  not  be  mis- 
taken :  I  mean  not  to  recommend  that 
poor,  though  well-intended  mode  of  inter- 
pretation which  finds  Christ  in  every 
page  and  in  every  line  of  Scripture  ;  this 
argues  weakness  rather  than  love.  I 
would  allow  no  rule  of  interpretation  but 
that  which  leads  to  ascertain  what  is  the 
mind  and  will  of  the  Spirit,  and  which 
will  not  allow  to  go  beyond  it.  And 
especially  as  a  translator  of  the  Scriptures 
into  foreign  languages  this  must  be  borne 
in  mind  by  you  ;  you  must  make  your 
translation  say  what  the  Spirit  of  God 
says  in  the  old  language.  To  preach  the 
truth  is  to  set  forth  the  mind  of  Christ; 
and  you  must  have  a  general  and  correct 
acquaintance  with  the  whole,  in  order 
that  you  may  properly  explain  any  part. 
You  will  do  this  with  delight  when  you 
love  him  whose  name  has  become  to  your 
own  soul  "  as  ointment  poured  forth." 
Wherever  the  word  does  admit  of  it,  you 
will  be  delighted  to  find  Christ ;  and  even 
Hie  most  distant  glimpse  of  him  will  give 
any  part  of  it  deep  interest.  The  histo- 
ries, the  institutions,  the  doctrines,  the 
precepts,  the  promises,  the  predictions  of 
the  word,  will  all  have  a  zest  in  propor- 
tion as  you  find  them  have  reference  to 
him;  as  they  speak  of  his  coming,  as 
they  explain  his  truth,  as  they  illustrate 
his  salvation,  as  they  reveal  his  glory. 
If  you  love  Jesus  Christ,  all  that  relates 
to  him  will  have  a  charm :  he  will  be 


glorious  in  your  eyes,  and  you  will  do 
all  you  can  to  make  him  glorious  in  the 
eyes  of  others. 

I  rejoice  in  the  great  progress  you  have 
made  in  those  literary  qualifications 
which  will  enable  you  to  interpret  the 
word  of  God :  not  that  these  will  do 
alone ;  if  you  would  interpret  that  word 
with  success,  you  must  have  this  sacred 
stimulus  of  love,  love  to  Him  whom  that 
word  delighteth  to  honour.  The  genius 
of  different  dispensations,  the  gradual 
unfoldings  of  the  divine  mind,  the  relation 
which  one  part  of  truth  bears  to  another, 
the  connexion  between  the  privileges  and 
duties  of  the  gospel,  the  grand  design  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  entire  communica- 
tions of  his  will ;  all  these  must  be  duly 
regarded,  and  will  become,  as  it  were,  a 
facility  to  you  in  translating  the  Scrip- 
tures into  any  new  language.  In  this 
department  of  labour  the  men  of  God 
with  whom  you  are  now  associated  have 
spent  much  of  their  time :  in  preparing 
the  instrument  they  have  met  with  much 
success ; — may  you,  my  dear  young 
friend,  meet  with  the  same  success  in 
using  it ! 

II.  Love  to  Christ  w^ll  endear  to 

YOU    THE    MEMBERS    OF    HIS    FLOCK. YoU 

cannot  love  Christ  without  loving  his 
people.  All  these  are  the  purchase  of 
his  agonies,  the  objects  of  his  dying  love, 
and  they  are  all  precious  in  his  sight. 
He  has  shown  his  love  to  them  by  the 
price  which  he  gave  for  them : — "  I  am 
the  good  shepherd :  the  good  shepherd 
giveth  his  life  for  the  sheep."  "How 
think  ye!  If  a  man  have  an  hundred 
sheep,  and  one  of  them  be  gone  astray, 
doth  he  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine,  and 
goeth  into  the  mountains,  and  seeketh 
that  which  is  gone  astray  1  And  if  so  be 
that  he  find  it,  verily  I  say  unto  you, 
he  rejoiceth  more  of  that  sheep,  than  of 
the  ninety  and  nine  which  went  not 
astray."  Love  to  Christ  will  make  you 
earnest  in  your  endeavours  to  contribute 
to  the  joy  of  the  good  Shepherd  in  the 
recovery  of  those  that  are  lost.  You  will 
constantly  bear  in  mind,  that  every  mem- 
ber of  his  flock,  however  lightly  esteemed 
by  some,  is  redeemed,  not  with  "  corrupt- 
ible things,  such  as  silver  and  gold,  but 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  LOVE  OF  CHRIST. 


227 


U'lth  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of 
a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without 
spot."  They  are  the  objects  of  a  love 
which  makes  him  identify  their  interests 
with  his  own :  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it, 
or  did  it  not,  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these 
my  brethren,  ye  did  it,  or  did  it  not,  unto 
me."  If  you  love  Christ,  you  will  fear 
all  indifference  to  his.  And  this  will 
exclude  all  party  spirit :  you  will  love 
them,  not  as  partizans,  but  as  Christians, 
for  Christ's  sake.  The  relation  of  be- 
lievers to  Christ  is  independent  of  time 
and  place  ;  and  our  love  to  them  should 
be  the  same  in  nature,  as  it  is  in  obliga- 
tion, in  all  the  world  around.  How  beau- 
tifully is  this  love  exemplified  in  the  case 
of  the  apostle  who  once  "  breathed  out 
threatenings  and  slaughters"  against 
those  who  bare  the  name  of  Christ !  He 
became  as  tender  in  his  love  as  he  was 
eiger  in  his  hate.  Listen  to  his  language 
to  the  Thessalonians  ; — "  We  were  gen- 
tle among  you,  even  as  a  nurse  cherisheth 
her  children  ;  so,  being  affectionately  de- 
sirous of  you,  we  were  willing  to  have 
imparted  unio  you,  not  the  gospel  of  God 
only,  but  also  our  own  souls,  because  ye 
were  dear  unto  us.  For  ye  remember, 
brethren,  our  labour  and  travail  :  for 
labouring  night  and  day,  because  we 
would  not  be  chargeable  unto  any  of  you, 
we  pr'^ached  unto  you  the  gospel  of  God." 
— "  Therefore,  we  were  comforted  in  your 
comfort."  "  We  were  comforted  over 
you,  in  all  our  affliction  and  distress,  by 
^j^our  faith ;  for  now  we  live,  if  ye  stand 
fast  in  the  Lord.  For  what  thanks  can 
we  render  to  God  again  for  you,  for  all 
the  joy  wherewith  we  joy  for  your  sakes 
before  our  God  ;  night  and  day  praying 
exceedingly  that  we  might  see  your  face, 
and  might  perfect  that  which  is  lacking 
in  your  faith."  And  many  other  portions 
breathing  the  same  spirit  might  be 
quoted. 

Let  me  remind  you  of  the  peculiar  ne- 
cessity of  cherishing  this  sacred  principle 
in  reference  to  those  who  operate  in  the 
same  field.  Union  is  strength  :  disunion 
is  more  than  weakness,  for  it  not  only 
checks  combined  effort,  it  throws  a  dan- 
gerous stumbling-block  in  the  way. 
*'  Let  all  your  things  be  done  in  charity  :" 


be  slow  to  give  offence,  and  slow  to  take 
it.  Endeavour  to  have  written  on  your 
heart  the  sentiments  contained  in  two  in- 
spired passages ;  the  first  is  in  the  epistle 
to  the  Ephesians: — "I  therefore,  the 
prisoner  of  the  Lord,  beseech  you  that  ye 
walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith 
ye  are  called,  with  all  lowliness  and 
meekness,  with  long-suffering,  forbearing 
one  another  in  love ;  endeavouring  to  keep 
the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace."  The  other  is  the  language  of 
.lames  :  "  Who  is  a  wise  man  and  endued 
with  knowledge  among  you  1  let  him 
show  out  of  a  good  conversation  his  works 
with  meekness  and  wisdom.  For  where 
envying  and  strife  is,  there  is  confusion 
and  every  evil  work.  But  the  wisdom 
that  is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then 
peaceable,  gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreat- 
ed, full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  without 
partiality  and  without  hypocrisy.  And 
the  fruit  of  righteousness  is  sown  in 
peace  of  them  that  make  peace." 

III.  Love  to  Christ  will  constrain 

you  TO  IMITATE  HIS  EXAMPLE. YoU  will 

remember  that  I  have  spoken  of  love  to 
Christ,/or  what  he  is,  as  well  as  for  what 
he  has  done.  Now  if  you  love  Christ, — 
1.  You  will  study  to  be  like  him  in  gejie- 
ral  personal  character.  Like  him  in  his 
devotion  to  God,  in  his  benevolence  to 
men,  and  in  all  those  holy  virtues  which 
adorned  his  character,  and  in  which  he 
has  left  us  "  an  example  that  we  should 
follow  his  steps."  I  cannot  too  deeply 
impress  the  vast  and  unutterable  import- 
ance of  decision  and  consistency  of  cha- 
racter to  a  missionary  abroad.  I  cannot 
speak  aright  of  the  mischief  which  may 
be  done  by  inconsistent  Christians 
abroad  ;  but  how  much  more  will  the  mis- 
chief be  increased  if  this  inconsistency 
be  seen  in  those  who  should  exhibit  all 
the  purity  and  truth  of  the  gospel  !  The 
first  Christians  exhibited  their  own  con- 
duct as  a  proof  of  the  divine  origin  of 
Christianity.  O  what  a  strong  hold  on 
the  opinions  and  feelings  of  men  had 
they  who  could  say, — "  For  our  exhorta- 
tion was  not  of  deceit,  nor  of  uncleanness, 
nor  in  guile  :  but  as  we  were  allowed  of 
God  to  be  put  in  trust  with  the  gospel, 
even  so  we  speak  ;  not  as  pleasing  men, 


228 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


but  God,  which  trieth  our  hearts.  For 
neither  at  any  time  used  we  flattering 
words,  as  ye  know,  nor  a  cloak  of  covet- 
ousness,  God  is  witness.  Nor  of  men 
sought  we  glory,  neither  of  you,  nor  yet 
of  others,  when  we  might  have  been  bur- 
densome as  the  apostles  of  Christ.  Ye 
are  witnesess  and  God  also,  how  holily, 
and  justly,  and  unblamably  we  behaved 
ourselves  among  you  that  believe  :  as  ye 
know  how  we  exhorted,  and  comforted, 
and  charged  every  one  of  you,  as  a  father 
doth  his  children,  that  ye  would  walk 
worthy  of  God,  who  hath  called  you  unto 
his  kingdom  and  glory."  "What  men 
saw  gave  weight  to  what  they  heard  :  the 
character  of  the  preachers  accredited  and 
recommended  the  truth.  With  what 
consistency  or  success  can  he  recommend 
the  truth  of  God  to  others,  who  shows 
that  it  has  no  effect  upon  his  own  mind  1 
Or  how  can  he  enforce  it,  who  himself 
holds  it  in  no  practical  regard  1  The 
heathen  may  well  say,  "  If  such  are  its 
effects  upon  you,  what  good  will  it  do 
nsl  Physician,  heal  thyself!"  Hold 
the  truth  in  love  to  Christ,  and  let  your 
resemblance  to  him  be  seen.  The  apos- 
tle when  writing  to  Timothy,  says,  "  Let 
no  man  despise  thy  youth ;"  he  does  not 
here  mean  that  you  are  to  assert  and 
maintain  your  dignity — that  you  are  to 
make  it  evident  you  will  not  be  despised 
with  impunity — that  if  any  dare  to  despise 
you  they  shall  be  made  to  smart  for  it : — 
no,  nor  would  you  attempt  it.  There  is 
no  such  thing  as  commanding  respect  by 
insisting  on  having  it :  the  way  to  be  re- 
spected is  to  be  respectable,  the  way  to 
be  beloved  is  to  be  amiable.  Those  who 
complain  most  of  want  of  love  among 
their  brethren,  are  those  who  repel  love 
by  their  own  behaviour.  The  sensitive 
plant  of  love  shrinks  back  from  their  rude 
touch,  and  then  they  complain  of  that  very 
sensibility.  The  way  to  have  love  is  not 
to  demand  it  as  a  right,  but  draw  it  forth 
by  amiable  conduct ;  and  hence,  when  the 
apostle  says,  "  Let  no  man  despise  thy 
youth,"  he  fully  explains  his  meaning 
by  what  follows  ; — "  but  be  thou  an  ex- 
ample of  the  believers,  in  word,  in  con- 
versation, in  charity,  in  spirit,  in  faith, 
in  purity."    But  if  you  love  Christ, — 


2.  You  will  imitate  him  also  nffitially. 
He  loves  his  people ;  and  he  shows  that 
love  in  the  care  he  takes  of  them.  "  Be- 
hold, the  Lord  God  will  come  with  strong 
hand,  and  his  arm  shall  rule  for  him  : 
behold,  his  reward  is  with  him,  and  his 
work  before  him.  He  shall  feed  his 
flock  like  a  shepherd  ;  he  shall  gather  the 
lambs  with  his  arm,  and  carry  them  in 
his  bosom,  and  shall  gently  lead  those 
that  are  with  young."  "  I  am  the  good 
shepherd  :  the  good  shepherd  giveth  his 
life  for  the  sheep.  The  hireling  fleeth, 
because  he  is  an  hireling,  and  careth  not 
for  the  sheep.  I  am  the  good  Shepherd, 
and  know  my  sheep,  and  am  known  of 
mine."  Such  is  the  official  character  of 
Christ,  the  "  chief  Shepherd  :"  such  is 
his  tender  care  of  his  followers  and  peo- 
ple. Let  the  love  of  Christ  constrain 
you  to  go  and  do  likewise. 

IV.  If  you  love  Christ,  you  avill  be 
FAITHFUL  TO  HIM.  Attachment  secures 
fidelity.  Jesus  himself,  when  he  took 
his  important  charge  upon  him,  was  faith- 
ful from  a  principle  of  love  ;  and  the  same 
may  be  said  of  his  apostles.  If  you  love 
Christ,  it  will  influence  the  great  theme 
of  your  ministry.  You  will  determine 
"  not  to  know  any  thing  among  men,  but 
Christ,  and  him  crucified."  Jesus  Christ 
will  be  the  grand  sun  around  which  you 
will  delight  to  make  all  the  lights  of  truth 
revolve,  and  from  which  they  will  derive 
all  their  glory.  Christ  will  become  the 
very  essence  of  your  ministry  ;  the  foun- 
dation of  all  its  doctrines,  the  source  of 
all  its  enjoyments,  the  spring  of  all  its 
duties.  If  you  love  Christ,  you  will  be 
faithful  also  as  to  the  object  of  your  min- 
istry. Jesus  sought  not  his  own  glory, 
but  the  honour  of  his  heavenly  Father. 
The  apostles  sought  not  their  own  honour 
or  emolument,  but  the  will  and  glory  of 
him  that  sent  them  :  they  were  actuated 
in  all  by  love  to  Christ:  "We  preach  not 
ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord  ;  and 
ourselves  your  servants  for  Christ's  sake." 
The  object  of  Christ,  in  coming  into  the 
world  and  suffering,  was  "  to  seek  and 
to  save  that  which  was  lost;"  and  if  you 
love  him,  you  will  be  anxiously  faitliful 
to  this  object.  It  is  miserable  when  any 
other    object  is    preferred   or   followed. 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  LOVE  OF  CHRIST. 


229 


The  salvation  of  souls  was  his  end  in 
doins;  his  work — let  it  be  your  end  in 
publishing  that  work  ;  or  else,  instead  of 
hearing  him  say,  "  Well  done,  good  and 
faithful  servant!"  you  will  bring  upon 
yourself  a  curse,  and  not  a  blessing.  If 
j'ou  love  Christ,  you  will  be  faithful  also 
in  the  manner  in  which  you  discharge 
your  duty.  So  it  was  with  Christ  him- 
self. Remember  his  words:  "I  must 
work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me, 
while  it  is  day :  the  night  cometh  when 
no  man  can  work."  "  My  meat  is  to  do 
the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish 
his  work."  He  never  remitted  his  zeal, 
or  abated  his  ardour  till  his  great  object 
was  accomplished,  till  he  could  look  up 
to  his  heavenly  Father,  and  say,  "  I  have 
glorified  thee  on  earth :  I  have  finish- 
ed the  work  which  thou  gavest  me  to 
do." 

V.  Love  to  Christ  will  make  ser- 
vice   A    PLEASURE,    AND    HARDSHIPS    IN    IT 

LIGHT. — All  is  done  cheerfully  which  is 
done  from  a  principle  of  love.  "  I  delight 
to  do  thy  will,  O  God,"  said  the  Saviour. 
This  delight  sprang  from  love,  love  to 
his  Father,  and  love  to  his  people  ;  a  love 
which  had  heights  and  depths,  lengths 
and  breadths  unspeakable,  and  which 
shall  be  unspeakable  through  eternity 
itself.  He  knew  well  what  he  had  to  do, 
the  bitterness  of  the  cup  he  had  to  drink, 
the  coTTiplicated  sufferings  through  which 
he  must  pass ;  yet,  he  shrank  not  from 
his  work.  Love  urged  him  on,  and  love 
sustained  him.  Amidst  all  his  trials  and 
difficulties  he  failed  not,  neither  v;as  dis- 
couraged, for  love  still  led  him  on.  Let  me 
exhort  you  then  to  love  him :  love  will 
strengthen  you  for  duty,  it  will  sustain 
you  in  trial,  it  will  support  you  in  con- 
flict, it  will  succour  you  in  danger.  0 
what  drudgery  it  is  to  work  where  love 
is  not !  The  galley  slave,  chained  to  his 
oar,  is  not  so  pitiable  an  object  as  is  a 
minister  who  works  without  love  to 
Christ  in  his  heart.  Love,  on  the  con- 
trary, exhilarates  the  heart,  it  will  light 
up  the  active  eye,  it  will  give  elasticity 
to  all  the  powers,  tone  to  all  the  pur- 
poses, and  vigour  to  all  the  actions. 

Yes,  and  it  will  make  hardships  light. 
Love  will  induce  the  Christian  mission- 


ary to  set  his  face  as  a  flint  against  all 
opposition ;  it  will  enable  him  to  endure 
all  sufferings — to  submit  to  all  depriva 
tions,  to  make  all  sacrifices  for  Christ's 
sake.  You,  my  dear  son,  begin  by  mak 
ing  a  sacrifice :  you  feel  it  to  be  no  small 
thing  to  leave  parents  and  friends  and 
associates.  I  know  what  is  due  to  home, 
and  1  know  well  what  violence  must  be 
done  to  the  feelings.  This  you  have  felt ; 
but  you  hear  him  who  says,  "  He  that 
loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me  is 
not  worthy  of  me  ;"  and  you  say,  "  Hea- 
ven calls,  and  we  must  go !"  Yoii  are 
aware  that  difficulties  and  trials  are  before 
you ;  you  have  counted  the  cost;  you  go 
forth,  not  knowing  the  things  that  shall 
befall  you,  but  anticipating  evils  both 
physical  and  moral.  I  can  only  speak  of 
those  evils  as  an  ear  witness ;  but  you 
have  had  intercourse  with  those  who  have 
been  on  the  spot,  and  can  tell  you  of  them 
from  their  own  experience. 

Let  love  to  Christ,  then,  possess  yom 
heart.  With  the  living  impetus  of  this 
love  you  may  go  through  fire  and  water. 
We  read  of  the  ancient  Christians  that 
they  rejoiced  in  being  counted  "  worthy 
to  suffer  for  the  name  of  Christ;"  here  is 
a  noble  spirit  for  you  !  not  only  patient 
in  suffering,  but  rejoicing  that  they  were 
considered  worthy  to  suffer.  Emulate 
the  spirit  of  Paul : — "  Behold,  I  go  bound 
in  the  spirit  unto  Jerusalem,  not  know- 
ing the  things  that  shall  befall  me  there : 
save  that  the  Holy  Ghost  witnesseth  in 
every  city,  saying  that  bonds  and  afflic- 
tions abide  me.  But  none  of  these  things 
move  me,  neither  count  I  my  life  dear 
unto  myself,  so  that  I  might  finish  my 
course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry  which 
I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  tes- 
tify the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God." — 
"What  mean  ye  to  weep  and  to  break  mine 
heart?  for  I  am  ready  not  be  bound  only, 
but  also  to  die  at  Jerusalem  for  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus." — "  I  count  all  things 
but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  know- 
ledge of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord  :  for  whom 
I  have  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things," — 
and  was  he  weary  ?  No  ;  "  and  do  count 
them  but  dung,  that  I  may  win  Christ." 
This  is  the  attainment  of  love,  of  steady, 
ardent,  devoted  attachment.  Seek  to  be 
U 


230 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


filled  with  this,  and  it  will  make  every 
yoke  easy,  every  burden  light. 

VI.  If   you  love  Christ,  vou   will 

VALUE      HIS     APPROBATION.         We     CailHOt 

bear  the  averted  countenance  of  those  we 
love.  The  frown  of  a  friend  or  a  father 
goes  to  the  inmost  soul.  If  we  love 
Christ,  we  shall  seek  his  approving  smile 
as  our  highest  reward,  and  dread  his 
frown  as  worse  than  death.  If  he  smile, 
a  frowning  universe  cannot  alarm  you  ; 
if  he  frown,  the  smile  of  all  around  will 
not  avail  you.  "  It  is  a  light  thing  to  be 
judged  of  man's  judgment;  for  he  that 
judgeth  you  is  the  Lord."  Not  that  you 
are  to  be  indifferent  to  the  opinion  of 
others,  for  your  usefulness  depends  much 
on  your  reputation.  The  same  apostle 
who  thought  it  "  a  light  thing"  to  be 
judged  of  man's  judgment,  was  very 
careful  to  "  provide  things  honest  in  the 
sight  of  all  men,"  and  to  "  have  always 
a  conscience  void  of  offence  towards  God 
and  man."  But  there  must  be  no  tempo- 
rizing for  the  approbation  of  men :  you 
must  aim  in  all  to  please  God.  Let  it 
be  your  prominent  aim  to  approve  your- 
self unto  him,  that  at  last  you  may  hear 
that  voice  sweeter  than  the  music  of  an- 
gels, sound  in  your  ravished  ears,  "  Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  into 
the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

VII.  If  you  love   Christ,  you  will 

CULTIVATE     intercourse     WITH     HIM     BY 

FERVENT  PRAYER.  Our  Saviour  taught 
that  "  men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not 
to  faint;"  and  this  precept  he  enforced 
by  his  own  example.  But  this  is  not 
what  I  now  mean.  All  power  is  his;  all 
grace  is  his  ;  in  him  all  fulness  dwells. 
You  are  to  cultivate  intercourse  with  him, 
and  thus  to  enjoy  his  smile  and  embrace 
his  blessing.  You  will  prepare  for  duty 
by  this  :  you  will  consider  this,  and  this 
alone,  the  means  of  your  going  on  pros- 
perously. With  him  alone  is  the  residue 
of  the  Spirit ;  and  without  that  Spirit  no 
good  can  be  done.  The  wilderness  and 
the  solitary  place,  instead  of  being  glad 
for  you,  will  remain  an  arid  waste  ;  and 
barrenness  and  desolation  will  still  pre- 
sent itself  to  your  view.  When  you  go 
forth,  look  up  to  him  who  ascended  on 
high  and  received  gifts  for  men,  that  he 


would  send  down  the  promised  showers 
of  his  blessing.  Then  shall  you  realize 
the  beautiful  imagery  of  the  prophet; 
"  you  shall  go  out  with  joy,  and  be  led 
forth  with  peace  :  the  mountains  and  the 
hills  shall  break  before  you  into  singing, 
and  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall  clap 
their  hands.  Instead  of  the  thorn  shall 
come  up  the  fir  tree,  and  instead  of  the 
brier  shall  come  up  the  myrtle  tree." 
The  master  whom  you  serve  holds  out  to 
you  the  most  ample  encouragement. 
Paul  was  in  affliction,  but  he  had  resort 
to  prayer ;  he  "  besought  the  Lord  thrice," 
and  he  received  the  animating  answer, 
"  ^^y  gi"ace  is  sufficient  for  thee  :  for  my 
strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness."  On 
that  grace  you  have  already  expressed  your 
reliance,  and  you  may  rest  assured  that 
He  will  never  leave  you  nor  forsake  you. 

Let  this  love  of  Christ,  then,  be  your 
grand  motive.  Say  with  Paul,  "  The  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  us  ,•  because  we  thus 
judge,  that  if  one  died  for  all,  then  were 
all  dead:  and  that  he  died  for  all,  that 
those  which  live  should  not  henceforth 
live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  him  which 
died  for  them,  and  rose  again."  This  is 
a  principle  which  time  and  place  cannot 
affect;  a  principle  which  the  missionary 
may  carry  with  him  round  the  globe,  and 
cherish  alike  on  tropic  sands  or  amidst 
arctic  snows. 

And  now,  my  dear  son,  "  I  commend 
you  to  God,  and  to  the  word  of  his  grace, 
which  is  able  to  build  you  up,  and  to  give 
you  an  inheritance  among  all  them  which 
are  sanctified  !" 

Let  me  now  say  a  word  or  two  to  the 
hearers.  Our  blessed  Master,  when  his 
heart  was  melted  to  pity  by  the  sight  of 
the  multitudes  scattered  "  as  sheep  hav- 
ing no  shepherd,"  said,  "The  harvest 
truly  is  plenteous,  but  the  labourers  are 
few  :  pray  ye,  therefore,  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest,  that  he  will  send  forth  labourers 
into  his  harvest."  Do  we  obey  this  man- 
date ■?  Is  it  our  prayer  that  he  may  choose 
suitable  instruments — that  he  may  impart 
to  them  suitable  dispositions — that  he 
will  act  in  all  things  concerning  them  as 
his  own  infinite  wisdom  may  direct? 
And  after  we  have  thus  professed  to  com- 
mit the  cause  to  him,  shall  we   shrink 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  LOVE  OF  CHRIST. 


231 


back  if  he  ventures  to  come  within  the 
limits  of  our  own  circle — if  he  chooses  a 
member  of  our  own  family]  No!  this 
would  surely  be  unworthy  our  character. 

To  the  fathers  and  mothers,  brothers 
and  sisters,  by  whom  I  am  surrounded,  I 
need  not  say  there  is  a  struggle  on  the 
present  occasion,  and  many  circumstances 
which  should  call  forth  your  Christian 
sympathy.  This  would  be  the  case  if 
our  young-  friend  stood  alone  ;  but  he  goes 
not  alone;  he  takes  with  him  one  who 
has  claims  on  your  deepest  sympathies. 
I  dare  not  trust  myself  to  speak  further 
on  this  point  than  to  say,  never  were 
parents  more  attached  to  a  child,  never 
did  child  hold  parents  more  dear !  But 
we  are  called  to  sacrifice  these  natural 
sensibilities  at  the  shrine  of  the  cross. 

Our  joy  on  the  present  occasion  should 
greatly  exceed  our  sorrow:  grace  should 
now  triumph  over  nature  ;  and  we  should 
account  it  our  highest  honour  to  be  able 
thus  to  advance  the  divine  glory.  My 
friends,  we  are  too  worldly.  We  catch 
with  the  greatest  eagerness  at  any  situa- 
tion for  our  children  which  may  advance 
their  temporal  interests.  We  should  be 
glad  to  place  any  of  them  in  the  retinue 
of  royalty,  or  in  the  train  of  an  ambassa- 
dor; and  instead  of  shedding  tears  of  sor- 
row at  seeing  them  quit  their  native 
shores,  we  should  exult  in  the  thought 
of  the  high  honour  to  which  they  were 
advanced.  And  is  it  indeed  true,  that  a 
Christian  parent  shall  feel  sorrow  when 
his  child  has  set  his  heart  on  becoming 
a  missionary  to  the  heathen  ?  Shall  a 
blush  overspread  the  cheek  of  such  a 
parent  when  this  is  the  case  1  Shall  he 
feel  as  if  something  had  taken  place  to 
which  he  is  indeed  constrained  to  submit, 
but  in  which  he  does  not  delight?  Bre- 
thren, these  things  ought  not  so  to  be ! 
Shall  a  Christian  parent  have  his  heart 
more  set  on  the  acquirement  of  worldly 
wealth  for  his  children,  than  on  the  ac- 
quirement of  "  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ  ■?"  Shall  he  attach  more  import- 
ance to  forming  a  part  of  the  retinue  of 
an  earthly  sovereign,  than  being  attached 
to  his  service  who  has  the  name  written 
on  his  vesture  and  on  his  thigh,  "  King 

or   KINGS,  AND    LoRD    OF   LORDS  ?"       Shall 


it  be  thought  a  greater  honour  to  be  con- 
nected with  an  embassy  which  has  in 
view  the  adjustment  of  certain  rights  and 
misunderstandings  between  earthlystates, 
than  a  connexion  with  that  embassy 
which  has  for  its  object  the  establishment 
of  universal  peace  between  heaven  and 
earth  ?  Brethren,  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
is  not  of  this  world  :  how  long  shall  it  be 
ere  the  subjects  of  this  kingdom  act  up 
to  their  principles,  and  show  that  they  are 
not  of  this  world — that  theydonot  shun  the 
cross — that  they  account  Christ  and  him 
crucified  their  highest  dignity  and  glory? 

Let  parents  enforce  these  principles  on 
the  hearts  of  their  children.  Let  the 
young  who  are  strong  in  the  word  of 
Christ  come  forward.  Let  the  love  of 
Christ  constrain  them  to  live  no  longer 
to  themselves,  but  to  him.  Let  us  all 
seek  to  have  Christ  as  our  Saviour ;  our 
example  in  time,  our  hope  in  death,  our 
joy  in  eternity. 

May  the  Lord  be  with  you  !  May  He 
who  holds  the  winds  in  his  fists,  and 
measures  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his 
hands,  give  you  a  safe  passage  over  the 
seas !  May  he  preserve  you  safe  in 
foreign  climes  !  May  he  give  you  many 
souls  to  be  your  joy  and  crown  of  rejoic 
ing  in  the  last  great  day  !  To  that  day 
the  connexion  of  the  text  leads  us ;  "  foi 
we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment- 
seat  of  Christ!"  There  may  you  and  I, 
my  son,  and  all  that  are  present,  stand 
accepted  in  him  and  enter  into  his  joy ! 
Whether  we  are  again  to  meet  on  earth, 
He  alone  knows  in  whose  hands  are  our 
life  and  breath  !  but  when  you  go  hence, 
go  in  the  strength  of  that  passage  so  full 
of  encouragement,  where  the  Master  who 
says,  "  Go  ye  and  teach  all  nations ;" 
adds,  "  And  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  The 
eye  that  never  slumbers  or  sleeps  will 
watch  over  you.  You  cannot  go  where 
he  is  not.  His  power  acts  independently 
of  time  and  place.  His  purposes  cannot 
be  contravened  even  by  the  ruthless  arm 
of  death.  Go,  in  his  name  !  And  though 
seas  may  roll  between  us,  and  continents 
sever,  we  shall  still  be  one  in  nature  and  in 
grace  ;  and  when  we  meet,  it  shall  be  in  in- 
separable union  and  in  everlasting  peace. 


SERMON  XXV. 

NEUTRALITY   IN    RELIGION    IMPOSSIBLE. 
BY  THE  REV.  JAMES  DIXON. 


"He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against  me;  and  he  that  gathereth  not  with  me  scattereth  abroad." 

Matt.  xii.  30. 


The  evident  doctrine  of  our  text,  bre- 
thren, is  tliis  ; — that  there  is  no  allowed 
nor  authorized  religious  neutrality  : — that 
every  man,  in  a  religious  point  of  view, 
is  for  Christ  the  Saviour,  or  else  against 
Christ  the  Saviour; — and  that  it  is  quite 
impossible  to  find  a  middle  state.      The 
proposition  may  be  stated  in  other  terms, 
but  the  meaning  is  the  same.     We  are 
all  here  in  a  religious  station,  or  we  are 
not.     We  are  all  here  in  the  train  of  the 
gospel,  with  all  its  attendant  blessings  of 
light,  and   communion,  and  purity,  and 
peace,  and  hope  ; — or  we  are  in  darkness, 
misery,  impurity, — in  an  undone,  a  ruined 
state.     We  are  either  in  the  state  of  a 
religious  man,  with  his  sanctified  under- 
standing, his  submissive  will,  his  renewed 
heart,   his   fervent  devotion,   his   tender 
charit)',  his  glowing  zeal ;  or  we  are  still 
in  a  state  of  darkness,  carnal,  sold  under 
sin,  having  no  affection  for  God,  or  zeal 
for  his  glory.     Either  we  are  children  of 
God,  and   possessed  of  the   rights,  and 
immunities,  and  expectations  of  that  re- 
lation; or  else  we  are  aliens  from  God, 
outcasts   from   our  Father's    house   and 
family.     Thus  we  are  either  cherishing  a 
principle  of  devotedness  to  God  ;  or  we 
are  cherishing  principles  of  unholiness 
and  sin.     And  then,  we  are  either  tvith 
Christ,  in  promoting  human  happiness, 
and  increasing  the  sum  of  piety  and  reli- 
gion ;  or  we  are  against  Christ,  in  the 
way  of  the  happiness  of  men,  stunting  the 
progress  of  Christianity,  and  dangerous 
to  society  wherever  we  go. 
233 


You  will  say,  this  is  taking  high 
ground  : — my  dear  brethren,  the  gospel 
does  take  high  ground ;  and  that  neutral 
state,  to  which  so  many  in  our  day  aspire, 
is  not  possible  to  be  attained.  We  cannot 
be  neutral ; — for  if  we  are  not  decided,  we 
are  the  sport  of  misery,  we  are  hinderances 
to  the  benefit  of  others,  we  are  a  prey  to 
temptation,  we  are  the  victims  of  Satan. 
And  as,  in  a  neutral  state,  it  will  be  im- 
possible for  us  to  be  happy,  so  in  this 
state  it  will  be  impossible  for  us  to  be 
saved:  for  in  the  last  day  it  will  not  be 
enough  to  be  almost  Christians,  or  to  be 
partly  saved  ;  we  must  be  found  altogether 
on  the  Lord's  side.  "  He  that  is  not  with 
me  is  against  me  ;  and  he  that  gathereth 
not  with  me  scattereth  abroad." — I  ob- 
serve. 

First,  That  those  who  are  not  with 
Christ  in  discipi,eship,  and  in  the  pro- 
fession of  faith,  are  against  Christ, 
AS  the  disciples  of  another  master, 

AND  in  the  disobedience  OF  UNBELIEF. 

There  is  a  very  popular  phrase  in  use 
among  us,  and  that  is,  free  inquiry  ; — 
we  all  claim  for  ourselves  "  the  right  of 
free  inquiry ^  Now,  if  by  this  you  mean 
the  right  of  every  person  to  exercise  his 
opinion  in  religious  matters,  uncoerced 
and  unmolested  by  any  human,  any  civil 
power ;  then  I  should  say  that  every  such 
person  has  a  right  to  the  liberty  he  claims. 
If  you  mean  that  every  man  has  a  right 
to  the  use  of  the  Scriptures,  unrestricted 
and  unrestrained  ; — why,  I  should  say 
that  every  man  has  a  right  to  possess  that 


NEUTRALITY  IN  RELIGION  IMPOSSIBLE. 


233 


book  which  is  to  be  the  directory  of  his 
faith,  and  the  foundation  of  all  that  is 
right ;  and  that  the  power  which  would 
prevent  him  from  using  the  Scripture  is 
an  antichristian  power,  opposed  to  the 
just  and  proper  rights  of  man.  Or  if  by 
free  inquiry,  or  right  of  judgment,  you 
understand  the  right  of  every  man  to  enter 
into  such  a  portion  of  the  Christian  church 
as  seems  most  proper  to  him ; — then  I 
should  say,  he  certainly  has  a  right  to 
choose  that  system  of  church  government 
which  he  pleases  ;  he  has  a  right  to  do 
this  as  an  Englishman  and  a  Christian; 
and  to  do  it  without  any  coercion  or  mo- 
lestation whatever.  But  does  it  not  mean, 
sometimes,  a  right  to  exercise  his  own 
opinion,  independently  of  all  authority 
whatever?  And  is  it  not  evident  that 
such  a  man  assumes  a  right  to  have  a 
god?  And  I  say  that  no  man  has  a  right 
to  have  any  god  whatsoever.  The  man 
who  worships  human  intellect  is  an  idola- 
ter ;  and  he  who  bows  not  to  the  authority 
of  God  is  just  such  a  man.  Christ  says, 
"  He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against  me  :" 
the  text  evidently  puts  in  for  Christ  the 
claim  of  regal  authority  and  power.  Here 
two  or  three  questions  must  be  put. 

The  extent  of  the  Saviour^s  authority 
must  be  one  of  these  questions.  Examine 
this  in  support  of  the  discipleship  and 
obedience  of  faith  which  we  claim  for 
him.  Now,  the  extent  of  his  authority 
will  depend  on  his  personal  character 
and  his  personal  glory.  If  our  Lord  be 
possessed  of  absolute  divinity  and  glory; 
if  he  claim  all  the  perfections  of  absolute 
divinity  ; — then,  I  conceive,  that  divinity 
must  extend  itself  to  every  thing  belong- 
ing to  him.     For  instance. 

It  must  give  to  his  atonement  the  claim  of 
efficacy.  It  is  not  merely  because  our 
Saviour  became  incarnate — was  born  in  a 
manger — assumed  an  humble  character — 
had  not  where  to  lay  his  head  ; — it  is  not 
because  he  was  "  despised  and  rejected  of 
men" — gave  himself  up  to  the  malice  of 
his  foes — was  led  from  tribunal  to  tribu- 
nal, and  charged  with  iniquity  ; — it  is  not 
because  he  was  led  to  Calvary,  and  there 
drank  the  bitter  cup,  and  there  was  cruci- 
fied on  the  ignominious  tree  : — it  was  not 
because  of  any,  or  because  of  all  these 

Vol.  I 30 


things,  that  his  death  was  constituted 
valuable  ; — these  were  but  circumstances. 
But  that  which  rendered  the  atonement  of 
the  Saviour  infinitely  efficacious  and 
available  for  a  world  of  sinners,  is  be- 
cause that  atonement  was  the  atonement 
of  the  Son  of  God.  It  was  the  touch  of 
Divinity  that  rendered  it  a  complete  and 
perfect  work.  It  was  the  Godhead  of  the 
Saviour  that  rendered  the  atonement  of 
the  Saviour  infinitely  perfect  and  infi- 
nitely powerful.  My  brethren,  there  was 
an  intrinsic  value  and  worth  in  that  atone- 
ment of  the  Saviour,  because  it  was  per- 
formed by  a  divine  person  incarnate, 
independent  of  all  the  accidental  circum- 
stances, if  I  may  so  term  them,  of  his 
sufferings  and  death.  I  think  I  can  illus- 
trate this  : — What  is  it  that  makes  a  sove- 
reign worth  twenty  shillings  ?  Not 
merely  because  the  head  of  the  reigning 
sovereign  is  stamped  upon  it ;  not  merely 
because  it  is  ornamented  round  the  edge  : 
no  ;  if  I  understand  rightly, — at  least  this 
is  my  argument, — the  sovereign  is  worth 
twenty  shillings  intrinsically,  though  it 
had  no  head  stamped  upon  it,  though  it 
had  no  ornament  around  it, — because  it 
has  gold  in  it  to  this  intrinsic  value.  Bre- 
thren ;  I  say  the  same  as  to  the  atonement 
of  our  blessed  Saviour :  his  personal  worth 
gave  a  value  to  all  his  mediatorial  acts, 
independently  of  all  the  circumstances 
which  took  place.  This  idea  is  highly 
consolatory  :  it  is  consolatory  to  every 
sinner,  if  the  atonement  possess  such 
value,  then  there  is  something  to  stand 
against  all  the  sin  and  uncleanness  of 
which  he  has  been  guilty ;  for,  if  all  the 
sins  which  have  been,  and  which  will  be, 
committed,  were  collected  together  and 
put  upon  one  person,  there  would  be  infi- 
nitely more  merit  in  the  Saviour  than 
there  would  be  demerit  in  the  sinner, 
though  all  this  sin  rested  upon  him. 
Consequently,  there  is  in  Christ  more 
merit  than  there  can  be  demerit  in  every 
sinner.  This  is  highly  consolatory  ;  the 
merit  of  Christ  is  infinite ;  and  if  it  be 
infinite,  it  must  be  universal. 

Then,  also,  the  divinity  of  the  Saviour 
must  extend  itself  to  the  kingdom  (f  the  Sa- 
viour,    And  this  will  render  it  stable — it 
Avill  make  it  powerful — and  it  will  lead  it 
u2 


234 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


to  universal  triumph.  I  cannot  account 
for  the  preservation  and  stability  of  the 
system  of  Christianity,  except  as  I  see 
that  it  rests  on  the  divinity  of  its  author. 
If  its  author  be  divine,  and  if  he  have 
himself  lived  in  its  institutions,  and  if  he 
have  stamped  his  own  divinity  upon  those 
institutions ;  why,  then,  they  must  be 
preserved,  as  well  as  the  system  with 
which  they  are  connected.  The  system 
has  had  to  encounter  innumerable  diffi- 
culties ;  it  has  been  pxposed  to  many  an 
alarming-  storm ;  and  I  attribute  its  pre- 
servation amidst  all  these  storms  and 
difficulties,  to  the  stamp  of  its  own 
divinity  which  its  author  has  impressed 
upon  it.  And  this  gives,  not  only  sta- 
bility, but  efficacy,  to  all  its  institutions. 
It  is  intended  to  enlighten  those  who  are 
in  darkness — to  raise  those  that  are  dead 
— to  rectify  those  that  are  disordered — to 
purify  the  unclean — to  restore  those  who 
are  miserable  to  a  state  of  felicity.  And 
how  can  you  account  for  the  fact  that  they 
are  thus  enlightened,  and  raised,  and 
blessed,  except  in  the  fact,  that  the  di- 
vinity nf  Christ  lives  in  these  institutions, 
and  gives  them  these  effects : — And  how 
shall  we  account  for  the  extension  of  reli- 
gion in  the  world  ]  It  is  said  that  Christ 
shall  have  "  the  heathen  for  his  inherit- 
ance, and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
"for  his  possession."  Now,  how  do  you 
expect  religion  to  rise  above  all  false  sys- 
tems, and  to  see  every  thing  that  is  op- 
posed to  it  levelled  in  the  dust]  How, 
except  Christ  be  a  divine  person,  and  ex- 
cept his  divinity  live  in  his  system  ? — 
The  doctrines  of  religion,  to  have  any 
influence,  must  rest  on  authority  of  the 
highest  order  ;  and  if  they  be  from  God, 
they  will  have  this  authority.  And  though 
it  is  not  the  fashion,  allow  me  to  say  that 
every  man  is  obliged  to  be  a  believer  in 
Christ ;  and  that  he  who  is  not  with  Christ 
in  the  exercise  and  obedience  of  faith,  is 
agairist  Christ  in  the  exercise  of  disobe- 
dience and  unbelief. 

We  must  be  with  Christ,  as  it  respects 
his  claims  upon  us.  Now,  the  question 
here  is,  whether  the  gospel  comes  to  tts  in 
the  form  of  law  ?  There  are  various  parts 
in  the  gospel,  it  is  true  :  the  historical 
portion  is  stated  in  the  form  of  history  ; 


the  promissory  part  is  stated  in  the  form 
of  promise;  the  doctrinal  part  is  stated  in 
the  form  of  doctrine  ;  the  preceptive  part 
is  stated  in  the  form  of  precept;  and  so 
on.  The  question  is,  whether  there  is 
any  thing  binding  in  all  this.  Now,  if  an 
instrument  should  come  into  our  posses- 
sion concerning  an  estate,  would  not  every 
part  of  that  instrument,  if  it  were  legally 
stamped,  be  binding?  There  might  be 
history  in  it;  as  to  whether  it  was  pur- 
chased, or  whether  it  was  the  gift  of  the 
king,  or  whether  it  was  the  reward  of  va- 
lour or  merit.  And  there  might  be  descrip- 
tion in  it ;  the  various  parts  of  the  estate, 
and  in  what  it  consisted,  and  how  it  was 
bounded.  And  it  might  speak  of  duties  ; 
of  duties  which  the  possessor  would  have 
to  perform,  both  in  reference  to  the  estate 
itself,  and  to  various  persons  connected 
with  it.  And  there  might  be  privileges 
mentioned  ;  its  possessor  might  be  a  peer 
of  the  realm,  or  be  entitled  to  hold  some 
high  office.  But  whatever  parts  it  might 
contain,  the  whole  instrument  would  be 
law,  the  possessor  would  not  be  allowed 
to  make  choice  of  a  part;  he  must  take  it 
all,  with  all  its  particulars  and  provisions, 
or  he  must  renounce  it  altogether.  My 
brethren,  we  have  no  real  right  to  make 
a  selection,  as  it  regards  our  religion  ;  we 
must  receive  it,  and  receive  it  entire,  if 
we  would  preserve  the  character  of  honest 
men.  There  is  history  in  the  gospel, — 
the  history  of  the  birth,  and  life,  and 
miracles,  and  sufferings,  and  death,  and 
resurrection  of  Christ;  and  there  is  de- 
scription— a  description  of  all  the  excellent 
and  important  privileges  which  belong  to 
those  who  embrace  it;  and  there  are  doc- 
trines ;  and  there  are  precepts.  But  the 
whole  is  law  ;  and  if  I  neglect  to  take  it 
as  such,  I  am  guilty.  If  God  mark  out 
for  me  a  certain  course  of  duty,  and  I 
neglect  to  walk  in  it,  I  am  guilty;  and  if 
he  hold  out  privileges  to  m.e,  and  I  neg- 
lect to  enjoy  them,  I  am  guilty.  I  am 
guilty  alike  of  not  embracing  what  is 
offered,  and  of  not  performing  what  is 
required ;  and  "  he  that  is  not  with  Christ 
is  against  him." 

You,  must  also  examine  the  nature  of  the 
dispensation  under  which  you  live.  It  is  a 
question  with  some,  how  far  this  is  bind 


NEUTRALITY  IN  RELIGION  IMPOSSIBLE. 


235 


ing.  When  Adam  was  created,  he  was 
created  with  gitrantic  powers  of  mind. 
When  he  was  placed  in  paradise,  every 
breeze  that  fanned  him,  and  every  object 
by  which  he  was  surrounded,  tended  to 
promote  his  happiness.  Now  my  argu- 
ment is  this, — that  Adam  was  obliged  to 
rentier  to  the  Creator  a  regular  and  equal 
service.  And  what  are  toe?  As  Chris- 
tians, we  live  in  the  midst  of  an  abun- 
dance of  means  and  privileges;  and  we 
are  bound  to  see  that  the  state  of  our  ex- 
perience, and  the  state  of  our  obedience, 
agrees  with  our  state  as  to  privilege. 
What !  am  I  to  be  no  wiser  than  the  hea- 
then 1  no  purer  than  the  heathen  ]  no  hap- 
pier than  the  heathen  ]  Brethren,  I  am 
bound,  if  I  am  an  honest  man,  to  attain  to 
those  higher  degrees  of  experience,  of 
happiness,  of  obedience,  to  which  I  am 
called  by  the  gospel  I  profess  to  have 
embraced,  and  the  dispensation  under 
which  I  live.  And  "  he  that  is  not  with 
Christ  is  against  him."  He  that  is  not 
luiih  Christ  in  the  obedience  of  faith,  is 
against  Christ  in  the  disobedience  of  un- 
belief.    I  pass  on  to  a 

Second  observation. — Those  who  are 
NOT  WITH  Christ  in  the  purpose  and 

DESIGN  OF  HIS  DEATH,  ARE  AGAINST  ChRIST, 
IN  DEFEATING  THE  PURPOSE  AND  DESIGN  OF 
HIS  DEATH. 

Tlxe  first  purpose  of  the  death  of  Christ 
was,  to  make  an  atonement  for  our  sins ; 
the  second  was,  to  give  repentance  and  par- 
don to  guilty  men  ;  the  third  was,  to  make 
meet  for  the  glory  of  heaven.  Here  it  will 
be  necessary  to  distinguish  between  the 
executive  and  meritorious  part  of  our 
redemption,  and  the  participation  and  en- 
joyment of  it.  It  is  certain,  that  in  the 
executive  part  of  our  redemption,  Christ 
was  alone,  and  none  were  with  him. 
There  never  was,  there  never  will  be, 
another  being  who  could  take  part  in  the 
work  of  atonement.  None  can  be  with 
Christ  here  :  none  can  be  with  him  in  his 
sufferings,  none  in  his  merit.  You  may 
take  all  the  obedience  of  your  whole  lives, 
and  lay  it  upon  his  cross,  and  you  add 
nothing  to  the  merit  of  the  cross ;  it  is 
infinite,  and  admits  of  no  addition.  W^ith 
respect  to  the  value  of  the  atonement, 
there  can  be  no  addition,  no  co-operation : 


it  is  by  grace,  by  grace  only,  that  you  can 
be  saved.  Neither  can  we  co-operate  in 
procuring  salvation  for  others.  We  can 
no  more  co-operate  with  Christ,  in  saving 
the  souls  of  men,  than  we  could  be  with 
God,  in  forming  the  creation.  When  the 
eternal  mind  sketched  out  the  plan  of 
creation,  no  other  mind  could  co-operate 
with  him,  for  there  was  no  other  mind  in 
existence :  it  was  God's  plan,  and  his 
alone.  When  he  deigned  to  create  the 
heavens  and  the  earth,  there  was  no  voli- 
tion of  any  other  will  to  assist  him,  foi 
there  was  no  other  will  to  associate. 
W'hen  he  determined,  in  the  fulness  of 
his  benevolence,  to  make  angels  happy, 
and  to  make  man  happy,  there  was  no 
assistant  by  him ;  the  benevolence  was 
all  his  own.  And  when  he  marched  forth 
from  the  silence  of  his  own  eternity,  and 
said,  "  Let  there  be  light,"  and  "  Let 
there  be  a  firmament,"  and  "Let  the 
earth  bring  forth,"  and  last  of  all,  "  Let 
there  be  man,"  and  all  came  at  his  bid- 
ding ;  why,  there  was  no  person  standing 
by  to  assist  and  say,  "  Yes,  let  us  do  so  ;" 
— it  was  all  from  himself — it  was  the 
work  of  divinity  alone.  And  so  as  to 
redemption:  the  wondrous  scheme  was 
the  scheme  of  God  alone;  the  profound 
thought,  the  amazing  plan,  was  of  God, 
and  God  alone.  When  the  Saviour  gave 
himself  to  the  mighty  task  of  redeeming 
us,  he  stood  alone,  and  "  of  the  people 
there  was  none  with  him." 

Then,  it  will  be  asked,  how  can  we  be 
with  Christ,  as  to  the  purpose  of  his 
death  ]  Why,  by  erijoyment  and  partici- 
pation. I  did  not  create  this  earth;  but  I 
can  live  upon  it.  I  did  not  form  the 
beauteous  landscape  which  stretches 
around  me ;  but  I  can  survey  it,  and  en- 
joy its  beauties.  I  did  not  create  the 
fruits  with  which  the  earth  abounds  ;  but 
I  can  taste  their  sweetness,  and  receive 
nourishment  from  them.  I  did  not  create 
the  atmosphere  ;  but  I  can  breathe  and 
live  in  it.  I  did  not  create  the  glorious 
sun;  but  I  can  walk  in  its  light.  So  I 
did  not  plan  this  revelation;  but  I  can 
profit  by  its  discoveries.  I  did  not  work 
out  justification  ;  but  I  can  enter  into  the 
state  of  it.  I  did  not  prepare  the  blessing 
I  of  adoption  ;  but  I  can  be  adopted.     I  did 


236 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


not  compose  the  charms  of  holiness;  but 
I  can  wear  all  its  beauties.  I  did  not 
prepare  the  city  which  hath  foundations ; 
but  1  can  rise  to  the  New  Jerusalem.  I 
did  not  furnish  those  mansions  of  bliss, 
or  form  those  crowns  of  glory;  but,  by 
God's  grace  and  blessing,  I  can  gain  an 
entrance  to  those  mansions,  and  triumph 
in  that  glory.  Thus  we  may  be  with 
Christ  in  partaking  of  all  the  blessedness 
of  his  redemption  ;  and  those  who  are  not 
thus  "  with'''  him,  in  the  purpose  and  de- 
sign of  his  death,  are  "  against"  him,  in 
defeating  the  purpose  and  design  of  his 
death. 

We  maybe  against  Christ  in  defeating 
►the  purpose  of  his  death,  in  various  ways. 
First,  By  rejecting  it  altogether,  in  a  spirit 
of  infidelity.  Secondly,  By  embracing  a 
system  which  does  not  contain  any  of  its 
grand  priticiples.  Thirdly,  By  rejecting 
it  in  a  way  of  careless  unconcern.  Infi- 
delity rejects  the  death  of  Christ  alto- 
gether ;  regards  it  as  an  idle  tale,  and 
turns  into  ridicule  all  that  Christianity 
connects  with  it.  Some  profess  to  love  a 
system  which  is  full  of  morality,  but 
which  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  cross. 
Their  system  resembles  the  summers  of 
the  North  ; — there  is  light  enough  in  the 
hemisphere,  but  there  is  not  warmth 
enough  in  the  sun  to  clothe  the  fields  with 
verdure  and  the  trees  with  plenty  : — there 
is  light,  but  there  is  also  sterility.  That 
system  of  Christianity  which  has  no 
cross,  no  dying  Christ  in  it,  may  have 
light  enough,  for  aught  I  know ;  but  it 
has  not  in  it  that  heat  which  melts  the 
heart,  and  causes  the  profession  of  Chris- 
tianity to  be  verdant,  and  prolific  in  all 
the  fruits  of  grace.  Save  me  from  a  Chris- 
tianity that  has  no  cross  in  it,  no  bleed- 
ing Saviour  ! 

Thirdly,  Those  who  are  not  with 
Christ  in  the  affections  of  the  heart, 
are  against  him  in  its  enmities,  and  in 
its  indifference. 

The  affection  of  the  heart  is  an  essen- 
tial, and  not  an  accidental,  circumstance 
in  true  religion.  It  is  an  accidental  cir- 
cumstance whether  a  man  be  short  or  tall, 
white  or  black,  fat  or  meagre,  and  so  on  ; 
but  it  is  essential  to  his  being  a  man  that 
he  have  an  erect  form,  a  human  counte- 


nance, a  judging,  thinking  mind  :  without 
these  he  is  not  a  man.  It  is  accidental 
whether  you  belong  to  one  sect,  or 
another;  whether  you  have  adopted  this 
creed,  or  another ;  whether  you  have  en- 
tered this  church  or  another  ; — but  love  i6 
Christ  is  not  an  accidental,  it  is  an  essen- 
tial, of  Christianity.  Men  may  differ 
about  many  things,  but  they  are  not 
Christians  if  they  do  not  love  the  Saviour. 
If  a  man  does  not  love  Christ,  he  is  not  a 
Christian,  be  he  what  he  may  besides ; 
and  if  he  love  Christ,  he  is  a(Christian,  -j~ 
be  what  he  may  besides.  This  is  an  es- 
sential principle  :  he  who  has  it  is  a  good 
man,  and  he  who  has  it  not  is  not  a  good 
man. 

We  may  be  "  against"  Christ  either 
by  enmity  or  by  indifference.  Some  are 
against  Christ  positively  .• — His  name 
grates  harshly  upon  their  ears,  and  sinks 
heavily  upon  their  hearts.  What !  that 
name  which  is  the  joy  of  the  Christian's 
heart ;  which  lights  up  his  countenance 
with  rapture  ;  which  is  the  ground  of  his 
hope  of  bliss  for  ever  ]  Is  there  a  being 
in  existence,  to  whom  this  name  is  a 
source  of  uneasiness  and  distress?  I  fear 
so ;  I  fear  there  are  many  of  our  species, 
in  whose  hearts  the  very  name  of  Christ 
rouses  up  every  bad  passion.  We  may 
be  "  against"  Christ  negatively,  by  indif- 
ference ;  for  coldness  of  heart  is  impiety, 
and  stamps  the  characters  of  those  who 
are  guilty  of  it  as  enemies  of  Christ. 

Finally,  Those  who  are  not  with 
Christ  in  gathering,  are  against  him 
IN  scattering  abroad. 

Those  who  are  not  promoting  his  cause 
by  religion,  are  scattering  it  by  irreligion. 
Jesus  Christ  designed  to  gather  all  men 
to  himself;  and  in  this  work  we  may  all 
co-operate.  Talents  of  every  order,  pro- 
perty, rank,  influence,  exertion,  may  all 
be  brought  into  action  here ;  and  when 
Christianity  goes  on  as  it  should,  you 
will  have  talent,  and  rank,  and  influence, 
and  exertion,  on  his  side  ;  and  all  belong- 
ing to  the  church  of  Christ  will  be  de- 
voted to  the  promotion  of  his  designs, 
and  the  establishment  of  his  universal 
empire. 

But,  you  will  say,  how  does  it  appear 
that,  if  we  are  not  aiming  to  promote  this 


NEUTRALITY  IN  RELIGION  IMPOSSIBLE. 


237 


cause,  we  are  scailering  it  abroad  ]  Bre- 
thren, there  was  a  time  when  the  greatest 
adversary  this  country  ever  had  prepared 
his  armies  and  his  flotilla,  and  lifted  up 
his  hand,  and  declared  that  our  rights,  our 
property,  and  all  that  we  had,  should  be- 
come his  prey ;  and  that  he  would  feed  the 
avarice  and  cupidity  of  his  followers  in 
this  very  city.  You  remember, — many 
of  you  are  old  enough, — I  remember  well, 
that  one  of  the  finest  pictures  that  was 
ever  seen  was  then  presented  to  view. 
Nearly  the  whole  population  of  the  coun- 
try declared  that  it  should  not  be,  and 
stepped  with  eagerness  into  the  ranks,  to 
prepare  themselves  for  repelling  Eng- 
land's foe.  Well ;  but  some  did  not  do  so. 
What  then  ?  Were  they  against  E  ngland  ] 
Yes ;  they  were :  they  were  against 
her  constitution — against  her  rights — 
against  her  comforts — against  her  pri- 
vileges— against  her  happiness — against 
the  interests  of  her  children.  And  had  all 
been  left  to  them,  and  had  all  acted  as 
they  did,  England  had  fallen  a  prey  to 
her  haughty  foe.  Brethren,  Christ  is 
engaged  against  a  powerful  foe ;  and 
those  who  gather  not  with  him,  scatter  ; 
and  those  who  do  jiothing,  are  injuring 
his  cause.  Neutrality  here,  is  opposition. 
It  is  laid  upon  us  all  to  do  something  for 
the  honour  of  our  divine  Lord.  We  may 
not  all  be  able  to  engage  equally,  or  with 
the  same  effect;  but  we  must  all  take 
our  stand,  and  do  something  for  the  great 
cause. 


THE  minister's  CHARGE  COMPARED  TO  A  SHIP's 
CREW. 

Parishes  are  holy  ships,  whose  curates 
are  the  pilots,  and  eternity  the  port  they 
must  guide  them  to.     If  it  need  so  much 


art  and  long  experience  to  sail  upon  the 
seas,  what  knowledge  and  prudence  does 
it  call  for,  to  pass  over,  happily,  the  sea 
of  this  world,  where  tempests  never  cease ! 
Alas !  who  can  think,  without  sensible 
grief  and  bitter  tears,  that  the  helm  of 
these  vessels,  which  contain  such  pre- 
cious wares  as  cost  no'less  than  the  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ,  should  be  committed, 
ordinarily,  to  men  of  so  little  experience, 
that  they  are  not  only  ignorant  of  the  tem- 
pests, shelves,  and  banks  of  this  terrible 
sea,  but  even  have  not  the  strength  or 
industry  to  guide  their  own  little  vessel 
back  to  the  road  !  And  these  inestimable 
riches  are  frequently  intrusted  to  those 
whom  they  will  not  trust  with  a  purse  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  pieces.  And  when  the 
pilots  are  able,  who  would  not  even  then 
lose  their  courage  to  see  themselves  sail- 
ing amidst  so  many  hazards,  and  with  so 
little  success  ?  How  many  stupid  ones 
fall  out  of  the  vessel !  how  many  impru- 
dent ones  get  out  to  sail  apart  in  shal- 
lops !  how  many  desperate  ones  throw 
themselves  over,  and  abandon  themselves 
to  the  fury  of  the  waves  !  What  disquiets, 
what  griefs,  and  what  trouble  for  the 
poor  pilot !  He  must  run  on  all  sides  to 
reach  out  his  hand  to  those  that  fall.  He 
must  exhaust  his  lungs,  in  trying  to  call 
those  who  flee  away.  He  must  even 
frequently  throw  himself  into  the  sea, 
to  recover  those  whom  the  waves  swal- 
low up.  If  he  watch  not,  the  fall  of  the 
first  will  be  imputed  to  him.  If  he  be 
silent,  he  will  have  to  answer  for  the 
flight  of  the  second.  If  he  fear  labour  and 
travail,  he  will  be  accused  of  the  other's 
despair.  If,  in  a  word,  he  want  vigilance, 
strength,  and  courage,  he  will  be  guilty 
of  as  many  bloodsheds  as  he  lets  souls 
perish. — Entretiens  de  VMbe  Jean,  ^c. 


SERMON  XXVI. 

THE    SACRED    ORACLES. 

PREACHED    WITH    REFERENCE    TO    THE    CIRCULATION    OF    THE    SCRIPTURES    BY    THE 
BRITISH    AND    FOREIGN    BIBLE    SOCIETY. 

BY  THE  REV.  W.  JAY. 


"  TTien  took  Jeremiah  another  roll,  and  gave  it  to  Barnch,  the  scribe,  the  son  of  Neriah :  who 
wrote  therein,  from  the  mouth  of  Jeremiah,  all  the  words  of  the  book  which  Jehoiakim,  king  of 
Judah,  had  burned  in  the  fire:  and  there  were  added  likewise  to  them  many  like  words." — Jer. 
iixvi.  32. 


"  Surely,"  says  David,  "  the  wrath  of 
man  shall  praise  thee,  O  Lord,"  This 
is,  indeed,  far  from  being  the  natural  de- 
sign and  tendency  of  it.  In  this  sense 
the  wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  right- 
eousness of  God.  But  his  wisdom  and 
power  are  infinite  ;  and  by  his  overruling 
providence  he  causes  the  expressions  of 
human  rage  to  conduce  to  the  display  of 
his  own  glory,  and  thus  turn  the  curse 
into  a  blessing.  The  Bible  abounds 
with  instances  of  this ;  and  a  very  strik- 
ing exemplification  comes  before  us  this 
morning.  Jeremiah  was  commanded  to 
write  in  a  roll  all  the  words  which  had 
been  denounced  against  Israel  and  Judah. 
This  he  did  by  means  of  Baruch,  who 
not  only  transcribed  the  roll,  but  read  it 
in  the  court  of  the  temple  of  the  Lord, 
the  people  standing  underneath.  Micha- 
iah  heard  him,  and  related  the  substance 
to  the  princes  who  were  assembled  in  the 
scribes'  chamber,  in  the  house  of  the  king. 
They  therefore  sent  for  Baruch  to  read  it 
to  them.  They  heard  it  with  trembling 
and  fear,  and  agreed  to  tell  the  king.  The 
king  immediately  ordered  Jehudi  to  go 
and  fetch  the  roll.  "  Now  the  king  sat 
in  the  winter-house  in  the  ninth  month; 
and  there  was  afire  on  the  hearth  burning 
before  him.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that 
when  Jehudi  had  read  three  or  four  leaves, 
he  cut  it  with  the  penknife,  and  cast  it 
238 


into  the  fire  that  was  on  the  hearth." 
Vain  rage  !  would  this  hinder  the  execu- 
tion of  the  threatenings  ?  Nay,  it  could 
not  prevent  the  infliction  of  them.  Jere- 
miah is  ordered  to  take  another  roll, 
"  after  that  the  king  had  burned  the  roll, 
and  the  words  which  Baruch  wrote  at  the 
mouth  of  Jeremiah,  saying.  Take  thee 
again  another  roll,  and  write  in  it  all  the 
former  words  that  were  in  the  first  roll 
which  Jehoiakim,  the  king  of  Judah,  had 
burned."  Nor  was  this  all  ;  the  roll,  in- 
stead of  being  eventually  destroyed  or 
injured,  was  even  enlarged  and  improved. 
"  Then  took  Jeremiah  another  roll,  and 
gave  it  to  Baruch  the  scribe,  the  son  of 
Neriah;  who  wrote  therein  from  the 
mouth  of  Jeremiah  all  the  words  of  the 
book  which  Jehoiakim,  king  of  Judah, 
had  burned  in  the  fire ;  and  there  were 
added  besides  unto  ihem  many  like  uwrds.''^ 

Let  us  rise  from  hence  to  some  general 
reflections,  observing. 

First,  The  importance  of  having  the 
word  of  God  committed  to  writing. 

Secondly,  Taking  some  views  of  those 
who  would  destroy  the  Scriptures.     And, 

Thirdly,  Showing  how  many  things 
which  seem  likely  to  injure  revelation, 
have  even  proved  its  advantage. 

Many  of  you  will  remember  that  a  year 
ago,  I  promised  to  preach  on  a  Scripture, 
bearing  on  the  importance  of  the  British 


THE  SACRED  ORACLES. 


239 


and  Foreign  Bible  Societ}',  tlie  Sabbath 
immediately  preceding  the  annual  meet- 
ing. Now  this  is  the  very  Sabbath  ;  and 
by  divine  permission  and  assistance  I 
shall  endeavour  to  redeem  the  pledge. 
None,  unless  by  perverseness  of  mind, 
can  view  this  as  an  act  of  hostility  and 
controversy,  when  it  is  only  the  fu/Jilnient 
of  an  engagement,  announced  when  I  could 
have  no  apprehension  from  a  system  con- 
taining so  much  of  active  opposition  to  an 
institution  which  millions  of  my  fellow 
countrymen  agree  to  be  the  glory  of  the 
land,  and  which  I  consider  (for  I  need 
not  be  ashamed  of  my  country)  to  be  the 
glory  of  the  country  in  which  I  live, 

"  All  scripture,"  says  the  apostle,  "  was 
given  by  inspiration  of  God."  "  Holy 
men,"  says  Peter,  "  spake  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  But  says 
Dr.  Watts, 

"  The  prophets'  pens  succeed  their  breath, 
To  save  the  holy  words  from  death." 

But  we  have  only  to  do  with  the  com- 
mitting OF  THE  MIND  AND  WILL  OF  GoD 
TO  WRITING.  This  is  important  for  two 
purposes.  First, — because  the  knowledge 
of  them  must  be  preserved  and  extended. 
Without  the  knowledge  of  them  they 
cannot  be  felt,  they  cannot  be  acted  upon, 
they  cannot  become  the  rule  of  our  con- 
duct, nor  the  source  of  our  consolation. 
Therefore  says  the  apostle,  "  How  can 
they  believe  on  him  of  whom  they  have 
not  heard  V  Therefore  says  God,  "  By 
his  knowledge  shall  my  righteous  servant 
justify  many."  Therefore  prays  the 
church,  "  That  thy  name  may  be  known 
on  earth,  thy  saving  health  among  all 
nations."  And,  secondly,  because  there 
was  no  loay  of  preserving  and  extending  this 
knowledge  to  be  compared  to  this.  Thus, 
both  with  regard  to  extensiveness  and 
security.  Scripture  surpasses  oral  tradi- 
tion. We  all  know,  in  the  common 
affairs  of  the  world,  how  a  thing  is  altered 
by  repeated  relation.  There  are  some 
persons  who  never  regard  accuracy  at  all ; 
others  seem  incapable  of  it.  Some  from 
lack  of  memory,  and  others  from  fervency 
of  feeling,  add  circumstances :  and  it  is 
well  known  how  a  single  turn  will  ex- 
press too  much  or  too  little  to  define  pro- 


perly the  true  meaning  of  a  case.  It  is 
proverbially  said  there  is  no  believing  one 
half  of  what  we  hear.  What  should  we 
have  known  of  the  history  of  our  own 
country  without  written  documents  1  A 
number  of  facts  may  have  reached  U3 
orally,  but  then  they  might  have  been 
altered  in  the  lapse  of  years  ;  and  there- 
fore the  earliest  part  in  the  history  of 
every  nation,  previous  to  the  acquisition 
of  written  records,  is  always  deemed  fa- 
bulous. 

Let  me  place  another  illustration  before 
you  which  comes  nearer  our  subject. 
All  mankind  once  had  a  divine  revelation. 
The  family  of  Noah  saved  from  the  ilood 
was  the  original  of  all  the  nations  of  the 
globe ;  but  this  family  possessed  divine 
qualifications,  and,  therefore,  as  the  mem- 
bers spread  they  carried  along  with  them 
these  discoveries.  Hence,  long  after 
their  dispersion,  we  find,  not  only  in 
Judah  but  in  other  places,  some  know- 
ledge of  the  true  God ;  as  we  see  in  the 
case  of  Balaam,  who  came  from  Mesopo- 
tamia. And  hence,  to  this  day,  there  are 
found  in  all  countries  some  obscure  reli- 
gious rites.  These  are  not,  as  some  ima- 
gine, the  result  of  reason,  but  they  are 
the  remains  of  revelation,  the  lingering 
beams  of  the  sun  that  has  gone  down ; 
and,  therefore,  it  is  remarkable  that,  in 
proportion  as  you  go  back  and  trace  the 
time  of  its  setting,  you  find  these  beams 
more  clear  and  strong.  The  remains  of 
the  original  revelation  are  thus  found  in 
the  heathen  world — not  only  in  some  ap- 
prehensions which  they  have  of  a  Supreme 
Being  above  them,  and  of  something  like 
a  future  state,  but  peculiarly  in  the  article 
of  sacrifice,  (an  institution  which  is  per- 
fectly unaccountable  unless  we  suppose 
an  original  appointment,)  and  also  in  the 
division  of  time  by  sevens.  The  obser- 
vations of  the  moon  would  lead  people  to 
distinguish  times  into  months,  and  the 
observation  of  the  sun  would  lead  them 
to  distinguish  it  into  days  and  years ;  but 
there  is  no  one  conceivable  thing  from 
which  it  can  be  imagined  why  people 
divide  time  by  sevens,  unless  it  is  the 
divine  institution  of  the  Sabbath. 

But  now  what  was  derived  from  this 
source  %      Where  it  Avas  unrecorded  it 


240 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


became  more  and  more  indistinct  and 
corrupt.  This  was  natural  and  unavoid- 
able :  but  in  the  family  of  Abraham,  and 
in  the  nation  of  the  Jews,  it  was  other- 
wise. There  revelation  was,  after  a 
while,  committed  to  writing  :  thus  it  be- 
c^xae  fixed ?inA' certain ,-  thus  appeals  could 
be  made  to  it,  and  mistakes  could  be  cor- 
rected by  it.  The  original  copy  was 
kept  in  the  ark  of  the  Lord.  Every  king 
of  the  Jews,  when  he  came  to  his  throne, 
was  commanded  to  transcribe  it  for  his 
own  use.  At  every  public  festival  it  was 
brought  forth  and  read  in  the  audience  of 
all  the  people.  This  would  keep  up  an 
acquaintance  with  it.  The  pious  would 
of  course  soon  multiply  copies,  and  they 
would  lend  or  read  these  transcriptions 
to  their  relations,  and  neighbours,  and 
friends.  You  see  we  do  not  know  at 
present  the  origin  of  alphabetical  charac- 
ters. This  seems  very  easy  and  familiar, 
to  you  who  use  it  without  reflection ;  but 
to  those  who  think,  and  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  account  for  things,  it  has  proved 
so  difficult  and  wonderful,  that  Gilbert 
"Wakefield  has  written  an  essay  to  prove 
that  it  must  have  been  originally  a  divine 
communication. 

But  we  have  only  to  do  now  with  the 
uses.  Writing  has  answered  a  thousand 
valuable  purposes.  It  has  been  the  re- 
source of  friendship — it  has  been  the  en- 
larger  of  commerce — it  has  enriched  the 
world  with  the  spoils  of  time — it  has 
multiplied  innumerably  the  treasures  of 
knowledge :  by  means  of  it  men  have 
secured  and  communicated  their  acquisi- 
tions, and  made  the  discoveries  and  im- 
provements of  one  age  and  nation  avail- 
able for  those  of  another.  The  highest 
honour  that  can  attach  to  writing  is  that 
by  means  of  it  the  words  of  eternal  life 
have  come  down  to  us  unimpaired.  And 
as  Dr.  Watts  says,  in  the  words  we  have 
been  singing, 

"The  bright  inheritance  of  heaven 
Is  by  the  sweet  conveyance  given." 

We  shall  only  add  that  this  blessed 
instrumentality  was  completed  by  the 
discovery  of  printing ;  by  which,  machi- 
nery becoming  a  substitute  for  manuscript, 
where  one  copy  of  the  Scriptures  could 


have  been  obtained  from  the  pen,  a  hun- 
dred or  a  thousand  can  be  obtained  from 
the  press.  Thus  the  sacred  volume  has 
become  the  property  of  thousands  and 
millions  who  otherwise  must  have  been 
devoid  of  it. 

But  to  pass  on  to  the  second  thing. 
What  think  you  of  those  who  would 
DESTROY  the  Scriptures  ]  You  Seem 
to  shudder  at  the  very  proposal :  you 
wonder  that  any  person  should  be  capa- 
ble of  such  an  action  as  Jehoiakim,  who 
cut  to  pieces  the  divine  roll  and  threw  it 
into  the  fire.  About  one  hundred  and 
seventy  years  before  Christ,  Antiochus 
caused  all  the  copies  of  the  Jewish  Scrip- 
tures he  could  find  to  be  burnt :  and  three 
hundred  and  three  years  after,  Dioclesian, 
by  an  edict,  ordered  all  the  Scriptures  to 
be  committed  to  the  flames;  and  Euse- 
bius,  the  historian,  tells  us  he  saw  large 
heaps  of  them  burning  in  the  market- 
place. I  knew  a  man  a  few  years  ago, 
very  near  Bath,  who  had  a  pious  wife 
fond  of  reading  the  Scriptures.  This 
oflJended  him ;  and  one  day  he  snatched 
it  from  her  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  the 
fire,  and  consumed  it  to  ashes.  This 
shocks  you :  but  did  you  never  hear  of  Vol- 
taire, and  Paine,  and  Taylor,  (the  devil's 
chaplain,)  and  other  lampooners  and  re- 
vilers  of  the  Bible,  who  have,  by  their 
deeds,  more  than  betrayed  the  wishes  of 
their  hearts  ?  Men  may  be  restrained 
from  burning  the  book  ;  but  every  wicked 
man  on  earth,  be  assured,  is  an  enemy  to 
it.  Men  make  the  book  their  enemy,  and 
then  they  are  enemies  to  the  book,  and 
hate  it  because  it  does  not  prophesy  good 
of  them,  but  evil.  Mr.  Wilberforce  told 
me  that  when  he  called  on  Carlile  in  the 
prison,  and  took  out  the  Scriptures,  he 
said,  "  ril  hear  nothing  from  that  book. 
How  can  you  suppose  that  I  can  bear  that 
book  ■?  For  if  that  book  be  true,  I  am 
miserable." 

Let  us  take  four  views  of  those  who 
are  enemies  to  the  Bible. 

The  first  regards  the  taste  of  those  who 
deny  its  authenticity.  Without  referring 
immediately  to  its  doctrines,  how  much 
is  there  in  the  very  writing  itself  that 
deserves  admiration!  What  sublimity 
is  there  in  some  passages — what  unity  in 


THE  SACRED  ORACLES. 


241 


others— what  nature  and  tenderness  in 
all !  I  wish  I  had  time  to  furnish  you 
with  specimens,  but  we  have  not :  you 
may  find  enough  of  them  in  Simpson's 
Plea  for  Religion.  But  let  me  ask  if  ever 
there  was  a  person  who  could  read,  with- 
out beiug  deeply  affected,  the  narrative 
of  the  history  of  Joseph,  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Lazarus,  and  the  farewell  of  Paul 
to  the  elders  of  Ephesus  1  Here  we  are 
supplied  with  articles  to  be  derived  from 
no  other  source.  We  are  led  back  to 
periods  much  earlier  than  other  historians 
reach.  Here  we  see  earth  rising  out  of 
chaos  ;  we  see  the  earth  drowned ;  we  see 
it  renewed  and  re-peopled.  Surely  those 
precious  pieces  of  antiquity  which  are 
found  in  the  book  of  Genesis — who  would 
not  wish  to  admire  and  preserve  them  ] 
But  the  Vandalism  of  infidelity  would 
fling  them  all  into  the  fire,  and  fix  our 
eyes  on  the  darkness  and  dreariness  of 
two  thousand  years  ago.  One  would 
imagine  that  the  description  which  the 
Bible  gives  man  of  his  soul,  of  his  capa- 
city for  endless  improvement,  of  his  im- 
mortality, of  his  being  the  peculiar  care 
of  Deity,  might  fall  in  with  his  love  of 
greatness :  one  might  suppose  that  men 
would  luisk  they  were  true — that  they 
would  be  sorry  to  learn  they  had  no  higher 
destination  than  to  eat,  and  to  drink,  and 
to  sleep.  But  no  ;  such  is  the  self-abase- 
ment and  voluntary  degradation  of  those 
wretches,  that  they  would  strip  man  of  his 
nobler  part,  and  throw  into  the  flames  all 
that  would  render  it  important  and  glori- 
ous, that  they  might  feel  in  them  the 
brute  triumphant,  and  that  they  might 
graze  by  their  brethren  in  the  field,  say- 
ing, "  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow 
we  die." 

Secondhj,  let  us  view  these  men  as  to 
their  patriotism,,  or  their  regard  to  public 
good.  Now  I  am  authorized  to  say  that 
the  advantages  of  civilization  are  princi- 
pally to  be  ascribed  to  the  influence  of 
revelation.  Wherever  the  Scriptures 
have  prevailed,  they  have  stemmed  the 
fierceness  of  the  population,  and  the  ma- 
lice of  the  multitude,  far  more  than  all 
civil  ordinances.  What  have  they  not 
done  in  purifying  and  blessing  the  very 
spring-head  of  society — I  mean  marriage 

Vol.  L— 31 


— in  banishing  polygamy,  and  confining 
divorces  only  to  cases  of  adultery  ]  How 
is  the  wretched  being  shunned,  and  de- 
tested, and  thrown  on  the  very  dregs  of 
society,  who  is  only  suspected  of  the 
abominations,  in  the  practice  of  which 
the  most  admired  characters  in  heathen 
lands  avowedly  indulged !  What  has 
raised  this  tone  of  morals  ?  How  has 
the  system  itself  been  changed'?  Cap- 
tives and  prisoners  are  now  not  put  to  death 
in  cold  blood.  How  they  are  attended  to 
and  provided  for !  If  after  a  battle  a 
single  common  soldier  now  was  put  to 
death,  or  maimed,  or  sold  into  slavery, 
every  nation  would  resound  with  earnest 
protestations  against  such  shameful  in- 
humanity. Where  now  are  the  bloody 
gladiatorial  rites  which  furnished  such 
delicious  entertainment,  not  only  for  the 
men,  but  the  women  in  Rome  ?  When 
we  look  around  us,  (blessed  be  God  !)  we 
see  asylums  for  indigence,  and  disease, 
and  all  kinds  of  wretchedness  ;  here  for 
the  groping  blind — there  for  the  deaf  and 
dumb  ;  here  for  helpless  orphanism — there 
for  wrinkled  age.  What  benevolence 
was  seen  in  the  pagan  world  1  Produce 
one  instance  in  which  the  philosophy  of 
Greece  or  Rome  ever  established  an  in- 
firmary or  an  hospital. 

The  Bible  also  describes  all  social  and 
relative  duties,  and  enforces  them  by  the 
most  awful  sanctions.  It  denounces  the 
wrath  of  God  upon  unkind  husbands  and 
upon  scolding  wives — upon  negligent 
parents  and  upon  disobedient  children — 
upon  grinding  masters  and  upon  unfaith- 
ful servants.  It  damns  the  prince  that 
becomes  a  tyrant,  and  it  damns  the  sub- 
ject that  dares  to  be  a  rebel.  Thus  it 
provides  for  the  welfare  of  all  in  the  com- 
munity ;  and  it  is  easy  to  see  that  if  all 
were  to  imbibe  its  spirit,  there  would  bfr 
no  complaining  in  our  streets;  all  would' 
be  order  and  subordination  ;  the  wilder- 
ness and  the  solitary  place  would  be 
glad,  and  the  desert  would  rejoice  and 
blossom  as  the  rose.  What  can  we  think 
of  men  that  would  destroy  a  system  that 
thus  conduces  in  every  way  to  the  public 
weal  1  When  Hume  himself  was  asked 
whether  he  thought  it  better  for  servants, 
and  children,  and  tradesmen,  and  the 
X 


242 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


common  people  to  believe  the  Scriptures 
or  to  disbelieve  them — 0,  says  he,  to  be- 
lieve them  ! 

Then  let  us  view  the  enemies  of  the 
Bible,  thirdly,  with  regard  lo  their  charity 
and  compassion.  1  have  not  time  to  prove 
that  this  earth  is  the  heir  of  evil,  that 
man  is  born  to  trouble  as  the  sparks  fly 
upward.  The  common  resources  to 
which  men  apply  in  these  cases  are  mise- 
rable comforters,  and  physicians  of  no 
value ;  yea,  they  add  to  the  evil ;  they 
are  not  only  vanity,  but  vexation  of  spirit. 
But  in  the  midst  of  all  this  disappoint- 
ment, all  this  dismay,  all  these  distresses, 
Christianity  comes  in  among  us  to  heal 
the  broken  heart,  and  to  bind  up  all  their 
wounds.  It  comes  and  says  to  the  afflict- 
ed, «'  In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribula- 
tion ;  but  be  of  good  cheer,  I  have 
overcome  the  world."  It  says  to  the 
wretched,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest."  And  it  has  this  recom- 
mendation— the  recommendation  of  experi- 
ence: there  are  thousands  that  have  made 
the  trial.  There  is  one  who  can  say, 
turning  his  eyes  upward,  "  In  the  multi- 
tude of  my  thoughts  within  me  thy  com- 
forts delight  my  soul."  Another  wipes 
his  eyes  and  says,  "  Unless  thy  law  had 
been  my  delight,  my  soul  had  almost 
dwelt  in  silence."  Here  is  a  child  return- 
ing from  the  funeral  of  a  father,  now 
buried  in  the  same  grave  with  his  mother ; 
he  opens  the  twenty-seventh  Psalm,  and 
reads,  "  When  my  father  and  my  mother 
forsake  me,  then  the  Lord  will  take  me 
up."  Here  is  a  husband  dying,  and  sees 
his  wife  and  children  unprovided  for, 
weeping  by  him  ;  but  he  hears  a  soft 
voice,  "  Leave  thy  fatherless  children,  I 
will  keep  them  alive  ;  and  let  thy  widows 
trust  in  me."  I  one  day,  at  Olney,  met 
with  a  good  man  who  had  been  long  deaf. 
He  said  to  me,  "  For  more  than  sixteen 
years  I  have  not  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  a  single  sermon  ;  but  I  am  look- 
ing forward  and  looking  upward  for  my 
comfort : 

"  There  shall  I  see,  and  hear,  and  know. 
All  I  desired  or  wished  below ; 
And  every  power  find  sweet  employ, 
In  ihat  eternal  world  of  joy ." 


What  do  you  think  of  the  human  being 
that  would  take  away  the  Bible,  dash 
this  only  cup  of  consolation  from  the 
parched  lip — that  would  pull  down  the 
onl)'  refuge  to  which  the  polluted  sinner 
can  escape  from  the  storms  of  life — that 
would  deprive  him  of  a  resource  to  Mhich, 
by  and  by,  there  will  be  an  entir  enjoy- 
ment, and  that  gives  him  the  conscious- 
ness of  present  support?  What  can  you 
think  of  a  man  that  would  do  this,  while 
he  A-nows  that  he  has  nothing  to  substitute 
in  the  room  of  it,  and  kno^cs  that  if  the 
thing  be  a  delusion,  it  is  a  solace  which 
can  be  obtained  in  no  other  way  1 

We,  therefore,  view  these  men  once 
more  as  to  their  guilt.  This  may  be 
fairly  determined  from  their  doo7n.  We 
do  not  determine  their  doom  ;  this  has 
been  decided  by  a  Being  who  knows  all 
things,  and  who  will  judge  the  world  in 
righteousness.  He  has  said,  "  How  can 
ye  escape  if  ye  neglect  so  great  salva- 
tion ■?"  "  He  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned."  Against  which,  as  unreason- 
able, the  infidel  protests,  and  claims  that 
the  criminal  be  the  judge  of  the  law  and 
the  judge  of  the  judge.  "  Oh,"  say  some, 
"  we  are  not  accountable  for  our  belief!" 
To  which  we  answer  that  if  we  are  not 
accountable  for  our  belief,  we  are  account- 
able for  nothing  ;  for  all  our  actions  spring 
from  belief;  and  infidelity  does  not  arise 
from  want  of  evidence,  but  from  want  of 
inclination.  W^e  may  judge  of  the  moral 
disposition  of  a  man  from  the  nature  of 
the  things  he  opposes.  In  proportion  as  a 
man  is  holy  he  is  adverse  to  sin  .•  in  pro- 
portion as  a  man  is  sivfulhe  is  adverse  to 
every  thing  that  is  holy.  Is  the  Bible, 
then,  not  distinguished  by  holiness'?  Its 
promises  are  holy ;  its  commands  are 
holy ;  it  requires  holiness  of  life  and 
heart.  Why  do  men  dislike  this  book  1 
Why  do  they  love  darkness  rather  than 
light?  Because  their  deeds  are  evil. 
If  the  aim  and  the  design  of  the  Scrip- 
tures be  to  cleanse  us  from  the  filthiness 
of  the  flesh,  "perfecting  holiness  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord" — it  is  easy  to  deter- 
mine why  a  man  opposes  this :  he  who 
destroys  the  principle  of  all  good  actions 
would  destroy,  if  he  could,  all  good 
actions  themselves ;   and  his  disposition 


THE  SACRED  ORACLES. 


243 


says  unto  God,  "  Depart  from  us,  we 
desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways ; 
and  cause  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  to  cease 
before  us." 

As  there  is  nothing,  therefore,  that  im- 
plies so  much  wickedness,  so  there  is 
nothing  that  tends  to  so  much  wickedness, 
as  the  removal  of  the  Scriptures.  And 
this  is  the  design  of  these  men.  The 
door  would  then  be  open  to  all  manner  of 
iniquity ;  and  every  check  and  restraint 
being  removed,  temptation  would  be 
always  triumphant.  If  you  think  them 
guilty  who  would  rob  a  fellow-creature 
of  his  wealth,  what  can  you  think  of 
those  who  have  robbed  their  fellow-crea- 
tures of  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ] 
If  they  are  guilty  who  have  ruined  their 
health,  or  their  reputation,  or  their  busi- 
ness, what  can  we  think  of  those  who 
would  poison  their  minds  and  would  de- 
stroy their  souls  for  ever  ?  And  this  is 
their  wish — this  is  their  endeavour  :  and 
God  will  give  them  credit  for  their  design, 
and  Judge  them  according  to  their  works, 
and  according  to  their  wishes — for  they 
may  be  guilty  without  being  successful. 
This  leads  us  to  notice. 

Lastly,  Some  things  which  seem  like- 
ly TO  INJURE  REVELATION,  AND  WHICH 
YET  PROVE   ITS  ADVANTAGE. 

In  this  number  we  first  rank  the  attacks 
of  the  infidel  on  its  divinity.  What  has 
been  the  consequence  of  all  his  opposi- 
tion ■?  What]  Why,  zeal  in  its  diffusion  ; 
and  able  articles  brought  forth  in  its 
favour;  for  inquiry  is  always  friendly  to 
truth,  as  darkness  and  concealment  are 
friendly  to  error. 

In  this  number  we  place,  secondly,  the 
sufferings  of  its  followers  by  persecution. 
Here  we  have  the  testimony  of  an  apostle 
who  suffered  as  an  evil-doer  unto  bonds; 
but  he  says  the,  "  the  word  of  God  is  not 
bound."  And  says  he  to  the  Philip- 
plans,  "  I  would  ye  should  understand, 
that  tJie  things  which  have  happened  unto 
rae  have  fallen  out  rather  unto  the  further- 
ance of  the  gospel ;  so  that  my  bonds  in 
Christ  are  manifest  in  all  the  palace ;  and 
many  of  the  brethren  in  the  Lord,  waxing 
confident  by  my  bonds,  are  much  more 
bold  to  speak  the  word  without  fear. 
Some,  indeed,  preach  Christ  even  of  envy 


and  strife ;  and  some  also  of  good  will : 
the  one  preach  Christ  of  contention,  not 
sincerely,  supposing  to  add  afiliction  to 
my  bonds  ;  but  the  other  of  love,  knowing 
that  I  am  set  for  the  defence  of  the  gos- 
pel. What  then  ?  Notwithstanding, 
every  way,  whether  in  pretence  or  in 
truth,  Christ  is  preached  ;  and  I  therein 
do  rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice."  The 
periods  of  suffering  have  been  always  the 
most  glorious  for  Christianity ;  the  bre- 
thren have  been  united  and  endeared  the 
more  to  each  other;  the  Spirit  of  glory 
and  of  God  has  rested  upon  them ;  their 
sufferings  have  arrested  attention  and  in- 
duced sympathy;  the  witness  of  their 
sufferings  has  been  found  to  be  impressed, 
and  they  have  been  led  to  inspire  the 
principles  that  would  produce  such 
effects.  Therefore  the  blood  of  the  mar- 
tyrs was  always  considered  the  seed  of 
the  churches ;  and  the  more  they  were 
oppressed,  the  more  they  multiplied  and 
grew.  Dr.  Watts,  all  poet  as  he  was, 
said,  (and  who  would  not  wish  to  join 
with  him  in  the  choice  !) — "I  would  ra- 
ther have  been  the  author  of  Alleine's 
Alarm  to  the  unconverted  than  the  writer 
of  Milton's  Paradise  Lost;"  but  that  was 
a  prison  production.  What  did  the  ene- 
mies of  religion  get  by  confining  Bunyan 
so  many  years  in  jail  at  Bedford  ]  There, 
almost  inspired,  he  wrote  those  worka 
which  will  continue  to  incommode  the 
powers  of  darkness  to  the  end  of  the 
world. 

In  this  number  we  rank,  thirdly,  the 
divisions  and  parties  that  have  sprung  up 
among  its  professors.  These  have  amaz- 
ingly alarmed  some  good  men ;  and  in 
their  lamentations  they  have  added  terror 
to  grief;  they  have  talked  of  danger,  not 
remembering  that  in  a  thousand  cases 
variety  is  compatible  with  unity.  The 
differences  which  subsist  amoijgst  all 
those  who  hold  the  head  do  not  affect  the 
oneness  of  the  church ;  they  are  only  so 
many  branches  which  form  one  tree — so 
many  members  which  form  one  body. 
By  these  they  have  always  proved  stimu-? 
lations  to  each  other ;  they  have  awakened 
and  increased  emulation  and  zeal;  and 
religion  has  always  been  upon  the  whole 
a  gainer  by  them.    Thus  tlie  separatioa 


244 


THt:  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


between  Paul  ar-A  Barnabas  caused  the 
gospel  to  flow  into  opposite  channels, 
when  otherwise  it  would  have  been  con- 
fined to  one.  The  same  may  be  observed 
of  the  difference  between  Luther  and  Cal- 
vin, and  also  between  Wesley  and  Whit- 
field. Thus  new  opportunities  have 
been  offered  for  the  display  of  liberality, 
and  candour,  and  mutual  forbearance, 
which  sameness  and  uniformity  would 
have  made  not  onl}'  needless,  but  impos- 
sible. It  has  been  found  farmore  import- 
ant for  Christians  to  love  one  another,  and 
to  exclaim,  "  Grace  be  with  all  them  who 
love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity," 
than  to  peep  together  through  the  same 
key-hole  of  opinion.  And  then  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  Scripture  have  also,  in 
consequence  of  these  divisions,  been  pe- 
culiarly attended  to  :  one  party  has  argued 
for  the  doctrinal  part,  another  the  practi- 
cal, another  the  disciplinarian;  and,  in 
consequence  of  these,  no  part  has  remained 
unexplored  or  unheeded. 

But  I  am  well  aware  there  are  some 
differences  of  a  more  important  kind. 
Truth  is  one  and  the  same  in  itself;  and, 
therefore,  if  men  entertain  opposite  opin- 
ions on  it,  they  cannot  be  all  right.  I  do 
not  believe  in  the  harmlessness  of  error 
and  heresy  ;  I  am  persuaded  they  always 
affect  injuriously,  not  only  the  welfare, 
but  the  safety,  of  the  individual  who  is 
misled  by  them.  But,  if  we  view  these 
things  as  we  now  do — if  we  consider  the 
conserpiences  as  ihey  affect  ChristianHy 
itself — it  is  obvious  that  even  these  have 
been  overruled  for  good — that  even  these, 
as  they  have  risen  up  in  parties  and  divi- 
sions, have  been  a  salutary  check  on  each 
other,  and  that  each  has  prevented  the 
possibility  of  interpolation  and  expunc- 
tion  as  to  the  Scriptures.  If  Trinitarians, 
for  instance,  had  been  disposed  to  intro- 
duce passages  favourable  to  their  system, 
the  Arians  would  have  been  sure  to  have 
discovered  them,  and  exposed  them. 
As,  on  the  other  hand,  had  the  Arians 
endeavoured  to  suppress  any  passages 
favourable  to  the  divinity  of  God  our 
Saviour,  the  orthodox  would  have  been 
sure  to  have  detected  them,  and  to  de- 
claim against  them.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  advocates  and  opponents  in  all 


cases ;  they  have  become  an  effectual 
check  on  each  other,  and  have  proved  so 
many  vouchers  of  the  integrity  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  of  the  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  have  prevented  spoliation  and 
expunctuation. 

There  is  only  one  thing  more  ;  and  that 
is,  the  failings  of  its  raembers.  It  would 
seem  impossible  any  good  should  arise 
from  these  to  the  cause  of  the  gospel. 
We  therefore,  say,  "  Woe  to  the  world, 
because  of  offences," — because  thereby 
the  way  of  truth  is  vainly  spoken  of;  by 
these  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  are  made 
to  blaspheme.  And,  as  to  such  charac- 
ters as  these,  we  sometimes  wish  they 
would  not  mingle  with  our  assemblies,  or 
that  they  would  come  here  and  get  the 
benefit  which  the  Bible  affords.  And 
yet  what  is  the  fact?  No  thanks  to 
themselves — even  these  scandals  have 
been  overruled  for  good.  These  scandals 
were  foretold  by  the  Scri])twres;  and, 
therefore,  they  are  pledges  of  their  truth  ; 
these  have  shown  that  the  gospel  is  divine 
and  almighty — because  it  can  bear  to  be 
betrayed  from  within  as  well  as  assaulted 
from  without.  The  excommunication  of 
these  persons  has  always  strikingly 
shown  the  purity  of  the  church,  and  that 
they  cannot  bear  those  that  are  evil: 
while  the  true  professors  have  been  led, 
by  these  instances,  to  fear,  and  tremble, 
and  pray;  and  ministers  have  held  them 
up  as  warnings  to  others,  and  have  said, 
"  Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take 
heed,  lest  he  fall."  Thus  the  Scripture 
lives  through  all ;  and  the  very  things 
that  seemed  likely  to  destroj^  or  injure  it 
have  proved  the  means  of  its  benefit. 

On  the  ground  of  this  subject,  there- 
fore, and  in  conclusion,  by  way  of 
improvement,  we  bring  forward  three 
admonitions. 

The  first  is.  Be  persuaded  (f  the  stability 
to  the  cause  of  revelation.  Never  let  your 
hearts  tremble  for  the  ark  of  God.  Give 
up  your  fears — they  are  unworthy  or 
groundless.  The  church  of  Christ  is  not, 
cannot  be,  in  danger.  "  LTpon  this  rock," 
says  he,  "I  will  build  my  church." 
The  unbelief  of  man  shall  not  make  the 
word  of  God,  says  the  apostle,  of  none 
effect.     Men  may  oppose  the  Bible,  they 


THE  SACRED  ORACLES. 


245 


may  bum  the  Bible,  but  they  cannot  de- 
stroy the  Scriptures,  "  Heaven  and  earth 
shall  pass  away,"  says  the  Saviour,  "  but 
my  words  shall  not  pass  away."  "  My 
word,"  says  God,  "  shall  not  return  unto 
me  void;  it  sA«// accomplish  that  which 
I  please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in  the  thing 
whereto  I  sent  it."  "  All  flesh  is  grass, 
and  all  the  glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of 
grass.  The  grass  withereth,  and  the 
flowerthereof  falleth  away  :  but  the  word 
of  the  Lord  endureth  for  erer."  Thus 
we  read  in  the  Acts,  that  Herod,  the  per- 
secutor, died,  smitten  of  the  angel,  be- 
cause he  gave  not  God  the  glory  ;  but  it 
is  immediately  added,  "The  word  of  the 
Lord  grew  and  multiplied."  The  waves, 
my  brethren,  may  roar  and  dash ;  but 
while  they  beat  against  a  rock,  they  break 
only  themselves.  The  devil  in  our  day 
is  deceiving  many  ;  but  don't  you  think 
God  is  at  work  too  1  Has  he  not  all  his 
enemies  under  his  control,  and  under  his 
subserviency  1  O  yes !  The  thunders 
that  terrify  will  purify  the  air,  and  show- 
ers will  fall  upon  the  earth.  I  have  fre- 
quently been  struck  with  the  resemblance 
there  is  between  the  times  and  circum- 
stances of  Luther,  and  the  day  in  wliich 
we  live.  He  was  not  opposed  only  by 
the  papist,  but  by  some  of  the  reformed 
church,  and  suffered  not  only  from  foes, 
but  from  friends.  Then  he  was  torment- 
ed with  the  prophetical  party,  with  their 
dreamings  and  forebodings  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  Then  there  were  some  who 
pushed  his  principles  into  Antinomianism, 
and  turned  the  grace  of  God  into  licen- 
tiousness. Then  he  had  to  encounter  the 
Anabaptists :  you  will  not  confound  these 
with  the  respectable  denomination  of 
Christians  now  living,  who  only  differ 
from  us  in  the  article  of  baptism  ;  but  he 
had  to  encounter  these  levellers,  these 
opposers  of  civil  magistrates,  who  burned 
down  the  houses  of  the  rich,  and  destroyed 
the  castles  of  the  great.  And  yet,  not- 
withstanding these  oppositions  continued, 
the  cause  prevailed,  and  the  cause  came 
out  of  all  in  triumph.  I  am  persuaded 
this  will  be  the  case  now.  Be  not  faith- 
less, but  believe.  God  shows  his  govern- 
ment of  the  world  in  those  confusions 
which    seem    likely  to    unhinge  every 


thing;  and  he  shows  his  care  of  the 
church  in  those  perils  and  difficulties 
which  seem  likely  to  destroy  it.  He 
could  do  without  these,  but  he  will  do 
now  as  he  did  originally  :  to  display  his 
perfections,  he  will  cause  light  to  flow 
out  of  darkness,  and  beauty  out  of  defor- 
mity, and  order  out  cf  confusion. 

Secondly,  Ajyply  Scripture  to  your  own 
use,  and  apply  it  to  the  purposes  for  which 
it  has  been  given.  "  Whatever  was  writ- 
ten aforetime,  was  written  for  our  learn- 
ing, that  we  through  patience  and  comfort 
of  the  Scripture  might  have  hope." 
"These  things,"  says  the  evangelist, 
"are  written,  that  you  may  believe  on 
the  name  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  that,  be- 
lieving, you  may  have  life  through  his 
name."  You  are  only  trifling  with  this 
sacred  book,  unless  you  make  it  the 
means  of  leading  your  feet  into  the  way 
everlasting.  You  have  seen  men  destroy 
the  Bible,  but  the  Bible  can  destroy  you, 
and  with  the  surest  of  all  destructions 
too.  The  Bible  is  the  most  awful  thing 
you  ever  met  with  in  your  existence  ;  and 
having  come  in  contact  with  the  Bible, 
you  can  never  shake  off  the  effect;  it  can 
never  be  removed  ;  no,  it  will  always  ad- 
here to  you ;  to  eternal  ages  it  will  stick 
to  you  in  the  way  of  remembrance,  and 
in  the  way  of  accusation.  Yes,  "  the 
words  which  I  have  spoken,"  says  the 
Saviour,"  will  judge  you  in  the  last  day." 
To  what  purpose,  therefore,  is  it,  that 
you  /lear,  unless  you  receive  the  word 
which  is  worthy  of  all  acceptation — un- 
less it  brings  you  to  the  Saviour,  to  the 
foot  of  the  Saviour's  cross — unless  it 
enables  you  to  give  yourselves  up  to  him 
as  poor  perishing  sinners,  knowing  in 
whom  you  have  believed.  Oh  !  embrace 
its  proffers — obey  its  commands — follow 
its  examples,  and  suffer  them  to  govern 
you  in  your  worship,  in  your  lives,  in 
your  calling  !  Bind  it  about  your  neck  ; 
write  it  upon  the  tables  of  your  heart ; 
that  when  you  walk  it  may  lead  you,  that 
when  you  sleep  it  may  keep  you,  that 
when  you  awake  it  may  talk  with  you. 
Pursue  it — speak  highly  of  it — recom- 
mend it  to  others.     And, 

Thirdly,  Be  concerned  for  the  spread  and 
diffusion  of  it.  vVhr.t  can  you  impart  to 
i-2 


246 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


any  of  your  fellow-creatures  equal  to  the 
bread  and  water  of  eternal  life?  And 
you  cannot  complain  of  your  want  of 
means  and  encouragement  in  exertion. 

This  naturally  leads  me  to  take  notice 
of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 
whose  annual  meeting  we  shall  presently 
announce.     But  to  use  the  words  of  the 
late  Mr.  Hall,  on  a  similar  occasion :  "A 
speaker  can  never  be  so  dissatisfied  with 
any  thing  he  can  deliver,  as  when  he  at- 
tempts to  commend  an  institution  which, 
by  its  own  merits,  is  so   pre-eminently 
exalted  above  all  eulogium."     It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  remark  now,  that  there  was 
a  necessity  for  such  a  society  :  all  at  the 
first   acknowledged   the   necessity   of  it 
with  regard  to  foreign  parts  ;  but  there 
■w'ere  some  who  denied  the  necessity  of  it 
with  regard  to  the  home  department,  pre- 
suming that  Bibles  were  to  be  found  in 
all,  or  nearly  all,  families.     But  the  in- 
vestigation served  to  show  the  awful  state 
of  destitution   in  which  thousands  here 
were  found.     I  can  only  mention  now  the 
case  of  Wales  :  Bibles  in  the  Welsh  lan- 
guage were  so  scarce  that  it  was  no  un- 
common   thing  for  several   families    to 
possess  one  Bible  as  their  joint  stock  ; 
and  so  they  used  it  alternately,  by  the 
week  or  by  the  month.     Mr.  Charles,  a 
pious  clergyman  of  the  church  of  Eng- 
land, soon  made  known  their  wishes,  and 
provision  was  made  for  them  ;  and  I  well 
remember  his  saying,  that  when  the  peo- 
ple of  Bala  learned  that  the  first  load  of 
Bibles  and  Testaments  was  coming  to- 
wards the  place,  a  multitude  of  them  went 
forth  to  meet  the  vehicle ;  and,  taking  out 
the  horses,  they  drew  it  themselves  into 
the    market-place,  and   there,  in  a   few 
hours,  they  disposed  of  all   the  copies. 
Some  kissed  them,  some  pressed  them  to 
their  bosoms;  the  children  ran  home  de- 
lighted, and  the  labourers  carried   them 
into  the  fields  in  order  to  read  them  at 
their  homely  meals  to  refresh  their  toils. 
The  reception  it  met  with  at  first  was 
just  that  which  was  to  be  looked  for.     It 
received  opposition  from  the  party  which 
is  high  church  in  name,  but  popery  in 
spirit;  but  even  this  was  overruled  for 
good  ;  the  opposition  not  only  purified, 
but  fanned  the  holy  flame  ;  and  its  oppo- 


nents were  completely  put  to  flight.  As 
the  field  was  to  be  the  world,  no  private 
and  sectarian  combination  could  reach  the 
grandeur  of  the  design.  Comprehension, 
therefore,  and  universal  co-operation  were 
required ;  and  these  were  obtained.  By 
the  simplicity  of  its  merits  the  institution 
was  formed  for  action  and  for  business, 
and  accordingly,  soon  the  little  one  be- 
came a  thousand  ;  and  the  annual  report, 
which  at  first  consisted  of  three  or  four 
pages,  soon  became  a  large  octavo  volume. 
The  example  of  the  metropolis  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  cities,  and  towns,  and  vil- 
lages, through  all  the  land ;  and  other  coun- 
tries soon  imitated  the  example  of  oui 
own  ;  and  auxiliary  societies  contributed 
their  aid  from  the  east  and  from  the  west, 
from  the  north  and  from  the  south. 

The  advantages  that  resulted  it  would 
be  needless  to  enumerate.  It  did  more 
to  harmonize  the  religious  world  than 
any  thing  had  done  before  or  could  have 
done.  Nothing  had  occurred  as  yet 
capable  of  furnishing  a  ground  for  all  to 
stand  upon  who  professed  themselves  to 
be  Christians;  and  I  know  of  nothing 
that  could  have  been  found  by  which  to 
gain  the  good  will  of  all,  except  that 
which  now  struck  the  minds  of  a  pious 
few — namely,  that  as  all  professed  to  re- 
gard the  Bible  as  the  book  of  God,  all 
could  unite  without  compromising  their 
particular  views  ;  unite,  not  in  any  eccle- 
siast'cal  or  religious  object;  but  unite 
only  to  gain  resources  for  the  circulation 
of  the  Bible,  which  was  to  be  dispersed 
without  note  or  comment.  I  no  more 
doubt  than  I  do  my  own  existence,  that  it 
was  God  who  put  this  desire  into  so  many 
hearts — that  God  who,  as  the  Liturgy  of 
the  church  of  England  beautifully  ex- 
presses it,  is  "  the  author  of  peace  and 
lover  of  concord" — that  God  who  tells  us 
in  his  word  that  one  of  the  seven  things 
which  he  supremely  hates,  "  is  he  that 
soweth  discord  among  brethren." 

And  what  danger,  what  evil  could  re- 
sult from  all  this  1  As  nothing  was  to 
be  circulated  but  the  word  of  God,  truth 
must  have  been  a  gainer,  and  error  must 
have  been  a  loser  by  such  a  measure. 
The  parties  could  not  engage  in  these 
exertions  without  benefiting  themselves. 


THE  SACRED  ORACLES. 


247 


Here  were  statesmen  and  senators,  and 
the  nobles  of  the  land,  all  drawn  forth  to 
proclaim  publicly  that  the  Bible  was  the 
religion  of  Protestantism,  and  to  ex- 
press their  attachment  to  it.  And  I  am 
fully  persuaded  that  one  of  the  causes  of 
that  remarkable  movement  of  a  religious 
nature,  which  has  taken  place  in  so  many 
of  the  upper  ranks  in  society,  was  the 
operation  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society.  Never  was  there  such  an  aggre- 
gate of  talent,  religious  principle,  and 
piety  as  was  then  engaged  ;  while  mil- 
lions of  prayers  on  its  behalf  were  con- 
stantly offered  in  private,  at  the  family 
altar,  and  in  public  worship ;  and  when 
they  met,  there  was  the  prayer  of  the 
heart  to  Him  that  seeketh  such  as  worship 
him  in  spirit  and  in  truth — Him  who  ac- 
cepts the  principle  of  devotion  where  the 
formality  may  be  wanting.  If  nothing 
more  express  could  be  done  at  the  public 
meetings,  it  was  owing  to  the  peculiar 
nature  of  the  society ;  and  there  is  no 
society  but  is  limited  by  some  exigency, 
by  some  difficulty;  it  cannot  do  every 
thing — it  cannot  accomplish  every  thing. 
It  is  enough  if  the  Supreme  Being  looks 
down  and  smiles,  and  says,  "  She  hath 
done  what  she  could." 

There  is  no  doing  good  without  giving 
rise  to  some  incidental  evil :  our  institu- 
tion therefore  never  considered  itself  per- 
fect. And  when  we  consider  the  number 
of  its  agents — the  immensity  and  distance 
of  its  operations — what  wonder,  if  some 
who  had  been  wishing  for  its  halting, 
discovered  a  failure  or  a  mistake  1  But, 
when  these  unfortunately  occurred  they 
were  always  immediately  rectified,  and 
pledges  given  against  their  recurrence. 
No  society  could  do  more — no  reflecting 
mind  could  require  more.  Let  those  who 
expect  perfection,  remember  it  is  the 
easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  find  fault, 
and  object ;  that  censoriousness  is  not 
always  the  best  food  for  humility.  Ac- 
cording to  our  Saviour,  a  man  may  have 
a  beam  in  his  own  eye,  while  he  is  en- 
deavouring to  pull  a  mote  out  of  his  bro- 
tlier's  eye.  Those  who  cry  out  for  per- 
fection will  be  sure  to  be  judged  by  no 
lax  rule  themselves ;  every  failure  in 
them  will  be  minutely  kenned,  and  most 


probably  magnified.  Let  others,  there- 
fore, (whose  motives  we  feel  no  disposi- 
tion to  question,)  see  that  all  their  mem- 
bers are  free  from  all  blemishes  and  errors, 
and  whether  they  include  as  co-partners, 
any,  who  in  any  way,  are  enemies  to  the 
cross  of  Christ,  or  enemies  to  the  Triune 
God.  It  is  easy  to  triumph  before  the  fight. 
Untried  institutions  can  afford  to  be  very 
liberal  in  their  promises  ;  but  we  plead 
for  a  society,  which  has  borne  the  burden 
and  heat  of  the  day — that  has  laboured 
now  for  more  than  an  age,  exposed  to 
every  kind  of  observation.  Let  others, 
at  the  end  of  so  many  years,  and  after 
expending  so  many  millions,  and  after 
accomplishing  so  much  good  at  home 
and  abroad — let  them  show  themselves 
as  free  from  every  thing  objectionable  ; 
and  we  hope  there  will  be  enough  found 
that  will  bid  them  God  speed.  Till  then, 
we  might  say,  "  Let  not  him  that  girdeth 
on  his  harness  boast  himself  as  he  that 
putteth  it  off." 

I  hope  I  would  not  speak  uncharitably; 
I  am  sure  I  prayed  this  morning  to  be 
preserved  from  that  spirit;  yet  I  cannot 
but  speak,  when  that  dear  and  beloved 
object  is  misrepresented.  I  remember  to 
have  read  of  some  one  who  was  dumb, 
that  when  set  upon  by  robbers,  and  seeing 
his  father  likely  to  be  assassinated,  he 
made  an  effort  and  spoke.  It  is  not 
merely  choice  that  induces  us  to  be  advo- 
cates ;  we  are  compelled  to  be  advocates  ; 
we  are  not  only  misrepresented,  but  we 
are  attacked  by  those  who  diflTer  from  us. 
They  may  fight  with  men,  without  being 
tempted  to  take  captive  silly  women. 
There  are  some  of  you  who  cannot  feel 
as  others ;  some  of  you  are  young,  and 
cannot  feel  as  those  who  witnessed  the 
commencement  of  the  institution.  We 
can  look  back  and  remember  the  inex 
pressible  pleasure  we  experienced,  at- 
tached as  we  v/ere  to  the  Scriptures, 
when  we  learned  that  a  society  was  to  be 
established,  solely  for  the  purpose  of  the 
distribution  of  the  word  of  the  Almighty. 
We  cannot  forego  our  recollection  of  its 
formation,  of  its  spread,  of  its  first  meet- 
ing— of  the  attendance  of  all  that  was 
wise  and  good — of  the  obvious  felt  pre- 
sence of  Deity — of  the  hours  that  seemed 


248 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


to  us  like  hours  of  heaven  upon  earth — 
hours  when  the  temple  of  Janus  was  shut 
— when  there  seemed  to  be  all  peace,  and 
no  discord  among  religious  parties — when 
each  seemed  to  shout,  "  Glory  to  God  in 
the  highest,  on  earth  peace,  good  will 
towards  men" — and  when  we  felt  and 
exclaimed,  "  Behold  how  good  and  how 
pleasant  a  thing  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell 
together  in  unity  !  It  is  like  the  precious 
ointment  upon  the  head,  that  ran  down 
upon  the  beard,  even  Aaron's  beard  :  that 
went  down  to  the  skirts  of  his  garments; 
as  the  dew  of  Hermon,  and  as  the  dew 
that  descended  upon  the  mountains  of 
Zion  :  for  there  the  Lord  commanded  the 
blessing,  even  life  for  evermore." 

Who  can  call  all  this  to  mind,  when 
thinking  of  this  institution,  and  not  ex- 
claim, "  If  I  forget  thee  let  my  right  hand 
forget  her  cunning,  if  I  prefer  not  thee 
above  my  chief  joy."  Can  we  forget  the 
many  channels  of  blessing  in  which  this 
institution  has  descended — the  number  of 
other  societies  to  which  this  has  given 
rise  ■? — that  the  world  is  indebted  to  it 
for  one  third  of  the  copies  of  the  sacred 
volume  which  it  now  possesses  ? — that, 
under  the  blessing  of  God,  the  society  has 
translated  the  Scriptures  into  one  hundred 
and  sixty-three  languages  and  dialects, 
in  one  hundred  and  fourteen  of  which  it 
had  never  appeared  before  1 — that  seven 
millions  of  copies  of  the  word  of  God 
have  been  diffused  through  this  country 
and  in  foreign  parts  ?  Oh,  my  brethren ! 
be  not  betrayed  into  an  improper  spirit 
and  language.  Display  the  meekness  of 
your  Master.  Excuse  what  will  bear 
palliation,  and  forgive  what  will  not. 
»'  Bless,  and  curse  not."  Remember  that 
Jesus,  when  reviled,  reviled  not  again  ; 
when  he  suffered,  he  threatened  not ;  but 
committed  himself  to  him  that  judgeth 
righteously.  But  be  not  discouraged  : 
your  noble  cause  is  going  on  in  the  great- 
ness of  its  strength  ;  thousands  and  mil- 
lions are  tending  it  with  their  heads,  and 
thoughts,  and  pens,  and  persons.  Be 
thankful  for  what  has  been  done,  but  still 
let  your  motto  be,  go  forward.  Now,  to 
God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God 
die  Holy  Ghost,  be  ascribed  all  honour, 
nnd  glory,  and  dominion,  and  power,  for 
ever  and  ever !     Amen  ! 


THE   PUliPlT  GAI.I.ERV. 

NO.    X. 
THE    REV.  WILLIAM    JAY, 

Minister  of  Argyle  Chapel,  Bath. 


Would  I  describe  a  preacher  such  as  Paul, 

Were  he  on  earth 

***** 
I  would  express  him  simple,  grave,  sincere ; 
In  doctrine  uneorrupt ;   in  language  plain, 
And  plain  in  manner  ;  decent,  solemn,  chaste, 
And  natural  in  gesture.  Cowper. 


Born  of  humble  parents,  Mr.  Jay  is  a 
proof,  that  talent,  when  directed  to  a  good 
end,  is  sure  to  be  crowned  with  success ; 
and  Avhen  united  with  piety,  to  obtain 
that  fame  "  which  God  and  good  men 
have  consented  shall  be  the  reward  of 
those  whose  published  labours  have  ad- 
vanced the  benefit  of  mankind." — Taken 
from  the  patriarchal  occupation  of  a  shep- 
herd, Mr.  Jay  left  his  fleecy  charge  for 
the  more  important  care  of  instructing 
men  in  their  spiritual  duties,  and,  for  up- 
wards of  forty  years,  he  has  been  the  firm, 
eloquent,  and  consistent  preacher  of  the 
doctrines  of  Christianity.  His  popu- 
larity, which  was  always  considerable, 
is  nearly  as  great  now  as  when  he  first 
burst  upon  the  notice  of  the  religious 
world;  a  proof  that  his  talents  have  not 
been  impaired  by  exertion,  nor  his  use- 
fulness diminished  by  age. 

The  appearance  of  Mr.  Jay  is  by  no 
means  prepossessing;  his  contracted  fore- 
head, large  eyebrows,  and  a  habit  of  deep 
thought,  have  given  to  his  countenance, 
when  settled  in  repose,  an  almost  repul- 
sive air;  his  eye  looks  out  from  beneath 
its  covering  with  a  suspicious  glance, 
and  seems  to  read  the  thoughts  of  others; 
but  when  he  begins  his  discourse,  his 
face  becomes  animated,  his  forehead  loses 
its  contraction,  and  his  eye  beams  with 
unwonted  lustre.  It  is  then  we  may  ob- 
serve, "  the  mind,  the  music  breathing 
from  the  face."  His  voice  is  full,  deep, 
and  melodious  ;  and  when  its  rich  tones 
fall  on  the  ear,  it  is  impossible  to  Avith- 
draw  the  attention,  and  his  power  of 
modulation  is  such,  that  the  pronuncia- 
tion of  a  single  sentence  often  impresses 


THE  PULPIT  GALLERY. 


249 


itself  on  the  memory :  yet  there  is  no  art 
visible,  no  affectation,  no  desire  to  pro- 
duce any  thin^  like  a  theatrical  effect. 

His  action  is,  in  general,  elegant  and 
forcible ;  sometimes  it  is,  however,  too 
redundant.  He  seems  to  despise  studied 
forms  and  attitudes,  and  is  more  desirous 
to  impress  the  heart  than  please  the  eye. 
As  an  orator,  he  is  entitled  to  great  praise ; 
Brinsley  Sheridan  said  of  him,  (and  who 
so  capable  of  forming  a  correct  opinion?) 
"  that  he  was  the  most  perfectly  natural 
orator  he  ever  heard." 

As  a  preacher,  he  is  excelled  by  few  ; 
there  may  be,  indeed,  some,  whose  elo- 
quence is  more  commanding,  whose  grasp 
of  mind  is  more  powerful,  whose  imagina- 
tions are  more  vigorous ;  but  yet,  in  all 
the  requisites  that  constitute  a  good 
preacher,  few  will  be  able  to  surpass  him. 
His  discourses  are  regular,  without  being 
formal ;  and  eloquent,  without  being  ex- 
travagant :  his  language  is  always  correct 
and  nervous ;  his  fancy  is  rich,  but  he 
seldom  gives  way  to  the  sallies  of  the 
imagination;  there  is  but  little  of  rheto- 
rical flourish  in  his  appeals  ;  his  is  the 
eloquence  of  the  heart ;  the  warm  and 
impassioned  statements  of  a  man  fully 
convinced  of  the  truths  he  utters,  and 
earnestly  desirous  to  impress  others  with 
a  sense  of  their  importance.  He  succeeds 
best  in  the  tender  and  pathetic,  and  there- 
fore his  appeals  are  generally  successful. 
He  knows  that  the  judgment  may  be 
often  convinced,  and  yet  the  heart  remain 
untouched  by  sympathy ;  he  therefore 
addresses  the  feelings,  and,  through  them, 
the  heart,  as  the  more  powerful  mode  of 
enforcing  an  attention  to  truth ;  but  he 
can  ascend  to  the  dignity  of  argument  and 
expostulation,  and  lead  the  judgment 
captive  at  his  will.  It  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  give  a  general  idea  of  his  preach- 
ing; simplicity  is,  however,  its  prevailing 


characteristic  ;  and  in  this  Mr.  Jay  wisely 
imitates  the  example  of  the  founder  of 
the  Christian  religion ;  for  Christianity 
is  simple  in  its  structure,  its  precepts,  its 
doctrines,  and  its  requirements. 

Mr.  Jay  has  not  been  the  meteor  of  the 
moment,  or  the  comet  of  the  season.  On 
his  first  entrance  into  the  Christian  min- 
istry, his  talents  attracted  universal  notice, 
and  he  has  been  able  to  keep  his  hold  on 
public  favour  undiminished  to  the  present 
time.  He  did  not  exhaust  himself  by 
his  first  efforts,  nor  was  he  anxious  to 
court  popular  applause.  He  wisely  with-  ^ 
drew  early  from  the  dangerous  fascina- 
tions of  crowded  cities,  and  in  retirement 
has  cultivated  his  talents,  increased  his 
knowledge,  and  matured  his  experience 
in  divine  things.  So  that  his  preaching, 
while  it  commands  attention  from  the 
young,  is  eminently  fitted  to  cheer  and 
support  the  old. 

Mr.  Jay  has  appeared  before  the  pub- 
lic as  an  essayist,  a  writer  of  sermons, 
and  a  biographer.  He  has  chosen  a  sub- 
ject for  his  essay,  which,  though  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  the  welfare  of 
society,  is  generally  shunned  by  most 
preachers — it  is  marriage  ;  and  surely 
when  we  consider  that  the  sacred  obliga- 
tions of  this  holy  estate  are  but  little 
understood,  and  but  seldom  enforced  from 
the  press  or  the  pulpit,  some  praise  is  due 
to  him  who  ventures  to  dwell  upon  a 
theme  calculated  at  once  to  arouse  the 
attention  and  improve  the  mind.  His 
sermons  are  distinguished  by  a  rich  tone 
of  evangelical  piety,  a  strength  of  reason- 
ing, depth  of  thought,  and  simplicity  of 
language.  His  short  sermons  for  fami- 
lies will  long  be  held  in  veneration  and 
esteem.  His  biographical  sketches  are 
what  all  biography  ought  to  be,  a  faith- 
ful record  of  those  whose  lives  are  por- 
trayed. 


Vol.  1—32 


SERMON  XXVII. 

CHRIST'S  INVITATION  AND  PROMISE  TO  THE  WEARY  AND  HEAVY  LADEN 
BY  THE  REV.  CHARLES  SIMEON,  A.M. 


"  CoTiie  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." — Matt.  xii.  28 


It  is  thought  by  many  that  the  gospel 
is  a  mere  system  of  doctrines,  which  may 
be  received  without  benefit,  and  rejected 
without  loss.  It  is  no  such  thing.  The 
gospel — and  I  wish  you  all  to  remember 
this,  for  it  will  give  you  an  insight  into 
the  gospel  beyond  all  other  things  that 
can  be  conceived  in  so  short  a  space — the 
gospel  is  a  remedy — a  remedy  for  the 
miseries  which  sin  has  brought  into  the 
world.  Man  is  a  sinner,  and  he  is  utterly 
undone  ;  the  gospel  introduces  a  Saviour 
exactly  suited  to  his  necessities,  and  sets 
that  Saviour  before  us  under  every  figure 
that  can  unfold  his  excellencies,  or  endear 
him  to  our  souls. 

Under  the  Old  Testament  our  blessed 
Saviour  is  shadowed  forth  as  the  brazen 
serpent,  that  healed  those  who  were  dying 
from  their  wounds — as  a  city  of  refuge,  to 
which  the  man-slayer  might  resort  with 
perfect  safety — as  a  sacrifice,  which  re- 
moved the  sinner's  guilt.  Looking  into 
the  New  Testament,  you  will  find  there 
our  blessed  Lord  represents  himself  as 
Jbread  for  the  hungry,  drink  for  the  thirsty, 
a  physician  for  the  sick,  and,  we  need 
mention  no  more  than  this,  as  a  kind  and 
hospitable  friend,  who  invites  to  him  all 
that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden.  It  is  in 
that  view  he  speaks  to  you,  by  my  mouth, 
at  this  moment ;  and  I  wish  you  to  attend 
to  these  three  things  : — 

I.  The  characters  invited. 

II.  The  invitation  given. 

III.  The  promise  with  which  it  is  en- 
forced. 

I.  The  characters  invited. 
Under  the  description  of  the  weary  and 
850 


the  heavy  laden  we  must  certainly  in- 
clude, in  the  first  place,  Those  who  groanea 
under  the  burdens  of  the  Mosaic  laiv. 

The  ceremonial  law,  as  you  know,  re- 
quired a  great  multitude  of  ritual  obser- 
vances, which,  to  those  who  saw  not  their 
typical  use  and  tendency,  must  have  ap- 
peared frivolous  and  arbitrary  ;  and  even 
to  those  who  had  some  insight  into  their 
proper  meaning  they  still  were  an  irksome 
task,  an  intolerable  burden.  From  this 
yoke,  however,  the  Messiah  was  to  de- 
liver them.  He  was  to  annul  the  old 
covenant,  with  all  its  ceremonies,  and  to 
establish  a  new  covenant  in  its  stead. 
When,  therefore,  our  Lord  declared  him- 
self to  be  the  Messiah,  he  invited  to  him 
all  who  were  weary  and  heavy  laden  with 
the  Mosaic  law,  and  assured  them  that 
the  yoke  which  he  would  impose  upon 
them  was,  on  the  contrary,  light  and 
easy.  There  is,  however,  a  further  refer- 
ence, 

2.  To  those  ivho  laboured  under  temporal 
ajlictions. 

None  are  such  strangers  to  the  common 
lot  of  mankind  as  not  to  be  subject  to 
many  trials  and  afflictions.  In  fact,  such 
are  the  calamitous  incidents  of  life,  thai 
very  few  persons — very  few,  perhaps, 
who  are  here  present,  and  have  been  join- 
ing in  the  thanksgiving  which  is  offered 
in  our  liturgy  to  God — have  been  able  to 
utter  it,  or  can  utter  it  at  this  moment, 
from  their  hearts,  "  We  thank  thee,  O 
God,  for  our  creation  !"  "  For  our  crea- 
tion !" — many  would  be  glad  if  they  had 
never  been  born ;  but  more  especially 
when  the  hand  of  God  presses  heavy  upon 


CllRiSI  S  liNvilAliOr*  AiNO      ROMISE. 


251 


us,  and  we  feel  the  weight  of  multitudi- 
nous afflictions,  we  are  ready  to  hate  our 
very  existence,  and  to  choose  strangling 
rather  than  life.  Scarcely  a  week  passes, 
in  this  great  metropolis,  but  you  hear  of 
persons  so  bowed  down  under  affliction, 
of  one  kind  or  other,  that  they  destroy 
their  own  lives. 

Now,  it  is  highly  probable  that  many 
of  those  whom  our  blessed  Saviour  ad- 
dressed had  drunk  deeply  of  the  cup  of 
sorrow,  and,  for  their  encouragement, 
therefore,  he  promised  that,  whatever 
were  their  trials,  whether  in  mind,  body, 
or  estate,  if  only  they  would  come  to  him, 
they  should  find  a  relief  from  them  all ; 
or,  what  would  be  of  equal  value,  they 
should  have  support  and  comfort  under 
their  pressure.  And,  to  every  person 
who  is  under  affliction  here  before  me,  I 
declare,  in  the  name  of  God,  that,  if  you 
come  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  you  shall 
experience  a  rest  which  the  whole  world 
besides  can  never  give.  But  doubt- 
less, we  must  principally  understand  by 
this  term, 

3.  Those  who  were  oppressed  with  a  sense 
of  sin. 

Though  all  are  sinners,  yet  all  do  not 
feel  the  weight  of  sin,  because  they  do 
not  know  to  what  tremendous  evils  it  has 
brought  them.  They  do  not  consider  the 
wrath  of  God.  They  do  not  consider — I 
am  almost  afraid  to  utter  the  word — the 
damnation  of  hell.  They  do  not  consider, 
they  will  not  consider  it.  When  they 
begin  to  be  afraid  of  their  ungodly  state, 
and  to  see  what  a  holy  God  they  have 
sinned  against,  and  how  great  and  terrible 
a  God  he  is,  then  they  do  begin  to  tremble, 
lest  his  wrath  should  be  poured  forth 
against  them,  and  consume  them  utterly  ; 
and  then  they  have  recourse  to  somewhat 
of  repentance,  somewhat  of  attendance  to 
his  ordinances,  and  by  that  means  obtain, 
just  for  a  little,  an  insecure  peace  to  their 
souls.  But,  after  a  very  little  season, 
they  find,  from  their  backslidings,  and 
their  utter  incapacities,  that  this  does  not 
satisfy  an  awakened  soul.  They  find 
they  need  something  more,  and  that  no 
outward  change  of  theirs  can  avail  them, 
for  their  present  peace,  and  their  everlast- 
ing happiness. 


Now,  these  subsequent  views  open 
their  wounds  afresh,  and  make  them  feel 
in  what  a  hopeless  condition  they  are,  till 
they  have  obtained  peace  through  the 
blood  and  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Then  they  groan — and  who  is  it 
that  must  not  groan  ] — under  the  weight 
of  indwelling  sin,  which  drew  from  the 
mouth  and  the  heart  of  the  holy  apostle 
that  acknowledgment,  "  O  wretched  man 
that  I  am  !  who  shall  deliver  me  V  And 
is  there  such  a  person  herel — is  there 
one  groaning  under  the  burden  of  sin  ]— 
is  there  one  trembling  at  the  view  of 
God's  wrath  1 — is  there  one  desirous  to 
obtain  peace  to  his  soul  ?  That  is  the 
very  person  for  whose  relief  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world,  and 
that  is  the  person  whom  I  am  addressing 
at  this  very  moment,  in  the  name  of  my 
Lord  and  Saviour,  "  Come  unto  me,  and 
thou  shalt  find  rest  unto  thy  soul." 

But,  in  order  to  enter  more  fully  into 
the  import  of  our  Lord's  address,  we  mus* 
proceed  to  consider, 

II.  The  invitation  given — "  Come 
unto  me." 

Now,  by  the  expression,  "  Come  unto 
me,"  you  will  immediately  see  that  our 
Lord  does  not  mean  to  invite  the  multitude 
nearer  to  himself,  for  they  were  already 
round  about  him.  The  meaning  of  his 
words  was,  as  he  himself  explains.  Be- 
lieve in  me;  or,  in  other  words.  Come 
unto  me,  in  the  exercise  of  faith,  and  hope, 
and  love. 

Now,  in  order  that  I  may  set  thisbefons 
you,  I  would  take  a  great  liberty  ;  I  would 
unfold  to  you  our  Saviour's  words  as 
though  they  were  addressed  immediately 
by  him  to  you.  Instead  of  saying  merely, 
"  Come  unto  me,"  I  would  say,  conceive 
of  our  blessed  Lord  as  addressing  you 
thus,  whilst  I  merely  paraphra^a  his 
words  : — "  Brethren,  to  impart  rest  to  you 
all  is  the  very  end  for  which  1  came  into 
the  world  ;  and  I  would  that  every  one  of 
you,  that  seeks  rest  in  me,  should  come 
to  me  at  this  very  moment,  and  receive  !*• 
at  my  hands.  Turn  not  away  from  me  as 
an  impostor.  You  see  me,  a  poor  man, 
not  having  where  to  lay  my  head  ;  turn 
not  away  from  me  as  an  impostor,  if  I  tell 
you  that  I  am  the  true  Messiah — the  per- 


252 


rllE  BRITISH  rLLIli:. 


son  designated  in  a!l  your  prophecies — 
the  person  sent  to  you  from  the  Father  at 
this  very  moment.     Go  not  to  the  vanities 
of  this  world  to  seek  rest  in  them  ;   for 
they  can  never  give  it  you.     It  is  not  to 
be  found  in  them;  it  is  a  gift  which  none 
but  myself  can  bestow  upon  any  human 
being.    Farther :  Keep  not  away  from  me, 
under  an  apprehension  that  you  can  make 
satisfaction  for  your  own  souls,  or  that 
you  can  cleanse  yourselves,  by  any  means, 
from  your  iniquities ;  for  you  never  can 
have  redemption  but  through  my  blood, 
nor  can  you  ever  subdue  your  lusts  but 
by  my  all-sufficient  grace  ;  neither  delay 
to  come  to  me  on  account  of  your  unwor- 
thiness,  as  if  it  were  necessary  to  bring 
some  meritorious  service  as  the  price  of 
ray  favour.     No;  come  to  me,  every  one 
of  you,  just  as  you  are,  with  all  your  sins 
upon  you — with  all  your  sins  upon  you. 
Do  not   stop  to  heal  yourselves  imper- 
fectly, but  come  instantly  to  the  physi- 
cian.    Come,  and  receive  all  my  bless- 
ings freely,  '  without  money,  and  without 
price.'     Come  in  faith,  believing  that  I 
am  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that 
come  unto  God  by  me,  and  believing  that 
I  am  as  tvilUiig  to  save  as  I  am  able. 
Come,  every  one  of  you,  in  faith.     Come, 
also,  in  hope.     Let  your  expectations  be 
enlarged.     '  Ye  are  not  straitened  in  me, 
but  ye  are  straitened  in  your  own  bowels.' 
Count  up  all  the  blessings  of  time — sur- 
vey all  the  glories  of  eternity — stretch 
your  imagination  to  the  utmost — ask  all 
that  eye  ever  saw,  or  ear  ever  heard,  or 
heart  ever  conceived,  and  I  will  not  only 
grant  all  your  requests,  but  do  for  you 
'exceedingly  abundant  above  all  that  ye 
can    ask    or  even   think.'      Open   your 
mouths  ever  so  wide,  I  pledge  myself 
that  I  will  fill  them.     Moreover,  come  in 
loveJbBe  not  like  persons  driven  to  me 
by   mere   necessity,   and    influenced    by 
nothing  but  the  dread  of  hell ;  but  con- 
template my  character  as  the  Son  of  the 
living  God,   who  has  become    incarnate 
for  you,  and  for  the  salvation  of  a  ruined 
world.     Meditate  on  my  kindness,  too, 
in  leaving  the  bosom  of  my  Father,  in 
emptying  myself  of  all  my  glory,  in  order 
to  take  upon  me  all  the  guilt  of  your  sins, 
and  to  expiate  them  by  my  own  sacrifice 


and  obedience  unto  death.  Farther: 
Strive  to  comprehend  the  heights,  and 
depths,  and  lengths,  and  breadths,  of  my 
love  which  passeth  knowledge,  and  let  a 
sense  of  that  love  constrain  you  to  walk 
with  me,  to  depend  on  me,  and  to  delight 
also  in  seeing  me." 

Now,  this  I  conceive  to  be  the  true  im- 
port of  the  words — "  Come  unto  me." 
Come  in  faith,  believing  that  I  am  indeed 
able  and  willing  to  save.  Con  e  in  hope, 
notwithstanding  all  that  you  have  ever 
done  amiss,  however  great  it  be.  Come 
in  love,  and  be  driven  not  by  a  fear  of 
condemnation,  but  by  a  sense  of  the  ex- 
cellency of  my  character,  and  by  all  the 
wonders  of  my  love. 

My  dear  brethren,  this  I  affirm  to  every 
one  who  is  weary  and  heavy  laden,  what- 
ever his  burden  be,  that  he  is  to  consider 
these  words  as  addressed  to  himself,  at 
this  very  moment,  by  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  as  much  as  any  of  those  who 
attended  his  personal  ministry  had  it  ad- 
dressed to  them.  Nay,  more,  to  every 
individual  soul  is  it  addressed,  as  though 
it  had  been  personally  addressed  to  him 
alo7ie. 

Then  let  us,  my  brethren,  hear  o\^ 
blessed  Lord's  address — for  it  is  He  who- 
speaks,  by  the  mouth  of  a  poor  unworthy  \ 
preacher — let  us  hear  him,  at  this  mo-  ; 
ment,  saying,  "  Come  unto  me."  Hear 
him  with  his  dying  breath  upon  the  cross 
— behold  him  bowing  his  head  in  death, 
and,  with  his  dying  breath,  saying, 
"  Come  unto  me."  Follow  him  to  his 
throne  of  glory,  and  there  behold  him 
stretching  out  his  hands,  and  saying  to 
you  all,  "  Come  unto  me."  Let  us  all  go 
to  him,  with  one  accord,  with  one  heart, 
with  one  mind,  and  that  without  delay ! 
Let  us  fly  to  him,  every  one  of  us,  "  as 
doves  to  the  windows." 

Now,  that  nothing  might  be  wanting  to 
give  efficacy  to  his  invitation,  consider, 

IIL  The  promise  with  which  it  is 
ENFORCED — "  And  I  will  give  you  rest." 
The  world  are  glad  to  see  us  in  our 
prosperity,  and  when  we  can  participate 
in  their  pleasures  ;  but,  in  the  day  of  ad- 
versity, when  want  and  trouble  come  upon 
us,  they  are  but  too  apt  to  lessen  their 
regards,  and  to  grow  weary  of  our  com- 


CHRIST'S  INVITATIO.\  A^U  I'liOMISE. 


253 


V 


plaints.  Not  so  our  blessed  Lord  ;  his 
conduct  is  altosrether  different.  He  bids 
us  come  to  him  in  the  time  of  trouble. 
He,  instead  of  turning  a  deaf  ear  to  our 
requests,  assures  every  one  of  us,  "  I  will 
give  you  rest."  I  ivill  giveyourest:  how 
suitable  his  promise !  What  do  the 
weary  and  heavy  laden  desire]  I  will 
suppose  them  to  be  bowed  down  under 
fe/n/^ora/ afflictions  ;  what  do  they  desire, 
what  do  they  wish  for,  but  something  to 
soothe  the  anguish  of  their  minds,  and 
something  to  be  a  support  to  their  faint- 
•ing  souls  ]  Now,  m.y  brethren,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  administers  this  to  every 
person  that  comes  to  him — administers  it 
by  the  aid  of  his  grace,  and  by  the  com- 
munication of  his  Spirit.  Are  their  sor- 
rows altogether  spiritual?  He  speaks 
peace  to  the  wounded  conscience,  and 
says,  "  Re  of  good  cheer,  he  of  good  cheer, 
I  am  thy  salvation."  O  what  is  it  that 
he  hath  spoken  to  the  soul !  Yes,  bre- 
thren, he  discovers  to  the  wounded  soul 
the  sufficiency  of  his  blood  to  cleanse  it 
from  the  guilt  of  sin,  and  the  efficacy  of 
his  grace  to  subdue  and  mortify  our  lusts. 
Yes,  he  gives  to  all  who  wait  upon  him 
what  nothing  in  all  the  universe  besides 
can  ever  supply — a  firm  and  stable  hope 
of  pardm  and  peace,  of  holiness  and  glory. 
Whatever  other  blessings  should  be  of- 
fered to  the  soul,  they  would  be  all  de- 
spised in  comparison  with  thesp.  That 
which  I  offer  you  in  the  Saviour's  name 
this  day  is  bread  to  the  hungry,  water  to 
the  thirsty,  and  health  to  the  sick.  'J'hey 
are  exactlv  suited  to  your  necessities — 
the  very  thing  that  you  need. 

And  now,  I  ask,  can  any  thing  be  more 
precious  than  this  to  the  believing  soul  ] 
You  see  how^  suitable  it  is.  Mark  how 
precious  the  word  which  is  used  in  my 
text,  "I  will  give  rest."  This  means 
vastly  more  than  a  mere  exemption  from 
labour  and  trial.  The  true  import  of  it 
implies  refreshment — that  kind  of  refresh- 
ment which  a  strong  and  sincere  belief 
affords.  How  sweet  is  peace  to  a  believ- 
ing penitent !  It  is  peace  that  passeth  all 
understanding ;  it  is  joy  that  is  unspeaka- 
ble and  glorious.  My  dear  brethren,  the 
communications  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  which 
he  will  impart  to  the  weary  and  heavy 


laden  soul,  are  called  in  Scripture  an 
earnest  of  our  inheritance.  You  all  know 
what  that  earnest  is  yourselves.  The 
peace  which  he  will  give  is  an  earnest,  is 
a  foretaste — a  blessed  foretaste — of  the 
felicity  of  heaven  itself. 

But  we  must  extend  our  thoughts  yet 
farther,  even  to  the  rest  which  remains 
for  the  people  of  God.  Now  that  was, 
doubtless,  most  eminently  in  the  Saviour's 
mind  ;  nor  can  any  thing  short  of  all  the 
glories  and  felicities  of  heaven  be  the 
portion  of  those  who  come  to  him  aright; 
— never  shall  you  have  less  than  all  the 
glories  and  felicities  of  heaven. 

I  now  farther  add,  that  this  is  a  true  and 
faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  accep- 
tation. Was  there  ever  one  person,  fropi 
the  beginning  of  the  world,  who  ever 
came  to  the  Saviour  in  vain  ]  Was  there 
ever  one  that  did  not  experience  his  truth 
and  faithfulness  1  It  is  true,  many  per- 
haps come  to  him  without  experiencing 
this  rest  and  peace,  and  all  these  promises 
below.  But  why  !  They  did  not  come 
in  faith,  hope,  and  love,  and  have  been 
only  impelled  by  terror,  and  would  never 
think  of  the  Saviour  if  it  were  not  for  hell. 
They  listen  to  the  suggestions  of  despond- 
ency, and  they  live  under  the  reigning 
power  of  unbelief.  No  wonder,  there- 
fore, that  they  do  not  find  that  rest  which 
their  souls  desire.  But  if  they  onl}'  go 
to  him  aright,  there  is  no  guilt,  however 
great,  that  shall  not  be  removed  from 
their  consciences,  nor  any  earthly  trouble 
which  they  shall  not  be  able  to  support 
with  comfort ;  yea,  to  rejoice  and  glory 
in  it.  If,  under  any  cloud  whatever,  they 
go  to  the  Lord,  as  the  apostle  Paul  did 
with  the  thorn  in  the  flesh,  and  cry  re- 
peatedly and  earnestly  to  him,  they  shall, 
like  the  apostle,  be  enabled  to  rejoice  in 
their  trials  and  tribulations,  and  glory  in 
them.  They  shall  certainly  find  tipt  the 
keenest  of  their  sorrows  are  in  fact  sources 
of  triumph.  You  remember  what  St. 
Paul  says,  "  Therefore  I  take  pleasure  ill 
infirmities,  in  reproaches,  in  necessities, 
in  persecutions,  in  distresses,  for  Christ's 
sake ;  for  when  I  am  weak,  then  am  I 
strong."  Then  I  say  this  to  all  of  you  ; 
if  you  will  but  go  to  the  Saviour  in  the 
way  he  requires,  you  shall  find  all  this 


254 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


rest  to  your  souls — rest  in  time,  and  glory 
in  eternity. 

Now  let  me  address  myself  to  two  or 
three  descriptions  of  persons. 

I  fear  there  are  many  present  who  have 
never  felt  aright  the  burden  of  sin,  and 
who  are  ready  to  congratulate  themselves 
upon  it.  An  exemption  from  earthly  trou- 
ble is  a  ground  of  self-congratulation,  but 
not  so  an  exemption  from  the  sorrows  of 
a  contrite  heart.  You  remember  that  it 
is  the  broken  and  the  contrite  heart  which 
God  will  not  despise  ;  but  he  will  despise 
every  other.  We  may  think  that  we 
have  no  need  of  this;  we  may,  like  the 
pharisee,  boast  of  our  own  goodness,  and, 
like  the  elder  brother,  refuse  to  join  with 
the  poor  penitent.  But,  if  so,  like  the 
pharisee,  we  shall  go  without  pardon, 
while  the  publican  is  accepted  ;  and,  like 
the  elder  brother,  be  excluded,  while  the 
returning  prodigal  is  filled  with  peace  and 
joy.  Dear  brethren,  I  tell  you  from  Al- 
mighty God,  that  you  must  sow  in  tears 
if  ever  you  would  reap  in  joy  :  you  must 
go  out  weeping,  bearing  precious  seed, 
and  then  you  shall  come  at  last  rejoicing, 
bringing  your  sheaves  with  you. 

But  I  trust  there  are  some  who  are  seek- 
ing rest — some  who  have  begun  to  pray 
in  secret — some  who  have  smitten  on 
their  breasts  like  the  publican,  aid  are 
crying  for  mercy.  Now,  then,  il  lliere 
be  such  a  one  here  present,  let  him  in 
particular  attend  to  me.  My  brothtr,  my 
afflicted  brother,  there  are  two  things 
against  which  you  have  to  guard — the 
one  is  against  self-righteous  hopes,  and  the 
other  is  against  desponding  feelings. 

Now,  there  are  many  persons  who  are 
apt  to  despond.  They  think  their  burdens 
are  too  heavy  to  be  removed,  their  guilt 
too  gi'eat  to  be  forgiven.  But  I  ask  of 
you,  whom  it  is  that  our  Lord  invites  1 
The  weary,  and  the  heavy  laden.  Whom 
does  our  Lord  except?  Not  one — not 
one!  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  are 
weary,  and  heavy  laden."  I  pray  God 
that  every  one  of  you,  my  brethren,  may 
be  included  in  this  number.  "  Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour,  and  are  heavy 
laden,"  and  whatever  be  your  sins,  what- 
ever your  burdens,  "  I  will  give  you 
rest."  ' 


On  the  other  hand,  many  are  tempted 
to  seek  rest  in  their  duties,  in  their  per- 
formances ;  but  remember,  I  beseech  you, 
my  brethren,  that  it  is  Christ  alone  who 
can  give  peace  to  a  wounded  soul.  From 
him  you  must  receive  it  as  a  free,  unme- 
rited gift. 

And  then  I  would  say  to  the  weary  and 
heavy  laden  soul,  only  do  you  draw  nigh 
to  Christ  in  his  appointed  way,  and  the 
Lord  and  Saviour  will  draw  nigh  to  you, 
with  all  his  promised  blessings,  and  he 
shall  pour  them  in  rich  abundance  into 
your  weary  and  heavy  laden  souls.  • 

I  trust  that,  in  this  assembly,  there  is  a 
third  description  of  persons — those  who 
have  obtained  rest,  and  can  set  their  seals 
to  the  truth  of  what  I  have  said,  and  can 
add,  "  I  was  a  weary  and  heavy  laden 
sinner,  bearing  the  wrath  of  God.  I  came 
to  the  Saviour ;  my  burden  has  fallen  oflf 
at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  I  have  ob- 
tained peace  to  my  soul."  O  that  that 
may  be  the  state  of  every  one  amongst 
you  ! 

Now  to  each  person  I  would  say,  you 
must  remember  that  this,  so  far  from  ex- 
empting you  from  an  obligation  to  watch- 
fulness, should  bind  you  to  tenfold  dili- 
gence in  the  ways  of  God.  Look  at  the 
words  immediately  following  my  text, 
"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest. 
Take  my  yoke  upon  you,"  (and  then  he 
confirms  it  again,)  "  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls."  Mark  !  by  this  he 
shows  that  submission  to  his  holy  will, 
and  obedience  to  his  commandments,  is 
as  necessary  to  the  rest  of  the  soul  as  an 
affiance  in  his  name.  You  cannot  come 
to  him  for  pardon,  and  neglect  the  sanc- 
tity of  your  soul.  You  cannot  have  peace 
in  a  way  of  sin  ;  and  the  finding  of  peace 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  should  bind  you  to  the 
utmost  possible  exertion  in  the  ways  of 
holiness. 

And  then  I  say,  if  there  be  such  a  one 
— and  I  trust  there  are  many — who  en- 
joys the  peace  of  God — I  say,  my  dear 
brother,  let  this  be  your  daily  care,  to 
take  Christ's  yoke  upon  you,  and  to  con- 
form yourself  in  all  things  to  his  mind 
and  will.  Even  supposing  his  yoke  were 
ever  so  heavy,  it  would   be   reasonable 


CHRIST'S  INVITATION  AND  PROMISE. 


255 


that  you  should  take  it  upon  you,  when 
he  has  delivered  you  from  the  yoke  of 
sin,  and  all  the  weight  of  that  yoke  which 
you  deserve.  But  I  tell  you,  and  I  tell 
you  from  sweet  experience — I  tell  you 
that  his  yoke  is  easy,  and  his  burden  is 
light.  There  is  not  one  of  his  command- 
ments that  is  grievous — "  his  ways  are 
ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  his  paths  are 
paths  of  peace."  If  any  of  you  will  come 
to  the  Saviour,  and  walk  with  him  in 
obedience  to  his  holy  will,  you  shall  find 
that  in  a  dying  hour  it  shall  be  verified  in 
you — "  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold 
the  upright ;  for  the  end  of  that  man  is 
peace.'*  Follow  the  soul  into  the  climes 
of  bliss,  and  there  you  shall  be  found  in 
Abraham's  bosom ;  yea,  in  the  very  bosom 
of  God  ! 

Now  I  have  endeavoured  to  spread  be- 
fore you,  with  the  utmost  possible  sim- 
plicity, what  I  conceive  to  be  the  entire 
gospel,  having  opened  it,  as  it  were,  in 
all  its  parts.  I  speak  as  a  dying  man, 
looking  soon  for  my  own  departure ;  and 
I  speak  to  you  as  dying  men.  I  pray  God 
that  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
may  be  poured  out  upon  you,  as  upon  the 
day  of  Pentecost;  and  that  you  may  come 
to  him  this  day,  and  believe  in  him,  and 
experience  salvation  come  home  to  your 
souls  ;  that  thus  you  may  live  in  holi- 
ness, die  in  peace,  and  reign  in  glory  for 
evermore. 

The  Lord  grant  a  blessing  to  every  soul 
amongst  you,  for  Christ's  sake  !     Amen. 


THE  MINISTERIAL  OFFICE  INCREASES  PERSONAL 
RESPONSIBILITY. 

It  is  your  privilege  to  find  in  your  pro- 
fessional duties  every  thing  conducive 
to  your  particular  salvation.  Unlike 
other  men,  your  very  vocation  is  to 
prayer,  to  watchfulness,  to  heavenly  con- 
templation, and  spiritual  exertion.  It 
might  well  be  expected,  that  while  we 
are  thus  exercised  for  the  benefit  of 
others,  it  should  be  beneficial,  in  a  super- 
lative degree,  to  ourselves  ;  that  in  teach- 
ing others,  we  should  become  the  wiser 
ourselves;   that  in  warning  others,  we 


should  the  more  readily  take  the  cautions 
we  give;  and  that,  in  commending  to 
them  the  great  interests  of  their  salvation, 
it  should  be  endeared  to  our  own  affec- 
tions as  above  all  price. 

Can  we  conceive  of  a  more  exasperated 
case  of  folly  and  of  crime  than  the  reverse 
of  this  1  A  man  who,  by  profession,  is 
denouncing  the  world,  but,  in  heart,  mak- 
ing it  the  object  of  his  idolatry  : — A  man 
who  is  pressing  on  others  the  importance 
of  their  redemption,  and  is  knowingly 
neglecting  his  own  : — A  man  who  osten- 
tatiously avows  himself  to  be  the  servant 
of  God,  but  who,  in  fact  and  in  principle, 
is  only  serving  himself;  and  professes  to 
serve  God  only  that  he  may  serve  him- 
self the  more  effectually.  O,  if  demons 
laugh,  if  angels  tremble,  it  is  at  such  a 
sight ! — Eeed. 


USE    SCRIPTURE    LANGUAGE. 

Hold  up  your  face,  my  brethren,  for 
the  truth  and  simplicity  of  the  Bible.  Be 
not  ashamed  of  its  phraseology.  It  is  the 
right  instrument  to  handle  in  the  great 
work  of  calling  a  human  soul  out  of  dark- 
ness into  marvellous  light.  Stand  firm 
and  secure  on  the  impregnable  principle, 
that  this  is  the  word  of  God,  and  that  all 
taste,  and  imagination,  and  science  must 
give  way  before  its  overbearing  authority. 
Walk  in  the  footsteps  of  your  Saviour,  in 
the  twofold  office  of  caring  for  the  diseases 
of  the  body,  and  administering  to  the 
wants  of  the  soul ;  and  though  you  may 
fail  in  the  former — though  the  patient 
may  never  rise  and  walk,  yet,  by  the  bless- 
ing of  heaven  upon  your  fervent  and  ef- 
fectual endeavours,  the  latter  object  may 
be  gained — the  soul  may  be  lightened  of 
all  its  anxieties — the  whole  burden  of  its 
diseases  may  be  swept  away — it  may  be 
of  good  cheer,  because  its  sins  are  for- 
given— and  the  right  direction  may  be 
impressed  upon  it  which  will  carry  it  for- 
ward in  progress  to  a  happy  eternity. 
Death  may  not  be  averted,  but  death  may 
be  disarmed.  It  may  be  stripped  of  its 
terrors,  and  instead  of  a  devouring  enemy, 
it  may  be  hailed  as  a  messenger  of  tri- 
umph.-^-ZJr.  Chalmers. 


SERMON  XXVIII. 

FIDELITY  TO  CHRIST   ENFORCED. 

PREACHED     IN     THE     RELIEF     CHURCH,    EDINBURGH, 

BY  THE  REV.  ALEXANDER  HARVEY. 


"  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  croivti  of  life." — Rev.  ii.  10. 


The  visions  unfolded  to  our  contem- 
plation in  this  book  of  sacred  prophecy, 
are  of  the  most  sublime  and  captivating 
description.  The  curtain  which  conceals 
futurity  from  human  inspection  is  lifted 
up,  and  the  persecuted  apostle,  in  his 
lonely  banishment,  has  a  magnificent  dis- 
closure made  to  him  of  what  was  to  be 
hereafter.  The  dispensations  of  Provi- 
dence, which  relate  to  the  church,  are 
minutely  unfolded.  The  trials  she  would 
have  to  encounter,  and  the  sea  of  tribula- 
tion through  which  she  should  have  to 
pass  before  she  should  enter  on  her  mil- 
lennial rest,  are  distinctly  foretold.  The 
revelation  is  not  indeed  given  in  plain 
language,  but  under  the  more  striking 
form  of  hieroglyphical  symbols.  Like  a 
panoramic  exhibition,  one  scene  after  an- 
other comes  in  rapid  succession  into  view, 
and  one  symbol  after  another  arrests  the 
attention  of  the  astonished  apostle,  till 
the  revelation  is  complete ;  and  each 
scene  unveils  a  portion  of  the  history  of 
the  church  till  she  is  seen  far  in  futurity 
completely  triumphant  over  all  her  in- 
veterate foes.  Then  the  curtain  drops. 
Divine  revelation  closes.  The  heavens 
are  shut,  never  to  be  opened  till  the  Son 
of  man  shall  come  to  judge  the  world  in 
righteousness.  The  symbolic  writing  is 
not  destroyed.  It  is  in  our  hands.  And 
it  becomes  us  attentively,  and  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  fervent  prayer,  to  watch  the 
evolution  of  events,  under  the  firm  con- 
viction that  the  amazing  realities,  of 
which  these  were  but  the  types,  either 
have  been,  or  shall  be  unfolded,  on  the 
theatre  of  the  world. 
256 


The  first  scene  in  the  vision  exhibits 
the  glorified  Redeemer  arrayed  in  all  the 
overwhelming  splendours  of  Divine  ma- 
jesty, and  walking  in  the  "  midst  of  the 
seven  golden  candlesticks."  This  atti- 
tude denotes  the  minute  inspection  he 
takes  of  his  church — the  tender  care  he 
exercises  over  her — and  the  rightful  claim 
he  has  to  the  supreme  regard  of  every 
one  of  her  members.  The  unrivalled 
dignity  of  the  Saviour,  and  his  high  title 
to  the  supreme  adorations  of  men  and  of 
angels,  are  demonstrated  by  the  authority 
which  he  possesses  over  the  visible  and 
invisible  worlds,  the  minute  knowledge 
which  he  has  of  every  circumstance  con- 
nected with  the  personal  history  of  the 
humblest  of  our  race,  and  the  awards  of 
judgment,  by  which  the  changeless  con- 
dition of  every  order  of  rational  intelli- 
gences shall  be  fixed. 

In  the  epistle  to  the  church  in  Smyrna 
he  describes  himself  as  the  "  First  and 
the  Last,"  as  he  who  "  was  dead  and  is 
alive."  He  assures  her  members  that 
he  was  well  acquainted  with  their  "  works 
of  faith  and  labours  of  love" — that  he 
knew  the  sacrifices  they  had  made  for 
his  sake — the  violence  with  which  they 
had  been  assailed  by  the  emissaries  of 
Satan — the  bloody  persecution  they  had 
endured — and  the  accumulating  trials  to 
which  they  would  yet  be  exposed.  But, 
instead  of  shrinking  back  from  the  thick- 
ening conflict,  he  encourages  them  to 
hold  fast  their  integrity,  retain  their  cou- 
rage, and  dismiss  their  fears.  And  he 
urges  them  to  unflinching  steadfastness 
in  the  course  on  which  they  had  entered, 


FIDELITY  TO  CHRIST  ENFORCED. 


257 


by  the  assurance  of  a  glorious  roward, 
and  a  splendid  triumph  at  hist.  But  he 
conceals  from  them  none  of  the  sufferings 
they  might  previously  be  called  to  en- 
dure. He  assures  them  that,  before  they 
could  hope  to  obtain  the  promised  crown, 
tho)'^  might  expect  increased  hardships. 
The  bloody  sword  would  remain  un- 
sheathed. They  might  anticipate  bonds 
and  imprisonment,  torture  and  death.  As 
individuals,  they  might  be  called  to  seal 
their  testimony  with  their  blood,  and  as 
a  church,  they  might  expect  an  extended 
term  of  tribulation ;  but,  amid  all  their 
sufferings,  they  were  not  to  darken,  by 
cowardice,  their  bright  hopes  for  eter- 
nity. All  their  losses  and  pains  will  be 
much  more  than  compensated  by  the 
successful  issue  of  the  conflict.  How 
glorious  to  ascend  to  heaven  from  the 
scaffold  of  death  to  receive  the  martyr's 
crown  ! 

You,  my  friends,  are  not  exposed  to 
the  same  severe  trials,  losses,  and  suffer- 
ings, for  the  sake  of  Christ,  as  the  church 
in  Smyrna.  But,  as  the  adherents  of  the 
"  captain  of  salvation,"  you  must  en- 
dure hardships  as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus 
Christ.  While  you  are  in  the  world  you 
will  have  to  fight  the  battles  of  the  Lord. 
The  enemies  of  your  souls  are  still  as 
hostile  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
friends  of  Christ  as  ever,  and  as  full  of 
malignity  against  your  glorious  leader. 
Circumstances  are  indeed  changed.  The 
world  is  now  more  formidable  in  its 
smiles  than  in  its  frowns,  and  more  de- 
structive by  its  allurements  than  by  its 
terrors.  And  Satan's  policy  is  likewise 
different.  Instead  of  appearing  in  all  his 
native  deformity  to  work  on  your  fears, 
with  more  cunning  he  now  puts  on  the 
garb  of  an  angel  of  light.  Instead  of 
employing  his  agents  to  light  up  the 
burning  pile,  and  use  instruments  of  tor- 
ture to  appal  the  followers  of  the  Lamb, 
and  induce  them  through  terror  to  apos- 
tatize, he  rather  endeavours  to  gain  them 
over  to  his  cause  by  flatteries.  Still  you 
"  wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood,  but 
against  principalities,  against  powers, 
against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this 
world,  against  spiritual  w^ickedness  in 
high  places."     And  while  you  maintain 

Vol.  I.— 33 


the  same  conflict,  the  same  inducements 
to  fidelity  are  held  out  to  you  as  those 
which  cheered  on  the  confessors  of  former 
ages.     The  promise  is  still  sure — the  re- 
ward is  certain — the  prize  of  immortality 
is  still  to  be  won — and  the  glorified  Sa- 
viour is  still  saying  to  every  one  now  pre- 
sent, "  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and 
I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 
'J  hese  words  contain, 
L  A  solemn  exhortation  ;  and, 
IL  A  gracious  assurance. 
Both  of  these  topics  claim  our  serious 
attention.      And   may   the   Spirit  of  all 
grace  aid  the  speaker,  and  impress  his 
hearers  with  a  deep  sense  of  the  vast  im- 
portance of  the  subject,  that  each  of  us 
may,   during   life,   with    ceaseless   aim, 
seek  after  glory,  honour,  and  immortality. 
I.  The  SOLEMN  EXHORTATION  demands 
our   consideration.      "  Be    thou   faithful 
unto  death."     Fidelity  is  the  duty  here 
enjoined.     The  meaning  of  the  term  is 
level  to  the  understanding  of  every  one, 
and  therefore  (does  not  require  any  len 
ened    explanation.      It  has   an   obvi 
reference  to  the  proper  and  conscientious 
discharge  of  every  duty  which  we  owe 
as  moral,  social,  and  responsible  beings. 
So  long  as  one  incumbent,  especially  re- 
cognised duty  is  neglected,  the  claim  to 
entire  fidelity  is  forfeited.     And  in  this 
unhappy   condition   every  individual  of 
our  species  is  placed.     But  it  is  not  in 
this  extensive  sense  that  we  design  to 
consider  it  in  this  discourse ;  but  as  de- 
scriptive of  what  the  disciples  of  Christ 
owe  to  him  as  their  Saviour  and  Lord. 
His  claims  to  their  fidelity  are  unaliena- 
ble and  just  in  themselves,  bi),t  recog- 
nised to  be  so  by  those  who  assume  his 
name,  and  solemnly  profess  their  attach- 
ment to  his  person  and  cause.     Viewing 
the  exhortation  as  delivered  by  the  glori- 
fied Redeemer  to  his  followers,  we  re- 
mark, 

1st,  That  Christians  are  urged  to  fidelt- 
ty  in  their  proftssions  of  personal  attach- 
ment to  the  Saviour. — The  claims  which 
the  Son  of  God  has  on  the  faithful  ad- 
herence of  all  his  followers  are  so  many 
and  powerful  as  to  defy  enumeration. 
The  infinite  glories  of  his  divine  person 
— the  intrinsic  and  manifested  excellencea 
y  2 


one,      J 
ious      I 


258 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


of  his  mediatorial  chaTacter — and  the 
amazing'  undertaking  which  he  executed 
lor  man's  salvation,  exhibit  him  to  every 
believer  in  a  light  the  most  attractive  and 
amiable.  It  is  impossible  for  one  who 
knows  and  feels  that  he  has  been  rescued 

^  from  impendincT  destruction  by  the  gene- 
rous interposition  of  another,  to  refrain 
from  cherishing  towards  his  benevolent 
deliverer  the  most  grateful  emotions. 
And  surely  every  sentiment  of  wonder 
and  glowing  attachment  must  rise  to  its 
highest  exercise,  when  the  redeemed  sin- 
ner  remembers  the  unparalleled  love  and 

/|  l)oundlesf?\compassion  of  Jesus  to  guilty 
men,  and  the  striking  proofs  which  he 
gave  of  these.  When  our  race  must  have 
perished  for  ever  had  he  not  interposed^ 
he  became  their  surety.  He  came  forth 
from  the  bosom  of  his  Father,  where  he 
was  venerated  and  adored  by  all  the  hea- 
venljf  hosts,  and  appeared  on  our  earth  in 
the  "  form  of  a  servant."  Though  he  had 
made  the  world  and  all  its  inhabitants, 
yet,  when  he  canne  to  it,  he  found  no  birth- 
place but  a  stable,  and  no  cradle  for  his 
infant  head  but  a  manger.  And  he  was 
not  ignorant  of  the  reception  with  which 
he  would  meet  before  he  appeared  among 
men.  He  knew  that  penury,  toil,  reproach, 
and  persecution  would  be  his  constant  at- 
tendants— that  every  obstruction  which 
earth  and  hell  could  throw  in  his  way,  to 
impede  his  benevolent  enterprise,  must  be 
encountered — that  in  the  execution  of  his 
magnificent  undertaking  he  would  have 
to  bear  the  ingratitude  of  men,  and  the 
attacks  of  devils — the  fury  of  the  powers 
of  darkness,  and  the  wrath  of  offended 
heaven — that  in  the  fulfil nnent  of  his  cove- 
nant engagement  wi*h  his  Father  to  save 
sinners,  he  must  pdss  through  scenes, 
and  sufferings,  and  conflicts,  such  as 
never  were  before  exhibited,  nor  endured, 
and  never  shall  be  again.  The  sun  suf- 
fered a  miraculous  eclipse  to  conceal  the 
terrors  of  the  hours  during  which  Jesus 
hung  suspended  on  the  accursed  tree. 
And  the  signals  which  announced  the 
victory  won,  and  salvation  complete, 
were  the  loud  voice  of  the  expiring  Sa- 
viour, exclaiming,  "It is  finished,"  rend- 
ing rocks,  supernatural  darkness,  and  a 
great   earthquake.     Now,   all   this   was 


fully  known  to  the  Ron  of  Cod  before  he 
entered  on  his  mediatorial  undertaking,  or 
came  on  the  benevolent  errand  of  saving 
souls  from  the  second  death  ;  and  yet  he  - 
willingly  came,  and  pressed  forward  with 
a  holy  impatience  to  the  hottest  of  the 
conflict,  that  he  might  overthrow,  for 
ever,  the  enemies  of  our  salvation,  and 
work  out  for  )is  an  eternal  deliverance. 
0 !  there  is  a  grandeur  and  sublimity  in 
the  love  of  Jesus,  harmrnicusly  blending 
with  all  that  is  Avinning  and  attractive, 
which  cannot  be  correctly  appreciated 
without  exciting  in  the  believer  a  tri- 
umph of  the  most  pleasing  yet  indefina- 
ble emotions.  In  the  love  of  Christ  there 
is  every  thing  which  is  best  fitted  to  pro- 
duce love  in  return.  The  vastness  of  its 
extent — its  immeasurable  depths — the  in- 
tenseness  of  its  regards — and  the  disin- 
terestedness of  its  sacrifices,  are  well 
calculated  to  make  the  deepest  impres- 
sion on  the  soul  of  every  Christian. 

Now,  my  friends,  you  profess  to  have 
appreciated  the  character,  the  work,  and 
the  excellences  of  Christ,  and  to  be 
influenced  by  love  to  him.  You  have 
avowed  your  attachment  to  him  in  the 
most  solemn  and  public  manner,  and  you 
are  bound  by  every  consideration  of  duty 
and  consistency  habitually  to  act  under 
the  constraining  influence  of  love  to 
Christ.  The  pulse  of  this  heavenly  af- 
fection ought  to  beat  strongly  and  steadi- 
ly within  you,  so  long  as  your  heart  re- 
tains its  natural  warmth.  Your  love  to 
Jesus  must  not  blaze  like  a  meteor,  but 
burn  like  the  sun.  No  combination  of 
external  circumstances  must  quench  the 
pure  flame  of  heavenly  affection  to  the 
Saviour.  Providence  may  frown,  friends 
may  disclaim  you,  or,  like  the  leaves  in 
autumn,  may  drop  into  the  grave — health 
may  depart — the  languor  of  disease  and 
the  fell  grasp  of  deatii  may  paralyze  your 
faculties  ;  but  whatever  you  may  have  to 
encounter  from  the  attacks  of  enemies 
without,  or  suffer  from  within,  endeavour 
never  to  allow  the  ardour  of  your  love  to 
cool.  So  long  as  it  is  in  vigorous  exer- 
cise, it  will  bear  you  up  over  every  ca- 
lamity. You  will  not  hesitate  to  suffer 
for  Him  who  did  so  much  for  you.  Seek 
then  to  have  your  love  fed  with  the  holy 


FIDELITY  TO  CHRIST  ENFORCED. 


259 


oil  of  heavenly  influence,  that  you  "  may 
be  able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints 
what  is  the  breadtii,  and  length,  and 
depth,  and  height,  and  to  know  the  love 
of  Christ,  wliich  passeth  knowledge,  that 
ye  may  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of 
God."  Then  shall  you  evince  the  reali- 
ty and  intenseness  of  your  affection  to 
your  Saviour,  and  prove  your  fidelity  to 
him.  And  as  his  love  to  you  was  not 
cooled  by  the  indignities  he  endured,  the 
agonies  he  suffered,  or  by  the  grave  in 
which  his  sacred  body  for  a  while  lay 
entombed;  so  "neither  death,  nor  life, 
nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers, 
nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  crea- 
ture shall  be  able  to  separate  you  from 
the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord." 

2d.  The  exhortation  calls  on  Christians 
to  be  faithful  in  their  adherence  to  all  the 
doctrines  of  revelation, — Correct  views  of 
divine  truth  are  essential  to  the  formation 
of  the  Christian  character.  "  The  truth" 
is  the  great  instrument  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  employs  in  regenerating  and  per- 
fecting believers,  and  for  fitting  them  for 
the  services  and  enjoyments  of  the  bless- 
ed on  high.  Divine  truth  is  the  lamp  of 
heaven,  by  which  the  dark  soul  is  illu- 
minated, and  the  footsteps  of  the  Chris- 
tian pilgrim  directed  in  his  way  to  the 
promised  rest.  The  Bible  is  the  mirror 
in  which  the  moral  deformity  of  our 
hearts  is  most  strikingly  reflected,  and 
the  beauty  of  holiness  most  attractively 
displayed.  The  doctrines  of  revelation 
well  understood,  and  cordially  believed, 
influence  every  spring  of  moral  action, 
and  give  an  impulse  to  right  conduct. 
To  insinuate  error  into  the  mind  is  like 
casting  poison  into  a  fountain.  The 
streams  which  issue  from  it  become  pes- 
tiferous, and  impregnated  with  death. 

It  must  be  of  vast  importance,  then, 
that  you  form  accurate  views  of  those 
doctrines  which  the  Spirit  of  the  living 
God  has  unfolded,  and  whose  truth  he 
has  demonstrated  by  the  most  splendid 
miracles,  and  by  other  evidence  no  less 
satisfactory.  To  estimate  lightly  the 
worth  of  any  truth  taught  in  the  Bible,  is 
to  betray  an  utter  want  of  respect  for  the 


authority  of  Christ,  and  of  fidelity  to  his 
cause.  Those  who  would  persuade  you 
that  you  ought  to  attach  no  importance 
to  the  articles  of  your  creed,  provided 
you  keep  strict  watch  over  your  conduct, 
are  to  be  avoided  as  poisoners  of  the  very 
springs  of  moral  action.  They  do  every 
thing  in  their  power  to  infuse  into  the  soul 
one  of  the  most  certain  elements  of  spirit- 
ual death.  Their  own  crude  opinion, 
when  once  embraced  as  a  practical  princi- 
ple, proves  fatal  to  all  correct  morality.  It 
is  indeed  possible  for  a  man  of  bad  prin- 
ciples, occasionally,  to  do  an  outwardly 
good  action,  but  it  is  impossible  that  it 
can  be  so  estimated  by  the  Searcher  of 
hearts.  Though  thousands  of  his  fellows 
applaud,  the  righteous  Judge  will  con- 
demn him.  But  as  a  general  maxim  it 
holds  true,  that  as  a  tree  is  known  by  its 
fruits,  so  are  a  man's  principles  by  his 
conduct,  and  the  converse  of  this  state- 
ment is  equally  certain.  Be  not  then 
indifferent  to  any  one  doctrine  of  revela- 
tion. Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words 
which  are  contained  in  the  oracles  of 
truth;  contend  earnestly  for  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints.  You  car»- 
not  surrender  the  smallest  portion  of  di- 
vine truth  without  hazard  to  your  spiritual 
welfare.  And  if  through  ignorance  or 
unbelief  you  neglect,  overlook,  or  aban- 
don any  of  the  peculiar  doctrines  of 
Christianity,  the  consequences  may  be 
awfully  fatal.  You  must  not  shape  your 
religious  principles  by  the  prevailing 
opinions  of  the  world,  but  by  the  word 
of  God.  To  give  up  in  complacency  to 
the  enemies  of  Christianity,  or  in  cour- 
tesy to  the  spurious  liberality  of  the  age, 
any  of  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  is  to 
prove  a  traitor  to  Christ.  You  must  be 
decided  in  your  adherence  to  every  truth 
contained  in  the  Bible,  and  determined 
to  hold  it  fast  though  you  should  stand 
alone.  Consistency,  safety,  and  fidelity 
require  this  of  you — you  must  never  be 
ashamed  even  of  those  doctrines  against 
which  the  wit  of  the  scoffer,  the  reason- 
ings of  the  rationalist,  and  the  contempt 
o^the  profane  are  most  bitterly  directed. 
You  must  take  your  stand  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross,  grasp  it  as  the  standard  around 
which  you  must  valiantly  fight,  and  lake 


260 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


aa  your  war-cry  the  words  of  inspiration, 
*'  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory,  save  in 
the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by 
whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me, 
and  I  unto  the  world." 

The  text  calls  on  Christians, 
3d.  To  be  faithful  in  maintaining  the 
royal  authority  (f  the  Saviour,  and  his 
Headship  over  his  church. — Jesus  was  fore- 
told by  the  prophet  as  a  priest  on  his 
throne,  intimating  very  forcibly  that  he 
would  unite  in  himself  the  offices  of  a 
king  and  of  a  priest ;  that  while  he  would 
come  in  all  the  meekness  of  a  lamb  to  be 
slain,  and  in  all  the  compassion  of  our 
great  High  Priest,  to  offer  up  himself  a 
sacrifice,  and  to  bear  the  infirmities  of 
his  people,  he  would  come  likewise  in 
all  the  majesty  and  authority  of  a  king  to 
legislate  for  his  church,  and  to  throw 
over  her  the  shield  of  his  own  omnipo- 
tent protection.  These  laws  are  con- 
tained in  the  Bible,  which  is  the  only 
statute  book  of  the  church.  They  are 
plain,  perfect,  and  easily  understood. 
They  are  of  universal  obligation,  and  bind 
as  firmly  the  greatest  monarch  on  earth 
as  the  lowliest  individual.  Every  man 
is  commanded  to  study  them  for  himself, 
and  to  judge  for  himself.  The  commands 
— prove  all  things — hold  fast  that  which 
is  good — let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded 
in  his  own  mind — are  addressed  indis- 
criminately to  all  to  whom  revelation 
comes.  No  man,  no  class  of  men — no 
counsel,  assembly,  or  parliament — can, 
without  daring  arrogance,  issue  an  au- 
thoritative interpretation  of  any  passage 
of  sacred  Scripture,  and  enforce  it  upon 
the  conscience  of  another.  To  your  own 
master  you  must  stand  or  fall — every  one 
of  you  must  give  an  account  of  himself 
to  God.  One  is  your  master,  even  Christ, 
and  all  ye  are  brethren. 

But  though  these  statements  are  as 
reasonable  as  they  are  scriptural,  they 
have  been  sadly  overlooked,  both  by  in- 
dividuals and  churches.  The  authority 
of  Christ  has  been  set  aside  by  human 
enactments,  and  the  sacred  territory  of 
conscience  invaded.  His  own  blood- 
bought  church  has  been  torn  from  under 
his  own  almighty  protection,  and  put 
under  the  patronage  of  man,  whose  breath 


is  in  his  nostrils.  The  wall  of  fire  which 
the  Redeemer  has  reared  around  his  own 
Zion,  is  not  deemed  sufficient  for  her 
safety,  but  the  visible  arm  of  earthly 
power  is  sought  as  a  substitute.  As  the 
sworn  subjects  of  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
you  are  bound  to  vindicate  his  insulted 
honour,  and  assert  the  supreme  authority 
of  your  King.  It  is  treason  to  Jesus  to 
allow  a  usurper  to  enter  his  sacred  pro- 
vince, and  dispute  with  him  his  authori- 
ty, or  claim  a  homage  which  is  exclu- 
sively his  due. 

The  conduct  of  all  the  worthies  of  for- 
mer generations  loudly  calls  on  you  to 
imitate  their  heroic  example.  The  cruel 
threatening  of  an  arbitrary  despot — the 
alluring  influence  of  voluptuous  music — 
the  showy  pomps  of  an  idolatrous  wor- 
ship— the  prostrate  knees  of  sycophantish 
multitudes — the  burning  fiery  furnace, 
seven  times  heated,  combining,  as  they 
did,  all  that  is  alluring  on  the  one  hand, 
and  appalling  on  the  other,  could  not 
shake  the  courage  of  the  Hebrew  youths, 
nor  secure  their  ignoble  compliance  with 
what  they  regarded  as  sinful.  Daniel 
chose  to  be  cast  into  the  lion's  den,  brave 
the  loss  of  worldly  honour,  and  encoun- 
ter the  rage  of  a  despotic  king,  rather  than 
offend  his  God,  and  wound  his  conscience. 
Reverence  for  the  royal  authority  of  Jesus 
led  many,  in  former  days,  to  the  scaffold 
and  the  stake.  Scotland,  too,  has  had 
her  martyrs  in  the  same  noble  cause. 
Our  natal  soil  has  been  watered  with 
sainted  blood.  The  individuals  who  call 
it  their  own,  and  claim  kindred  with 
those  who  resisted  every  human  encroach- 
ment on  the  authority  of  Christ,  and  yet 
tamely  surrender  their  religious  liberties, 
and  allow  men  to  legislate  for  the  church, 
dishonour  the  cause  with  which  they 
claim  alliance,  and  are  traitors  to  the 
Saviour.  Whatever,  then,  it  may  cost 
you,  maintain  the  exclusive  authority  of 
Christ  over  his  church,  and  over  the  con- 
sciences of  his  followers.  "Be  faithful 
unto  death." 

But  your  loyalty  to  Christ  must  not 
step  here.  While  you  contend  for  his 
prerogatives,  you  must  yield  yourselves 
up  wholly  to  his  service.  He  has  insti- 
tuted   ordinances    to   be    observed,   and 


FIDELITY  TO  CHRIST  ENFORCED 


261 


given  laws  to  be  obeyed.  His  authority 
attaches  alike  to  every  one  of  them.  To 
neglect  the  one,  or  disobey  the  other,  is 
to  forfeit  all  claim  to  the  character  of  a 
Christian,  and  to  incur  his  righteous  dis- 
pleasure. His  will  must  be  your  rule — 
his  glory  your  end — his  ordinances  your 
delight — his  favour  your  life,  and  his 
smile  your  heaven.  Then,  when  he 
comes,  bringing  his  reward  with  him,  to 
give  to  every  man  according  as  his  work 
shall  be,  he  will  say  of  you,  "  Blessed 
are  they  that  do  his  commanJments,  that 
they  may  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life, 
and  may  enter  in  through  the  gates  into 
the  city." 

The  exhortation  requires  you, 
Ath.  To  he  faithful  in  paying  your  so- 
lemn vows. — Many  of  you  have  come  un- 
der the  most  solemn  obligations  to  devote 
yourselves  to  the  service  of  God.  His 
vows  are  upon  you.  They  are  registered 
in  the  book  of  his  remembrance,  and  you 
never  can  deface  the  record,  or  recall  the 
sacred  transaction.  It  shall  remain  in- 
delible till  it  be  exhibited  before  an  as- 
sembled universe,  and  read  in  the  hearing 
of  countless  multitudes.  Whatever  may 
have  been  the  character  of  these  transac- 
tions, whether  in  the  shape  of  resolutions, 
promises,  subscribing  with  the  hand  unto 
the  Lord,  or  seating  yourselves  at  the 
communion  table,  they  are  for  ever  bind- 
ing upon  you.  Whensoever  they  may 
have  been  made — whether  when  you 
were  first  awakened  to  see  your  guilt  and 
danger  as  a  sinner,  or  when  the  earthly 
house  of  your  tabernacle  seemed  dissolv- 
ing, and  you  had  the  near  prospect  of  be- 
coming an  inhabitant  of  eternity,  or  when 
surrounding  the  sacramental  board,  with 
the  affecting  symbols  of  a  crucified  Sa- 
viour in  your  hands,  or  when  your  hearts 
burned  within  you  for  benefits  received, 
and  mercies  enjoyed;  it  matters  not  what 
may  have  been  the  time  or  circumstances 
in  which  you  vowed  to  be  the  Lord's  ; 
his  claim  to  your  services  is  unquestion- 
able. You  cannot  set  it  aside.  You  are 
bound  to  glorify  him  in  your  bodies  and 
your  spirits,  which  are  his. 

Give  up,  then,  my  dear  friends,  the 
sins  you  vowed  to  forsake — abandon  the 
company  you  resolved  to  shun — whatever 


sacrifice  this  may  cost  you,  do  not  hesitate 
for  one  moment  to  make  it — present  plea- 
sure, secular  advantage,  worldly  friend- 
ships, are  less  than  nothing  when  put  in 
the  balance  with  the  salvation  of  the  soul. 
Give  yourselves  cheerfully  to  the  work 
of  the  Lord — enter  with  holy  ardour  and 
stern  resolution  on  that  course  which  ap- 
peared to  you  so  desirable  from  a  commu- 
nion table  or  the  borders  of  eternity ;  let 
your  language  be,  "  I  am  crucified  with 
Christ;  nevertheless  I  live;  yet  not  I, 
but  Christ  liveth  in  me;  and  the  life 
which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh  I  live  by 
the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved 
me,  and  gave  himself  for  me." 

But  if  you,  in  opposition  to  all  your  en- 
gagements and  professions,  abandon  the 
Saviour's  cause,  how  dreadful  must  be 
your  eternal  condition,  and  how  terrible 
your  doom  !  Does  it  not  now  make  your 
blood  run  cold  and  stagnate  at  your  heart, 
to  conceive  it  possible  that,  instead  of 
rising  from  your  graves  with  joy,  to  join 
the  myriads  thronging  to  take  their  place 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  Judge,  you  may 
be  called  out  of  your  prison-house  to  be 
dragged  as  a  perjured  traitor  to  receive 
the  condemnation  you  have  merited  ;  and 
instead  of  obtaining  the  crown  of  life  as 
the  reward  of  fidelity,  to  be  given  over 
into  the  custody  of  death  and  hell,  to  be 
tormented  for  ever  with  the  devil  and  his 
angels  as  a  cowardly  deserter  from  the 
cause  you  had  sworn  to  defend? 

The  text  commands  you, 

5tk.  To  be  faithful  unto  death. — When 
you  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and 
enlisted  into  the  army  of  the  Captain  of 
salvation,  it  was  not  for  a  short  cam- 
paign, but  for  life.  Having  put  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  you  are  henceforth  to 
have  no  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful 
works  of  darkness — having  set  out  in 
your  way  to  heaven,  you  are  not  so  much 
as  to  look  back ;  you  are  to  press  on  to- 
wards the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high 
calling  of  God  fe  Christ  Jesus.  You  are 
not  to  use  your  religion  as  you  do  your 
Sabbath  attire.  It  must  be  worn  as  your 
habitual  garb — you  must  be  clothed  with 
it.  Alas !  there  are  many  who  make  a 
profession  of  religion  who  are  utterly 
ignorant  of  its  great  principles,  andiiave 


262 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


never  felt  its  sanctifying  power;  they  put 
oil  a  profession  as  an  upper  garment  to 
cover  the  native  deformity  of  an  unre- 
generated  heart,  and  to  impose  on  their 
fellow-men.  Hence  it  is  that  so  many 
apostatize — they  did  not  count  the  cost 
before  they  entered  on  their  undertaking, 
and  they  are  not  able  to  finish.  So  in- 
adequate are  their  conceptions  of  the  real 
excellency  and  vast  importance  of  reli- 
gion, that  they  will  not  surrender  a  single 
temporary  gratification  to  secure  the  eter- 
nity of  glory  which  it  promises. 

It  is  vastly  different,  however,  with  the 
genuine  Christian :  he  knows  the  truth, 
feels  the  power  and  experiences  the  joys 
of  religion  ;  his  attachment  to  it  strength- 
ens with  time,  and  the  more  he  knows  of 
it  the  higher  does  he  value  it ;  it  incor- 
porates all  its  benign  influences  with 
every  faculty  of  his  soul,  and  deepens 
the  features  of  its  own  lovely  image  on 
his  heart.  The  service  of  Christ  is  to 
him  more  delightful  than  all  the  vanities 
of  the  world.  Rather  than  desert  the 
cause  of  Christ  he  would  cheerfully  suf- 
fer the  loss  of  all  things.  It  is  the  power 
of  religion  and  the  presence  of  the  Sa- 
viour that  throws  the  serenity  of  heaven 
over  the  martyr's  countenance  amid  the 
fellest  blasts  of  persecution — the  keenest 
tortures  of  the  rack — the  hottest  flames 
at  the  stake — and  the  most  cruel  death. 
The  same  holy  influences  support  the 
dying  saint  under  the  gathering  infirmi- 
ties of  decaying  nature  and  the  struggles 
of  dissolution.  His  pains  increase — his 
strength  sinks — his  eye  closes — his  grasp 
of  life  relaxes  —  his  pulse  stops  —  his 
breath  departs — the  d*ews  of  death  are  on 
his  clay-cold  cheek,  but  his  sainted  spirit 
as  it  fled  left  fixed  on  his  pale  countenance 
tlie  image  of  peace,  and  took  its  flight, 
attended  by  ministering  angels,  into  hea- 
ven to  receive  "  the  crown  of  life." 

II.  Attend  now  to  the  gracious  as- 
surance. 

"  I  will  give  you  a  cr^'n  of  life." 
Here  notice, 

1st.  The  gift— ''A  crown  of  life."     A 

crown  is  the   highest   object  of  earthly 

ambition,  and   the   possession  of  it  the 

loftiest  pinnacle  of  worldly  glory — to  ob- 

\     tain -it  no  toils,  struggles,  or  sacrifices 


are  deemed  too  great.  Rivers  of  human 
blood  have  flowed  in  the  cause  of  ambi- 
tion, and  in  forcing  a  way  to  a  throne — 
and  after  its  honours  were  secured,  how 
transitory  its  possession,  and  harassing 
its  cares  !  The  glories  which  dazzled  at 
a  distance,  like  the  lovely  hues  of  the 
rainbow,  vanish,  when  grasped,  like  the 
meteor,  which  emits  a  temporary  flash 
and  is  then  quenched  for  ever.  And  yet 
with  what  breathless  eagerness  and  in- 
cessant toil  are  such  honours  sought  by 
the  children  of  men  !  The  competitor 
in  the  games  of  ancient  Greece  submitted 
to  a  long  period  of  previous  training  be- 
fore he  presented  himself  as  a  candidate 
for  the  laurel  crown  by  which  the  con- 
queror was  to  be  rewarded  in  the  pre- 
sence of  applauding  thousands  of  his 
countrymen.  But  between  this  crown 
of  life  and  all  the  glory  and  honour  of 
this  earth  there  is  no  comparison.  As 
eternity  surpasses  time,  as  heaven  tran- 
scends earth,  so  does  the  celestial  crown 
which  the  Saviour  shall  place  en  the 
heads  of  all  his  faithful  followers  in  the 
midst  of  an  assembled  universe. 

It  is  a  crown  of  life,  and  this  is  indica- 
tive of  the  pure,  lofty,  and  endless  enjoy- 
ments to  which  it  introduces.  It  is  when 
the  struggles  of  mortality  are  over,  and 
the  conflicts  with  corruption,  and  all  the 
enemies  of  your  spiritual  welfare,  are 
over,  that  this  supreme  felicity  shall  be 
obtained.  Escaped  from  the  wreck  of  a 
decaying  body,  your  immortal  spirit  shall 
be  the  eternal  inhabitant  of  a  deathless 
world.  You  shall  appear  as  one  among 
the  countless  myriads  who  shall  surround 
the  throne  of  the  Lamb,  wearing  crowns 
of  life  as  brilliant  and  unfading  as  your 
own.  When  a  few  earthly  -monarchs 
meet  to  deliberate  on  the  destinies  of 
nations,  how  do  the  chroniclers  of  this 
world's  transactions  summon  up  all  their 
powers  of  description  and  of  flattery  to 
magnify  the  importance  of  the  rare  oc- 
currence ; — but  the  vastest  assembly  on 
earth,  the  most  splendid  concourse  of  the 
monarchs  of  earth,  dwindle  into  utter  in- 
significancy when  compared  to  the  meet- 
ing of  all  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  in 
heaven — every  saint  shall  have  in  his 
hand  a  palm  of  victory,  in  his  mouth  a 


FIDi:LITY  TO  CHRIST  ENFORCED. 


263 


song  of  triumph,  and  on  his  head  a  crown 
of  life.  Contemplate  through  the  me- 
dium of  prophecy  the  multitude,  which 
no  man  can  number,  arrayed  in  white 
robes,  and  listen  to  their  lofty  song. 
With  united  voice  they  sing  unto  him 
that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our 
sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hatii  made  us 
kings  and  priests  unto  God,  and  to  his 
Father,  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for 
ever  and  ever. 

Meditate, 

2;/.  On  the  glorious  giver. — It  is  Christ 
who  is  to  bestow  the  crown  of  life. 
Those  who  are  to  wear  it  have  not  won  it 
by  their  own  prowess,  obtained  it  by 
their  own  merit,  or  inherited  it  by  their 
natural  birth.  It  is  given  freely  by  Him 
by  whose  blood  it  was  secured,  and 
by  whose  munificence  it  is  bestowed. 
What  shall  be  the  emotions  of  the  re- 
deemed when  tiiey  receive  this  inestima- 
ble gift  from  Him  who  created  the  hea- 
vens, formed  the  earth,  and  gave  life  to 
every  order  of  animated  being !  How 
shall  their  hearts  glow  with  unutterable 
emotions  when  this  royal  diadem  of  im- 
mortality shall  be  placed  on  their  heads 
by  Him  whose  toilsome  life  and  excru- 
ciating death  procured  it  for  them  !  With 
one  simultaneous  burst  of  gratitude  shall 
they  cry,  "Thou  hast  made  us  kings  and 
priests  unto  God,  and  we  shall  reign  with 
thee."  It  is  beyond  the  power  of  ima- 
gination to  conceive  how  they  shall  feel 
when  those  hands,  still  bearing  the  print 
of  the  nails  by  which  he  was  fixed  to  the 
accursed  tree,  shall  hold  out  the  crown 
of  life  as  the  glorious  token  of  his  victory 
for  them,  and  of  their  victory  through 
him*  When  "  on  the  cross  he  spoiled 
principalities  and  powers,  making  a  show 
of  them  openly  ;  and  when  he  vanquished 
death,  and  him  that  hath  the  power  of 
death,  that  is  the  devil."  Eternity  will 
seem  too  short  to  show  forth  all  his 
praise. 

Reflect, 

2d.  On  the  solemn  period  at  which  this 
crown  shall  be  hesloived.  The  text  directs 
forward  our  expectations  to  the  solemn 
period  of  dissolution,  when  this  reward 
shall  be  obtained.  This  advantage  is  pe- 
culiar to  Christianity.     There  are  many 


circumstsmf^es  associated  in  our  minds 
with  death  which  render  it  truly  appal- 
ling. The  pains,  the  griefs,  the  dying 
conflict,  the  shroud,  the  coffin,  the  dark 
grave,  and  the  consequent  corruption. 
The  very  thought  of  being  torn  from  this 
warm  and  living  world — from  kind  friends 
and  endeared  companions,  rends  the  heart. 
But  the  bright  prospects  unfolded  in  the 
gospel  to  the  departing  Christian,  recon- 
cile him  to  all  these,  and  secure  for  him 
a  glorious  victory  over  the  king  of  ter- 
rors. At  death  the  conquering  hero  lays 
down  his  crown,  and  leaves  all  his  worldly 
glory  behind  him.  He  has  no  commu- 
nion with  those  who  herald  his  praise, 
sculpture  on  his  tomb  the  paltry  symbols 
of  royalty,  and  with  these  emblems  of 
rule  distinguish  the  place  which  keeps  a 
monarch's  dust  from  the  mass  of  man- 
kind, who  tenant  with  him  the  regions 
of  the  dead.  But  at  death  the  Christian 
triumphs.  Then  he  puts  off  his  armour, 
and  receives  his  crown.  His  conflicts 
terminate,  his  enemies  are  for  ever  de- 
feated, and  death  is  swallowed  up  in 
victory.  Instead  of  death  killing  the 
immortal  inhabitant,  he  has  merely  pulled 
down  the  frail  tabernacle  in  which  it  was 
imprisoned,  and  allowed  it  to  escape  to 
glor)'^,  honour,  and  immortality.  When 
we  remember  that  it  is  the  deathless  spi- 
rit that  thinks,  feels,  and  enjoj's,  we  are 
in  some  measure  prepared  to  imagine  the 
happy  and  glorious  transition  which  takes 
place  when  a  redeemed  soul  passes  from 
time  into  eternity,  leaves  an  emaciated 
and  putrescent  body  to  dwell  with  kin- 
dred spirits  ;  and  is  severed  from  weep- 
ing friends  to  behold  the  face  of  Jesus. 
How  great  its  transport  when  the  music 
of  heaven,  the  songs  of  angels,  and  the 
glories  of  eternity  burst  on  its  enraptured 
ears  and  astonished  vision,  and  when  it 
makes  its  first  attempt  to  join  in  harmony 
with  the  countless  throng,  ,who  are  cele- 
brating the  triumphs  of  redeeming  love. 

But  the  crown  of  life  shall  be  given 
in  a  more  solemn  and  public  manner  to 
every  believer  at  the  resurrection  of  the 
just.  The  transactions  of  the  day  of  judg- 
ment shall  be  awfully  and  inconceivably 
grand.  Imagination  staggers  under  the 
load  of  magnificent  images  by  which  its 


-f 


264 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


dread  occurrences  are  represented  in 
Scripture.  When  the  last  sand  has  dropt 
from  the  hour-glass  of  time,  then  shall 
the  whole  system  of  nature  begin  to  give 
way.  The  sun  shall  grow  dim,  the 
moon  become  as  blood,  the  stars  be 
quenched  by  the  brilliancy  of  a  more  glo- 
rious light.  The  vaulted  arch  of  heaven 
shall  open,  and  the  mighty  Judge  appear 
in  his  own  glory,  in  the  glory  of  his  Fa- 
ther, and  attended  by  all  his  angels. 
The  archangel  shall  herald  his  approach, 
and  blow  the  trumpet  which  shall  an- 
nounce the  commencement  of  the  last 
assize.  Then  shall  the  throne  of  judg- 
ment be  set,  and  the  books  be  opened. 
The  graves  shall  give  up  the  dead  that 
are  in  them,  and  the  sea  the  dead  that  are 
in  it.  Then  the  living  shall  be  changed 
in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye, 
and  all  the  generations  of  men  shall  meet 
in  one  vast  assembly,  in  the  presence  of 
f: lithful  -and  fallen  angels,  to  receive  their 
changeless  doom,  Methinks  I  see  the 
great  white  throne — the  universal  Judge 
— the  mighty  throng;  there  you  shall 
stand — there  I  must  appear.  At  that 
dread  tribunal  we  must  meet  face  to  face, 
and  give  an  account  of  all  our  privileges, 
and  of  this  evening's  service.  Then  the 
sentence  shall  be  pronounced,  which  shall 
never  be  removed.  Hear  it,  ye  faithful 
followers  of  the  Lamb,  "Come,  ye  bless- 
ed of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world."  Then  shall  ye  receive  the  crown 
of  life,  and  be  admitted  into  eternal  glory. 
Hear  it,  ye  neglecters  of  the  great  salva- 
tion, and  tremble  at  your  awful  doom. 
"  Depart,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire 
prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels." 
♦'  Then  shall  the  heavens  pass  away  with 
a  great  noise,  and  the  elements  melt  with 
fervent  heat,  the  earth  also  and  the  works 
that  are  therein  shall  be  burnt  up." 
Then   an   eternal   order  of  things    shall 


commence.  Hell  shall  remain  to  be  the 
prison-house  in  which  the  ungodly  shall 
be  tormented  for  ever  with  the  devil  and 
his  angels.  Heaven  shall  remain  to  be 
the  endless  habitation  of  the  righteous, 
when  they  shall  dwell  with  Jesus,  and 
all  holy  beings,  and  cast  their  crowns  at 
the  feet  of  him  whose  death  saved  them, 
and  sing  without  ceasing,  "  Worthy  is 
the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power, 
and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and 
honour,  and  glory,  and  blessing — salva- 
tion be  to  the  Lamb  that  was  slain." 

In  conclusion,  I  call  on  you  to  continue 
faithful  to  Jesus  in  defiance  of  every  op- 
position, even  unto  death.  Every  motive 
which  is  fitted  to  operate  on  a  rational 
being  is  presented  to  you  in  the  word  of 
God.  The  Bible  speaks  to  your  hopes 
and  to  your  hearts,  to  your  desire  of  hap- 
piness and  your  dread  of  suffering,  to 
your  hope  of  heaven  ana  your  horror  of 
hell.  Oh!  could  1  secure  for  you  a  re- 
petition of  that  vision  which  John  saw 
when  in  banishment  for  the  word  of  God, 
and  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  it  would  pro- 
duce a  powerful  impression  on  your  mind. 
Were  the  heavens  now  to  open  and  dis- 
close the  glories  of  its  inhabitants,  their 
number,  their  songs,  their  palms,  and 
their  crow"ns,  how  would  you  long  to  join 
their  company  and  share  their  blessed- 
ness. These  objects  you  cannot  see  by 
the  eye  of  sense,  but  faith  can  penetrate 
within  the  veil,  and  realize  all  the  visions 
recorded  in  this  book.  While  you  read 
it  in  the  exercise  of  faith  you  hear  their 
lofty  anthems,  you  behold  their  glory, 
you  listen  to  their  welcomes.  And  the 
voice  of  the  glorified  Redeemer  falls  on 
your  ear  and  rouses  all  your  dormant 
energies.  Your  failing  courage  is  re- 
vived, and  your  staggering  purpose  is 
confirmed.  You  hear  him  saying,  "  Be 
thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  crown  of  life."     Amen. 


0' 


SERMON  XXIX. 

THE  PREVALENCE  OF  INFIDELITY,  AND  THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  TIMES. 

DELIVERED 

BY  THE  LATE  REV.  W.  THORPE, 

OF    BRISTOL. 


"  In  (hose  days  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom  which  shall  never  be  destroyed ;  and  the 
kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these  king- 
doms, and  it  shall  stand  for  ever." — Dan.  ii.  44. 


At  the  close  of  our  last  lecture,  when 
inquiring  into  the  moral  and  religious 
character  of  Great  Britain,  your  attention 
was  fixed  upon  the  British  possessions  in 
the  East  Indies,  and  on  the  melancholy 
scenes  even  now  exhibited  in  that  im- 
mense portion  of  the  British  empire. 

Without  further  introduction,  let  us 
now  return  to  our  own  coasts,  and  seri- 
ously consider  the  awful  prevalence  of 
infidelity  in  our  own  country.  Infidelity 
is  the  highest  insult  that  man  can  offer  to 
the  all-wise  Creator  :  for,  "  he  thatbeliev- 
eth  not  God,"  says  the  apostle,  "  has 
made  God  a  liar."  This  sin  was  a  prin- 
cipal ingredient  in  the  original  transgres- 
sion. Our  first  parents  did  not  believe 
the  Divine  threatening,  "  In  the  day  that 
ye  eat  thereof  ye  shall  surely  die."  They 
did  not  believe  that  the  threatened  pen- 
alty would  be  carried  into  execution,  or 
that  their  disobedience  would  be  imme- 
diately followed  by  a  state  of  misery  and 
death  entailed  upon  themselves  and  all 
their  posterity.  Thus  infidelity  brought 
ruin  on  the  whole  world.  Afterwards,  the 
tremendous  catastrophe  of  the  deluge,  the 
overthrow  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  the 
apostasy  of  the  heathen  nations  from  the 
truth,  and  all  the  judgments  inflicted  on 
the  house  of  Israel  from  the  time  of  their 
departure  out  of  Egypt,  through  all  the 

Vol.  1.— 34 


subsequent  periods  of  their  eventful  his- 
tory, down  to  the  present  day.  To  this 
cause,  principally,  is  to  be  ascribed  the 
schism  and  the  captivity  of  the  ten  tribes, 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and  the  captivity  of  Judah  in 
Babylon — the  final  dissolution  of  their 
state,  both  civil  and  ecclesiastic,  and  ah 
the  slaughters,  massacres,  famines,  and 
unparalleled  horrors  of  their  siege.  Hence 
also  their  dispersion  in  infamy  and  bond- 
age as  witnesses  of  the  truth  of  Christi- 
anity to  all  nations  whither  they  are  scat- 
tered, and  to  warn  them  lest  they  also  fall 
under  the  same  example  of  unbelief. 
Hence,  too,  their  judicial  blindness  and 
hardness  of  heart,  and  all  the  sufferings 
of  their  long  and  painful  captivity.  See, 
then,  in  the  history  of  this  people,  one 
truth — that,  i7i  ike  sight  of  God,  infidelity 
is  the  most  horrid  crime  of  which  man  can 
be  guilty. 

Soon  after  the  establishment  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the  world,  infidelity  or  atheism 
reared  its  hideous  front  even  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Christian  church.  Denying  the 
Father  and  the  Son — "  the  only  living 
and  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  he 
hath  sent,"  is  branded  by  the  apostle 
John  with  the  name  of  Jjntichrist.  In  the 
closing  vision  of  Daniel  it  was  foretold 
that,  when  the  reign  of  papal  superstition 
Z  265 


# 


266 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


was  hastening  to  its  downfall,  an  atheisti- 
cal power  should  rise  up  among  the  papal 
kingdoms,  and  spread  ruin  and  desolation 
all  around ;  which  should  endure  only  for 
a  short  time,  comparatively :  and  the 
learned  commentator,  Faber,  has  clearly 
proved  that  this  power  can  be  no  other 
than  atheistical  France.  Modern  infi- 
delity, indeed,  sprung  up  at  the  dawn  of 
the  Reformation ;  it  was  the  venomous 
spawn  of  the  mother  of  harlots,  and  des- 
tined to  be  the  terrible  scourge  of  its  own 
parent.  But  as  the  commencement  of  the 
prophetic  era  is  dated  from  the  acts,  not 
of  individuals,  but  of  states  and  civil  go- 
vernments, the  reign  of  atheism  did  not 
actually  commence  until  a  whole  nation, 
for  the  first  time  since  a  nation  existed  in 
the  world,  declared  itself  atheistical,  and, 
having  denounced  the  Son  of  God  as  an 
impostor,  and  Christianity  as  a  fable, 
passed  a  decree  that  the  faith  of  the 
French  nation  consisted  only  of  two  arti- 
cles— that  God  is  nature,  and  that  there 
is  no  other  God — except,  indeed,  atheis- 
tical gods,  or  the  imaginary  gods  of  an 
atheistical  government — and  that  death  is 
an  eternal  sleep.  The  monster.  Anti- 
christ, in  his  full  development,  his  most 
detestable  and  most  awful  form,  then 
commenced  his  dreadful  but  short-lived 
reign,  as  the  last  scourge  of  the  guilty 
nations  in  the  hands  of  the  Almighty. 

From  that  period  the  poison  of  infidelity 
circulated  through  whole  kingdoms,  with 
the  force  and  the  rapidity  of  lightning. 
From  that  time,  also,  infidelity  and  po- 
pery have  been  joined  hand  in  hand  in  dia- 
bolical confederacy  against  all  the  exist- 
ing establishments  of  the  British  empire. 
The  continental  nations  exhibit,  to  this 
day,  one  collected  and  putrid  mass  of  the 
abominations  of  popery,  mingling  with 
the  blasphemies  of  atheism.  Nor  has  our 
own  country  by  any  means  escaped  the 
pestilential  contagion.  Infidelity  infects 
the  bar,  the  army,  the  navy,  the  senate, 
the  cabinet,  the  church,  universities  and 
colleges ;  the  departments  of  literature, 
philosophy,  medicine,  legislature,  and 
even  theology.  The  press  groans  under 
it.  "The  lurking  poison  of  unbelief  (says 
Paley,  in  his  Moral  Philosophy)  has 
been  served  up  in  every   form  that  is 


likely  to  surprise,  allure,  and  beguile  the 
imagination ;  in  a  fable,  a  tale,  a  novel,  a 
poem — in  interspersed  and  broken  hints 
— in  remote  and  oblique  surmises — in 
books  of  travels,  of  philosophy,  of  natural 
history — in  short,  in  every  form  except 
that  of  a  professed  and  regular  disquisi- 
tion." Since  Paley  wrote  his  Moral 
Philosophy,  the  fatal  poison  has  increased 
in  strength,  in  virulence,  and  in  extent  of 
influence,  beyond  all  comparison.  It  has 
descended  from  the  higher,  through  the 
middling,  down  to  the  very  lowest,  orders 
of  the  community.  I  say  the  description 
of  the  body  politic  of  the  Jewish  nation 
is  here  perfectly  exemplified,  "  The  whole 
head  is  sick,  the  whole  heart  is  faint; 
and  from  the  crown  of  the  head  to  the 
sole  of  the  feet  there  is  no  soundness,  but 
wounds,  and  bruises,  and  putrifying 
sores."  Are  not  these  frightful  symp- 
toms— are  they  not  indications  of  ap- 
proaching dissolution  ] 

Infidelity  appears,  in  some,  open  and 
avowed ;  and,  with  unblushing  effrontery, 
denying  the  God  of  heaven,  and  threaten- 
ing all  existing  establishments ;  in  others 
it  is  disguised  and  concealed,  but  not  so 
much  so  as  not  to  be  sufficiently  noto- 
rious in  its  effects.  In  some  it  is  specu- 
lative and  practical  infidelity  unmasked; 
in  others  the  unbelief  of  the  heart  is  easily 
discernible  in  its  pernicious  fruits  in  their 
lives  and  manners.  It  is  to  be  found  in 
churchmen  and  dissenters;  in  men  of 
moral  decency  and  of  open  profligacy. 
It  is  embodied  under  three  forms,  princi- 
pally, or  three  negative  positions,  the 
whole  of  which  shake  the  foundations  of 
Christianity,  and  close  up  the  heart 
against  the  admission  of  the  gospel. 
First,  a  denial  of  the  attribute  of  divine 
justice,  and  consequently  of  the  atone- 
ment of  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  Scripture 
doctrine  of  future  punishment.  Secondly, 
a  denial  of  the  superiority  not  only  of  pro- 
testantism over  popery,  but  of  Chris- 
tianity itself  over  Mahommedanism,  Ilin- 
dooism,  or  any  other  religion  that  only 
secures  the  ends  of  civil  government. 
Thus,  it  is  often  said  that  all  religions  are 
equally  good.  And,  finally,  in  a  denial 
of  the  responsibility  of  man  for  Avhat  he 
believes,  even  to  the  God  who  made  him, 


SIGNS  OF  THE  TIMES. 


267 


as  though  the  creature  had  a  right  to 
think  against  the  Creator. 

If  these  negative  positions  be  once  ad- 
mitted, what  becomes  of  the  authority — 
tbe  doctrines — the  promises — the  admo- 
nitions— the  denunciations,  and    all   the 
sanctions  of  the  word  of  God  ]     Moses 
and  the  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  were  all  impostors,  and  Chris- 
tianitjr  itself  is  a  cunningly  or  a  clumsily 
devised  fable.    And  yet  these  infidel  senti- 
ments, or  sentiments  like  these,  are  che- 
rished by  many  who  speak  fiivourably  of 
Christianit)' — who  attend  places  of  Chris- 
tian worship,  both  within  and  without  the 
pale  of  the  Established  Church,  and  who 
would  feel  themselves  insulted  and  scan- 
dalized if  they  were  charged  with  infi- 
delity :  yet  the  charge  is  too  just;  infidelity 
is  marked  upon  their  brow,  intermingled 
with  their  intellectual  system,  and  oozing 
up  in  their  language  and  conversation — 
in  their  habits  and  in  their  conduct ;  they 
may  be  orthodox  in  their  head,  but  they 
are  infidels  at  heart.     And  when  we  con- 
sider St.  Paul's   definition  of  the   faith 
which  hath  the  promise  of  eternal  life,  as 
made  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  epistle 
to  the  Hebrews — that  faith  is  the  demon- 
stration of  things  not  seen,  and  the  sub- 
stantial impress  of  the  truth  and  of  the 
reality  of  things  hoped  for — for  it  renders 
distant  and  invisible  things  as  really  in- 
fluential upon  the  heart  and  conduct  as 
though  tbey  were  present  and  visible  ; — 
when  we  consider  the  effects  of  this  holy 
principle,  as  exemplified  in  the  ancient 
church,  and  described  by  the  apostle  in  a 
subsequent   part   of  the   chapter ; — and, 
finally,  when  we  compare  these  effects 
with  the  present  state  of  things,  either  in 
the  church  or  in  the  world,  we  may  well 
ask,  if  the  Son  of  man  should  even  now 
come,  would  he  find  faith  on  the  earth  1 
Alas !  alas !  we  have  not  faith  even  as  a 
grain  of  mustard  seed.     Your  infidelity  is 
absolutely  inexcusable.     All  its  strongest 
arguments  and  its  impertinent  cavils  have 
been  fairly  and  triumphantly  refuted,  on 
the  arena  of  controversy ;  and  all  its  insi- 
dious sophistries  have  been  detected  and 
exposed,  beyond  all  recovery,  a  thousand 
times  ;   and  all   its  advocates,  of  every 
class   have  been  baffled,  confounded,  and 


overwhelmed.  Let  any  sober  and  candid 
inquirer  only  read  such  writers  as  Paley, 
Leslie,  Berkeley,  Fuller,  Chalmers,  and 
others,  with  that  attention  which  the  im- 
mense importance  the  inquiry  demands 
— on  whatever  side  the  truth  may  lie — 
and  we  safely  leave  him  to  form  his  own 
judgment.  No  man  ever  seriously  sat 
down  to  investigate  the  evidences  of 
Christianity,  with  any  degree  of  attention, 
or  with  but  a  moderate  share  of  candour, 
without  rising  from  the  investigation  with 
the  full  conviction  of  its  divine  origin  ; 
and  no  man  ever  yet  rejected  the  gospe' 
who  had  not  a  wicked  reason  for  J  , 
which  in  the  judgment  of  the  Searcher  of 
hearts  is  worthy  of  everlasting  condemna- 
tion ;  and  thus  fully  justifying  the  awful 
sanctions  by  which  its  claims  are  guarded 
and  enforced  :  "  He  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned ;"  "  He  that  believeth 
not  is  condemned  already,  and  the  wrath 
of  God  abideth  on  him." 

Unbelief,  or  the  rejection  of  the  Son  of 
God,  is  more  inexcusable  now,  in prafessed 
Christians,  than  it  was  in  the  .Tews  who 
persecuted  and  nailed  him  to  the  cross  ; 
for  then  he  appeared  as  "  a  man  of  sor- 
rows," in  a  form  so  humble  as  to  disap- 
point all  the  expectations — the  fond  ex- 
pectations they  had  long  cherished  of  the 
temporal  grandeur  of  the  Messiah.  \^  ith 
regard  to  the  multitude,  and  even  the 
heads,  of  that  nation,  what  they  did 
against  the  Lord  Jesus  was  merely  the 
result  of  ignorance.  "  For  if  they  had 
known  it,  (says  the  apostle,)  they  would 
not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory." 
Their  ignorance,  indeed,  was  wilful  ; 
they  shut  their  eyes,  they  closed  their 
ears,  they  hardened  their  hearts  ;  for  this 
reason,  their  unbelief  was  inexcusable; 
and,  therefore,  wrath  came  upon  them  to 
the  uttermost.  But  unbelievers  in  the 
present  day — that  is,  all  who  do  not  receive 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God, 
"  made  unto  them  of  wisdom,  righteous- 
ness, sanctification,  and  redemption,"  re- 
ject him  in  his  glory  and  majesty,  though 
exalted  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour; 
and  many  who  deny  the  Christian 
faith  do  it  wilfully,  against  the  rational 
conviction  that  h*  is  both  Lord  and 
Christ.        Inexcusable,    then,    is    their 


268 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


unbelief,  and  fearful  will  be  their  con- 
demnation. 

Nor  has  the  avowed  infidel,  who  ?5orns 
the  very  profession  of  the  Christian  name, 
the  least  shadow  of  apology  for  his  unbe- 
lief or  his  conduct :  for,  not  to  mention 
the  internal  evidences  of  Christianity — 
bearing  the  seal  of  divine  authority  im- 
pressed on  every  page — he  has  not  only 
the  most  unquestionable  testimony  of  the 
truth  of  what  is  revealed  in  the  gospel 
history,  but  innumerable  proofs,  strong 
and  incontrovertible,  which  could  not  be 
known  to  those  who  believed  on  Christ 
when  he  was  in  the  world  ;  such,  for  ex- 
ample, as  arise  from  the  literal  accom- 
plishment of  many  illustrious  prophecies 
in  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  through 
the  whole  extent  of  the  Roman  world  by 
the  feeblest  instrumentality — in  opposi- 
tion to  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the 
eye,  and  all  the  inveterate  prejudices  of 
the  human  heart — in  opposition  to  all  the 
learning,  and  philosophy,  and  genius  of 
the  Augustan  age — in  opposition  to  the 
persecution  of  kings  and  emperors,  and 
their  armies — and  that,  too,  with  a  ra- 
pidity never  before  or  since  exemplified 
in  any  conquest  attended  with  the  con- 
fused noise  of  the  warrior,  and  of  gar- 
ments rolled  in  blood  ;  in  the  unparalleled 
calamities  that  befell  the  Jewish  nation  at 
the  last  siege  of  Jerusalem ;  in  their  dis- 
persion among  all  nations,  and  their  mira- 
culous preservation  to  this  day  as  a  dis- 
tinct people  from  all  the  nations  among 
whom  they  are  scattered  ;  in  the  partition 
of  the  old  Roman  empire  into  ten  king- 
doms ;  and,  finally,  in  the  rise  and  pro- 
gress, and  the  begun  overthrow  of  papal 
superstition,  and  Mohammedan  delusion. 
The  infidel  has  either  examined  these 
evidences  of  the  truth  of  our  holy  religion, 
or  he  has  not.  If  he  has  not,  he  is  inex- 
cusable for  his  negligence ;  if  he  has,  his 
obstinacy  can  be  resolved  only  into  the 
enmity  of  the  carnal  mind  against  God  : 
and,  in  either  case,  his  unbelief  is  inex- 
cusable, and  his  condemnation  will  be 
tremendous. 

From  the  inexcusableness  of  infidelity, 
mark,  in  the  next  place,  its  fearful  malig- 
nity. The  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  was 
written  only  a  few  years  before  the  de- 


struction of  Jerusalem;  and  the  great  ob- 
ject of  the  inspired  author  is  to  illustrate 
the  malignant  nature,  and  ruinous  ten- 
dency, of  unbelief,  either  in  an  individual 
or  in  a  nation ;  and  thus  to  warn  his  coun- 
trymen of  the  calamity  with  which  they 
were  going  to  be  visited  for  their  rejection 
of  the  Son  of  God.  The  Hebrews  pro- 
fessing Christianity,  to  whom  it  was  ad- 
dressed, and  for  whom  it  was  immediately 
intended,  were  violently  attached  to  the 
ceremonial  law.  Whilst  some  of  them 
regarded  it  as  eternally  binding  on  the 
church,  because  of  its  divine  appoint- 
ment, others  pressed  the  observance  of  it 
as  necessary  to  justification  and  salvation. 
They  were,  therefore,  in  imminent  danger 
of  apostasy  from  the  faith,  and  acting  in 
disobedience  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  those 
days  of  vengeance  which  were  near  ap- 
proaching, by  remaining  at  Jerusalem  for 
the  sake  of  the  temple  service,  when  the 
city  should  be  invaded  by  the  Roman 
army,  instead  of  fleeing  to  the  mountains 
for  safety  in  obedience  to  their  Lord's 
command.  The  design  of  the  apostle, 
therefore,  is  to  warn  them  of  this  danger, 
and  the  final  consequences  of  unbelief  and 
apostasy  from  their  profession,  and  of  any 
overt  acts  in  disobedience  to  the  Son  of 
God.  And  how  did  he  do  this  ]  He  did 
it  by  various  arguments  drawn  from  the 
superiority  of  the  gospel  to  the  legal  dis- 
pensation ;  from  the  divine  majesty  of  the 
Founder  of  Christianity — as  the  bright- 
ness of  the  Father's  glory,  the  Creator 
and  Preserver  of  the  universe — the  Lord 
of  angels,  and  the  object  of  their  worship  ; 
from  his  ineflfable  condescension  and  love 
in  assuming  the  nature  of  man,  that  in 
that  nature  he  might  make  reconciliation 
for  man's  iniquities — from  the  dignity  of 
his  mediatorial  character,  as  the  great 
prophet  of  the  church  by  whom  God  hath 
spoken  to  us  in  the  latter  days ;  as  the 
King  of  Zion,  the  sceptre  of  whose  king- 
dom is  a  right  sceptre,  and  Avhose  throne 
shall  stand  for  ever — and  as  the  High- 
priest  of  our  profession,  a  priest  conse- 
crated for  ever  after  the  order  of  Mel- 
chizedec  ;  from  his  superiority  to  Moses, 
Joshua,  and  every  other  heavenly  mes- 
senger, however  exalted,  whether  human 
or  divine ;  and,  especially,  from  the  tran- 


SIGNS  OF  THE  TIMES. 


269 


scendant  superiority  of  his  priesthood  to 
that  of  Aaron,  and  his  successors  in  oifice  ; 
and  on  this  branch  of  the  subject,  he  leads 
them  amongst  the  altars,  priests,  sacri- 
fices, and  ritual  observances,  of  that  mag- 
nificent •  dispensation,  which  he  shows 
was  preparatory  only  to  a  more  glorious 
dispensation.  This  short  statement  con- 
tains, in  fact,  an  epitome  of  the  whole  of 
that  wonderful  epistle,  and  upon  these 
arguments,  the  apostle  proceeds  to  illus- 
trate the  horrid  nature  and  the  damning 
consequences  of  unbelief,  whether  in  an 
individual,  or  in  a  nation.  Now,  in  the 
guilt  of  this  fearful  sin.  Great  Britain  is 
deeply  involved.  Her  guilt,  in  this  re- 
spect, has  been  accumulating  for  upwards 
of  a  thousand  years.  Upon  the  same  ar- 
gument he  founds  the  following  admoni- 
tory exhortations,  which  are  equally  appli- 
cable to  us — which  apply  with  as  much 
force  to  us  as  they  did  to  the  .Jewish  na- 
tion. Hear  them  ;  they  are  the  practical 
part  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  of 
which  Luther  said,  "  It  is  of  as  much  im- 
portance to  the  church,  as  the  sun  in  the 
heavens  is  to  the  whole  world — the  world 
could  do  as  well  without  the  sun  as  the 
church  of  Christ  without  the  epistle  to 
the  Hebrews."  "  Therefore,  we  ought 
to  give  the  more  earnest  heed  to  the  things 
tliat  we  have  heard,  lest,  at  any  time,  we 
should  let  them  slip.  If  the  word  spoken 
by  angels  was  steadfast,  and  every  trans- 
gression and  disobedience  recei  ed  a  just 
recompense  of  reward ;  how  shall  we 
escape  if  we  neglect  so  great  sal  vation  ? 
— which,  at  the  first,  began  to  be  spoken 
by  the  Lord  himself,  and  was  afterwards 
confirmed  unto  us  by  signs  and  wonders, 
and  divers  miracles,  and  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Now  is  the  accepted  time,  now  is 
the  day  of  salvation."  You  remember  that 
the  vials  of  wrath  were  then  about  to  be 
poured  out  on  Jerusalem.  "  Now  is  the 
accepted  time,  now  is  the  day  of  salva- 
tion. To-day  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice, 
harden  not  your  hearts,  lest  he  swear  in 
his  wrath  that  ye  shall  not  enter  into  rest ; 
and  so  much  the  more,  as  ye  see  the  day 
approaching.  Take  heed,  brethren, lest 
there  be  in  any  of  you,  an  evil  heart  of 
unbelief  in  apostatizing  from  the  living 
God.     If  they  escaped  not  who  refused  to 


hearken  to  him  who  spake  on  earth,  (allnd 
ing  to  the  promulgation  of  the  law  from 
mount  Sinai,)  how  shall  ye  escape,  if  ye 
refuse  to  hearken  to  him  who  now  speak- 
eth  from  heaven  :  v/hose  voice  shook  the 
earth,  (at  the  delivery  of  the  law,)  but 
wlio  hath  now  declared,  I  shake  not  the 
earth  only,  but  heaven  also,  (the  political 
heaven  of  the  Jewish  nation.)  If  they 
who  despised  the  law  of  Moses,  died 
without  mercy,  before  two  or  three  wit- 
nesses, of  how  much  sorer  punishment 
shall  ye  be  thought  worthy  who  have 
trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and 
counted  the  blood  of  the  covenant  an  un- 
holy thing,  and  do  despite  to  the  Spirit  of 
grace."  This  is  the  guilt  involved  in 
unbelief.  Again,  we  know  who  hath 
said,  "Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay." 
And  again,  "  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  living  God."  And 
again,  it  is  written,  "  the  Lord  shall 
judge  his  people." 

Brethren,  this  interesting  epistle  was 
the  last  alarm  rung  in  the  ears  of  the 
Jewish  nation  by  an  offended  and  depart- 
ing God,  before  he  poured  out  his  wrath 
in  the  destruction  of  their  city  and  temple 
— the  last  voice  of  departing  yet  lingering 
mercy,  before  he  closed  the  gates  of  sal- 
vation against  them.  May  this  loud  alarm 
be  heard,  and  this  tender,  perhaps  the  last 
tender  of  mercy,  be  received  by  the  in- 
habitants of  the  British  empire! 

Every  blessing  that  God  bestows  upon 
man  or  upon  a  nation  involves  a  degree 
of  responsibility  in  exact  proportion  to  its 
magnitude.  Let  us,  then,  upon  this  prin- 
ciple, examine  the  degree  of  guilt  con- 
tracted by  this  nation.  Long  has  Britain 
enjoyed  the  light  of  the  gospel — the  rich- 
est boon  the  God  of  heaven  ever  bestowed 
upon  a  nation.  Long  has  she  been  fa- 
voured with  the  visible  protection  of  a 
national  providence,  and  with  a  series  of 
wonderful  and  remarkable  interpositions 
of  the  Divine  favour.  Witness  the  early 
introduction  of  the  gospel  to  our  fore- 
fathers in  the  apostolic  age,  and,  probably, 
by  an  apostolic  minister.  Witness  the 
number  of  burning  and  shining  lights 
which  burned  and  shone  in  Britain,  even 
during  the  darkest  ages  of  popery.  Wit- 
ness OUT  early  separation — such  as  it  was 
z2 


270 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


— from  the  churcli  of  Rome.  Witness 
the  defeat  of  the  Spanish  Armada,  eflect- 
ed  not  by  human  agency,  but  almost  en- 
tirely by  the  winds,  and  elements  of  na- 
ture. Witness  our  deliverance,  in  a 
subsequent  reign,  from  the  attempts  of  a 
gloomy  tyrant  to  enslave  both  body  and 
mind,  at  the  glorious  revolution  of  1680 
— a  revolution  brought  to  pass  without 
the  hazard  of  a  single  battle,  and  al  uost 
without  the  shedding  of  a  drop  of  blood. 
Witness  the  declaration  of  rights  and  the 
act  of  settlement,  in  which  our  liberties 
were  for  the  first  time  enrolled  in  a  char- 
ter, and  stand,  as  we  fondly  hope,  on  an 
everlasting  foundation.  These  are  bright 
pages  in  the  annals  of  our  country,  on 
which  our  forefathers  wept  with  fond  en- 
thusiasm, and  of  which  they  often  spoke 
with  exultation  and  joy  as  they  were  ac- 
customed to  bring  out  their  massive  family 
plate  on  great  festive  occasions.  But  the 
formation  of  Bible  and  Missionary  Socie- 
ties was  reserved  by  the  peculiar  care  of 
Providence,  according  to  prophetical  inti- 
mations, f 'r  these  latter  days,  to  adorn 
the  concluding  part  of  the  reign  of  George 
the  Third.  If  unto  whomsoever  much  is 
given  of  them  much  will  be  required — if 
the  guilt  of  sin  be  aggravated  in  propor- 
tion to  the  number  and  the  magnitude  of 
the  mercies  that  have  been  received  and 
abused,  Britain  has  reason  to  dread  the 
full  weight  of  God's  indignation.  She  is 
deeply  involved  in  the  guilt  of  those  na- 
tions who  refuse  to  kiss  the  sceptre  of 
Messiah  the  Prince,  and  which  he  will 
break  in  pieces  with' a  rod  of  iron  like  a 
potter's  vessel — in  the  guilt  of  those  na- 
tions who  refuse  to  believe  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  and  who  shall  be  destroyed  with 
an  everlasting  destruction,  when  he  shall 
be  revealed  with  his  mighty  angels,  in 
flaming  fire,  taking  vengeance  ;  and  if  the 
sufferings  inflicted  on  the  Jewish  nation 
— the  seed  of  Abraham,  the  friend  of  God, 
and  "  still  beloved  (as  the  apostle  tells 
us)  for  the  Father's  sake" — which  is 
never  said  of  the  Gentiles — in  their  last 
contest  with  the  Romans,  and  especially 
in  the  last  siege  of  their  capital,  were  so 
terrible  as  to  make  the  ears  of  all  them 
that  heard  it  tingle,  how  tremendous  may 
we  not  fear  will  be  the  calamities  inflicted 


on  the  Gentiles  when  God  shall  visit 
them  for  the  sin  for  which  Jerusalem  was 
overthrown ! 

Like  Jerusalem,  only  a  few  years  be- 
fore the  cup  of  trembling  and  death  was 
put  into  her  hand,  Britain  has  been  highly 
honoured  in  sending  forth  her  missiona- 
ries to  preach  the  gospel  as  a  witness  to 
all  nations ;  but,  like  Jerusalem,  too,  she 
has  rejected  the  only  sacrifice,  refused  to 
hearken  to  him  that  spake  from  heaven, 
neglected  the  great  salvation,  trodden 
under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  counted  the 
blood  of  the  sacrifice  as  a  common  thing, 
and  done  despite  to  the  Spirit  of  grace, 
and  thus  incurred  severer  punishment 
than  the  despiser  of  the  law  of  Moses, 
who  died  without  mercy.  Great  indeed 
have  been  her  privileges,  and  great  and 
manifold  are  the  grounds  of  the  Lord's 
controversy  with  her.  While  empires 
and  continents,  dense  with  population, 
into  which  her  adventurous  sons  have 
penetrated  in  commercial  enterprise,  have 
been  involved  in  moral  darkness  more 
palpable  than  that  which  Egypt  once  felt, 
the  glorious  light  of  the  gospel  has  been 
shining  upon  her  coasts,  through  the 
clouds  of  her  iniquities,  in  noon-day 
brightness.  But,  oh  !  how  aggravated 
has  been  the  criminality  of  those  who, 
amidst  the  glorious  shining  around  them, 
wilfully  shut  their  eyes  against  the  hea- 
venly light !  Oh,  what  a  weight  of  guilt 
has  been  thus  contracted  !  On  what  na- 
tional grounds,  then,  can  we  hope  that 
the  cup  of  trembling  shall  not  be  putinto 
our  hands,  when  we  are  so  expressly  told 
by  the  God  of  heaven  that  all  the  king- 
doms of  the  world  that  are  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth  shall  be  made  to  drink  of 
it  ■?  "  Ye  shall  certainly  drink  of  it,  as  I 
live,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts."  And  will 
not  the  justice  of  God  be  vindicated  in 
the  infliction  of  his  righteous  judgments 
upon  this  guilty  nation  1  Yes,  verily  ! 
Our  contempt  of  his  authority,  in  not 
hearkening  to  the  qualifications  which  his 
word  requires  from  those  who  are  intrusted 
with  the  administration  of  our  public  af- 
fairs, and  the  sceptical  indifference  of  our 
rulers  in  the  regulation  of  their  decisions 
according  to  the  rules  and  precepts  laid 
down  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  in  sub- 


%• 


SIGNS  OF  THE  TIMES. 


271 


sei  viency  to  the  glory  of  God,  bear  witness 
against  us.  The  groans  of  our  oppressed 
countrymen — the  magnitude  of  our  na- 
tional debt,  principally  contracted  in  fight- 
ing the  battles  of  popery — the  groans  of 
our  oppressed  and  enslaved  colonial  po- 
pulation, whose  united  cries  have  entered 
the  ear  of  the  Lord  God  of  Sabaoth,  bear 
witness  against  us.  The  guilt  of  our 
colonial  system, and  the  obscenity  of  idola- 
tries and  the  unnumbered  murders  com- 
mitted in  India,  under  the  visible  protec- 
tion of  the  British  government,  bear 
witness  against  us.  The  incalculable 
multitudes  of  human  beings  whom  we 
have  butchered  for  the  gratification  of  our 
ambition,  and  the  extension  of  our  domi- 
nions ;  in  connexion  with  the  corruption 
of  our  hierarchy — tlie  myriads  of  immor- 
tal souls  sinking  into  perdition,  through 
the  unfaithfulness  of  ungodly  men  ap- 
pointed to  the  ministry  for  worldly  and 
political  purposes,  bear  witness  against 
us.  The  reigu  of  Antichrist  herself,  for 
whose  re-establishment  we  lavished  blood 
and  treasure,  again  admitted  to  national 
countenance,  bears  witness  against  a  land 
which  early  among  the  nations  escaped 
from  her  pollution  and  thraldom,  and 
which  early  testified  against  her  domina- 
tion, her  blasphemies,  and  her  usurpa- 
tion. Where  is  now  the  zeal  which  once 
characterized  our  opposition  to  her  who 
hath  so  often  dyed  her  garments  in  the 
blood  of  God's  dear  saints  1  Where  is 
that  purity  from  her  contamination  by 
which  we  were  distinguished  among  the 
nations'?  Where  is  that  holy  zeal  that 
glowed  in  the  bosom  of  Crannier,  Lati- 
mer, Bradford,  and  others,  amidst  the 
flames  of  Smithfield  ]  Where  is  that 
tender  affection  which  a  grateful  nation 
once  cherished  to  the  memory  of  those 
martyred  heroes,  to  whom  she  owes  all 
her  civil  and  religious  liberty  1  While 
these  things  have  been  forgotten  by  the 
multitude  as  a  vision  of  the  night,  the 
government  has  been  employing  the  ener- 
gies of  all  Europe  in  support  of  tlie  power 
which  brought  them  to  the  stake. 

The  more  intimate  our  connexion  with 
that  power  the  more  deeply  we  are  infect- 
ed with  that  infidelity  with  which  she  is 
tainted  to  the  core — the  more  deeply  shall 


we  drink  of  the  cup  of  God's  wrath, 
which  shall  be  filled  to  the  brim,  when 
great  Babylon  comes  up  in  remembrance 
before  God. 

But  it  is  not  merely  on  the  ground  of 
the  guilt  of  our  national  policy  that  the 
justice  of  God  will  vindicate  its  honours 
in  the  infliction  of  these  awful  judgments. 
The  corruptions  of  society  in  general  are 
alarming  in  the  extreme.  Moral  disease 
of  a  deadly  dangerous  nature  has  over- 
spread the  land.  Witness  the  chicanery 
of  the  law — the  frauds  and  impositions  in 
every  branch  of  trade,  and  the  aggrava- 
tion of  our  commercial  iniquity  as  con- 
nected with  the  colonial  system.  Because 
of  swearing,  profligacy,  drunkenness,  and 
Sabbath-breaking,  the  land  mourneth. 
Impurity  and  prostitution,  perhaps  accele- 
rated by  the  Malthusian  theory  of  popu- 
lation, and  by  the  sophistries  of  political 
economists,  have  awfully  increased,  and 
are  still  increasing.  Infidelity,  worldly 
mindedness,  hypocrisy,  fanaticism,  phari- 
saicism,  antinomianism,  licentiousness, 
and  a  false  liberality — ever  ready  to  sa- 
crifice the  authority  of  revelation  at  the 
shrine  of  human  reason — indicate  too 
clearly  that  the  power  of  vital  religion  has 
obviously  declined,  and  impurity  seems 
coming  in  like  a  flood.  Where  is  that 
deep  penitent  spirit,  that  holy  zeal  for 
Christ,  that  entire  separation  from  the 
world,  and  the  dread  of  its  spirit  and 
maxims,  lest  the  heart  should  not  be  right 
with  God,  which  so  eminently  distin- 
guished our  holy  men  in  former  times  ? 

In  the  Established  Church  the  clergy 
are  quibbling  about  tithes  with  their  pa- 
rishioners, and  the  parishioners  with  their 
clergy.  The  property  of  the  church  is 
assailed  on  every  hand  with  a  violence 
and  a  perseverance,  and  is  defended  by 
the  clergy  with  a  tenacity  and  a  vigour, 
unknown  in  former  ages  ;  and  the  whole 
establishment  seems  to  be  reeling  to  its 
fall.  In  the  dissenting  interest  many 
congregations  are  dissatisfied  with  their 
pastors,  and  pastors  with  their  congrega- 
tions. Multitudes  of  churches  are  desti- 
tute of  pastors,  and  multitudes  of  pastors 
are  destitute  of  churches;  and,  through 
the  whole  dissenting  interest,  there  seems 
a  general  movement  from  one  end  of  the 


272 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


kingdom  to  another.  The  students  of 
prophecy  seem  desirous  of  consigning 
their  opponents  to  perdition,  and  their 
opponents  cliargethe  students  of  prophecy 
with  madness;  while  the  monster  infi- 
delity is  looking  on  with  a  Satanic  grin. 
The  convulsions  of  the  church,  in  fact, 
exactl}'  correspond  with  the  convulsions 
of  nations.  AH  things  indicate  that  we 
are  on  the  eve  of  some  fearful  crisis.  The 
love  of  the  world  in  the  church  has  nearly 
extinguished  the  love  of  God,  and  the 
visible  line  of  separation  between  the 
church  and  the  world  is  withdrawn.  All 
the  features  of  "  the  last  times,"  deline- 
ated by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  are  visible 
and  prominent  in  the  midst  of  us.  Even 
the  balance  of  the  state  is  sustained  by 
impurity  of  motive.  What  a  want  of  in- 
tegrity, of  principle,  does  the  gazette 
prove,  and  even  common  honesty  ! 

But  the  worst  feature  of  our  day  is  the 
want  of  a  due  sense  of  the  evil,  or  of  pro- 
per feelings  with  respect  to  the  declen- 
sion. We  boast  of  our  Bible  Societies, 
and  Missionary  Societies,  and,  certainly, 
they  are  the  brightest  ornament  of  the 
day.  In  this  light  I  have  regarded  them 
ever  since  they  were  established ;  and 
God  forbid  that  I  should  say  a  word  to 
damp  their  glorious  ardour,  or  check  their 
generous  flow  of  benevolence !  But  is 
there  not  in  these  departments  too  great  a 
prevalence  of  the  spirit  of  pharisaism  ] 
Do  we  not  sound  a  trumpet  through  the 
land,  and  spread  our  phylacteries,  too 
wide,  if  not  in  the  synagogue,  at  least  on 
the  platform  1  And  do  not  these  things 
remind  us  of  the  awful  charge  alleged  by 
the  faithful  and  true  witness,  whose  eye 
is  as  a  flame  of  fire,  against  the  degene- 
rate church  at  Laodicea,  which  some  of 
our  best  expositors  have  considered  as  a 
t3'pe  of  the  last  state  of  the  church  uni- 
versal immediately  before  he  appears  in 
judgment:  "Thou  sayest  thou  art  rich, 
and  thou  hast  need  of  nothing  ?"  Is  not 
this  the  language  of  our  annual  reports, 
our  platform  exhibitions,  and  even  our 
fire-side  conversations  1  The  benevolence 
of  the  age,  the  spirit  of  the  age,  the  spi- 
rituality of  the  times,  are  common  topics  ; 
but  we  forget  that  genuine  piety  is  modest, 
retiring,  contrite,  and   humble,  under  a 


sense  of  continued  imperfections.  But 
what  says  the  faithful  and  true  witness  1 
— "  Thou  knowest  not  that  thou  art 
wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and 
blind,  and  naked ;  and  because  thou  art 
lukewarm,  in  the  midst  of  all  thy  osten- 
tation and  splendour,  I  will  cast  thee  out 
as  an  abomination."  The  bare  supposi- 
tion that  this  may  possibly  be  the  case 
should  make  us  tremble. 

If,  then,  we  deeply  ponder  and  seriously 
reflect  upon  our  daring  carelessness  of 
human  life — our  infidel  indifference  as  to 
the  worth  of  immortal  souls — upon  the 
guilt  of  our  colonial  system,  like  a  mighty 
Colossus  bestriding  the  whole  world  ; 
our  participation  in  the  abominations  of 
Indian  idolatry — upon  the  diffusion  of 
infidelity  through  all  orders  of  the  com- 
munity, and  the  general  rejection  of  the 
gospel  by  the  nation — upon  the  sin  of 
our  national  administration,  and  the  aw- 
ful state  of  things,  whether  in  the  world 
or  in  the  church,  oh,  what  a  weight  of 
guilt  from  national  transgression  stands 
against  us !  "  Shall  I  not  visit  for  these 
things,  saith  the  Lord  ■?  Shall  not  my 
soul  be  avenged  on  such  a  nation  as  this  ■?" 
We  fear  and  tremble.  We  hope,  but  it 
is  against  hope ;  for  can  we  hope  to 
escape  ]  It  is  an  observation  that  can- 
not be  too  often  repeated,  or  too  deeply 
impressed  upon  the  mind,  that  the  worst 
feature  of  our  case  is  the  great  ignorance 
of  our  real  character,  which  generally 
prevails,.and  the  torpid  indifference  which 
is  manifested  to  our  state  of  danger. 
There  seems  to  be  a  fearful  anxiety  on 
the  part  of  some  men  who  ought  to  know 
better,  and  perhaps  do  know  better,  to 
conceal  both  from  the  nation  and  the 
church  the  prediction  of  those  calamities 
which  will  certainly  precede  the  millen- 
nium. But  how  will  such  men  escape 
the  charge  of  blood-guiltiness  at  the  great 
day  of  the  Lord  ]  Will  this  ward  off  a 
single  blow,  lengthen  out  our  tranquillity 
for  a  single  day,  or  lighten  the  weight  of 
God's  indignation?  Whether  men  will 
hear  or  whether  they  will  forbear,  the 
vengeance  of  God  is  denounced  against 
these  lands,  and  will  assuredly  be  exe- 
cuted !  Great  Britain  is  one  of  the  ten 
kingdoms  symbolized  by  the  ten  toes  of 


SIGNS  OF  THE  TIMES. 


273 


the  great  and  terrible  image  that  must  be 
broken  to  pieces  together,  and  with  the 
ten  horns  of  the  fourth  beast  which  shall 
be  destroyed  and  committed  to  the  flam'es, 
unless — unless  a  degree  of  reformation, 
of  which  there  is  not  the  remotest  expec- 
tation or  probability,  can  be  effected,  - 

Is,  then,  the  case  of  Great  Britain  cer- 
tainly hopeless  "?  Is  there  no  avenue  by 
which  she  may  escape  ?  Are  we  really 
to  believe  that  this  vast  empire,  upon 
whose  dominions  the  sun  never  sets  in  his 
diurnal  or  annual  courses ;  and  whose  in- 
Jtuence  is  still  more  extensive,  reaching, 
as  from  a  common  centre,  to  all  nations, 
whether  barbarous  or  civilized,  must  in- 
evitably perish  1  Is  not  the  invoking 
prayer  of  the  righteous  man  availing  with 
God  ■?  Does  it  not  move  the  hand  that 
moves  the  universe ■?  Doubtless!  But, 
however  fanatical  such  a  sentiment  as  the 
following  may  appear  to  the  purblind  eye 
of  infidelity,  it  is  unquestionably  warrant- 
ed by  the  Holy  Scriptures,  that,  when  a 
guilty  people  have  filled  up  the  measure 
of  their  iniquity,  prophets  and  righteous 
men  are  forbidden  by  the  God  of  nations 
to  intercede  for  them,  and  he  has  plainly 
told  them  that  he  will  not  hear  them. 
Thus  he  said  to  Jeremiah,  Thou  shaltnot 
pray  to  this  people,  neither  cry  to  me  for 
them;  for  I  will  not  hear  thee.  But 
when'  Abraham  was  pleading  on  behalf  of 
the  cities  of  the  plain,  did  not  the  Judge 
of  all  the  earth  wait  till  his  servant  gave 
the  signal  for  destruction,  and  assure 
Abraham  that  if  only  ten  righteous  men 
could  be  found  in  Sodom,  the  whole  city 
should  be  spared  for  their  sakes  ?  May 
not,  then,  the  number  of  righteous  men 
which  our  country  nourishes  in  her  bosom 
prove  her  security  1  I  bless  God  that 
there  are  not  only  ten,  twenty,  thirty, 
forty,  or  fifty,  but  a  large  number  of 
righteous  men  this  day  in  Britain,  who, 
instead  of  boasting  of  the  spirituality  and 
the  religion  of  our  land,  actually  sigh  and 
cry  for  the  abominations  that  are  done  in 
it ;  and  who  are  weeping  between  the 
porch  and  the  altar,  saying,  "0  Lord,spare 
the  remnant  of  thy  people,  and  give  not 
thine  heritage  to  reproach."  But  was 
there  not  an  equal  or  rather  a  much  larger 
number,  especially  in  proportion  to  the 
Vol.  I.— 35 


population,  of  righteous  men  in  Judea 
only  a  few  years  before  Jerusalem  was 
destroyed  ?  You  have  not  surely  forgot- 
ten that  three  thousand  were  converted  to 
the  obedience  of  the  faith  in  one  day,  five 
thousand  the  next  day,  multitudes,  both 
of  men  and  women,  whose  numbers  are 
not  mentioned  ;  that  a  great  company  of 
priests  were  also  converted  ;  and  that  God 
still  continued  to  add  to  the  church — not 
as  we  add  to  the  church  now,  ten,  twenty, 
or  thirty  at  most,  at  our  church  meetings, 
and  which  is  considered  a  surprising 
number — but  multitudes,  daily,  of  such 
as  should  be  saved  ;  and  that,  besides  all 
this,  the  word  of  the  Lord  was  mighty, 
and  prevailed  through  Judea,  Samaria, 
and  all  the  regions  beyond  Jordan.  And 
how  holy  and  dignified  was  the  character 
of  these  first  Christians  under  the  Pente- 
costal effusion  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  How 
superior  to  the  most  eminent  Christians 
of  the  present  day !  They  continued 
with  one  accord  in  the  apostle's  doctrine, 
and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  holy  sacri- 
fice, and  in  praising  God.  They  had  one 
heart,  one  soul,  one  common  property; 
and  even  the  heathen  were  constrained  to 
say,  "  See  how  these  Christians  love  one 
another  !"  And  did  their  prayers  or  their 
persons  prove  the  security  of  their  beloved 
city  and  nation  ] 

But  will  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  de- 
stroy the  righteous  with  the  wicked  1 
"  That  be  far  from  me,  saith  the  Lord." 
An  ark  was  built  for  Noah  and  his  family 
before  the  windows  of  heaven  were 
opened,  and  the  fountains  of  the  great 
deep  were  broken  up.  Zoar  was  prepared 
for  Lot  before  the  Lord  rained  fire  and 
brimstone  on  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  A 
place  of  safety  in  the  mountains  of  Judea 
was  prepared  for  the  devoted  followers  of 
Jesus  before  Jerusalem  was  laid  in  ruins 
by  the  Roman  emperor,  to  which  they 
fled,  in  obedience  to  the  Lord's  command, 
and  escaped  the  fate  of  their  unfortunate 
countrymen.  And,  in  like  manner,  some 
ark  of  salvation — some  Zoar  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance from  the  outpouring  of  wrath — some 
shelter  upon  the  mountains — some  refuge 
— some  asylum  shall  be  prepared  for  the 
pure  and  the  regenerate,  to  which  they 
shall  flee  and  be  safe. 


274 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


But  you  still  deny  it;  and  you  insist 
that  the  Christian  benevolence  which 
Britain  has  originated  and  still  so  ably 
supports — her  Bible  Societies  and  her 
Missionary  Societies,  and  the  benefits 
which,  by  their  agency,  she  has  conferred, 
and  is  still  conferring  upon  the  heathen 
world,  prove  her  security.  I  candidly 
confess  that  I  was  once  of  this  opinion, 
and  I  called  these  excellent  societies  not 
only  the  brightest  ornament,  but  the 
strongest  safeguard  of  our  country  ;  and 
they  are  still  dear  to  my  heart,  and  com- 
mand any  service  I  can  render  them, 
however  feeble  it  may  be,  to  the  utmost 
extent  of  my  ability.  But  can  they  ad- 
mit of  a  comparison  with  the  apostolic 
church  at  Jerusalem,  and  their  godlike 
institutions,  of  which  it  is  said,  "  that  the 
multitudes  of  them  that  believed  were  of 
one  heart  and  one  soul ;  neither  said  any 
man  that  aught  of  the  things  that  he 
possessed  was  his  own  ;"  and  if  they 
were  possessors  of  lands,  or  of  houses, 
they  sold  them  and  brought  the  price 
thereof,  and  threw  it  into  one  common 
treasury  for  the  relief  of  the  brethren,  and 
for  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel  ?  How 
contracted  is  the  benevolence  that  charac- 
terizes the  church  at  the  present  day, 
however  excellent  in  itself,  and  however 
creditable,  when  compared  with  that  of 
the  mother  of  all  the  churches,  walking 
under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  holy 
love  poured  down  upon  her  without 
measure  1  Will  the  labours  of  our  Mis- 
sionary Societies,  however  creditable, 
bear  a  comparison  with  those  of  the  apos- 
tles and  their  fellow-labourers  planting 
the  gospel — where  1 — not  only  in  Judea, 
in  Galilee,  in  Samaria,  and  in  all  the  re- 
gions beyond  Jordan — not  only  in  lesser 
Asia,  Greece,  Italy,  the  then  great  thea- 
tres in  the  world ;  but  northward  as  far  as 
Cesarea;  southward,  as  far  as  Ethiopia; 
eastward,  as  far  as  Parthia  and  India; 
and  westward,  as  far  as  Spain  and  Great 
Britain,  according  to  the  united  testimony 
of  all  contemporary  historians,  both  civil 
and  ecclesiastic,  whose  testimony  is  fur- 
ther confirmed  by  that  of  the  apostle  to 
the  Gentiles,  who,  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians,  wrote  only  a  few  years — 
about  seven — before  the  destruction  of 


Jerusalem,  tell  us  that  the  gospel  had 
come  into  all  the  world  (the  Roman 
world)  and  had  been  preached  to  every 
creature  under  heaven  (under  the  politi- 
cal jurisdiction  of  the  Roman  empire)  ] 

Once  more.  Will  the  benefits,  in- 
valuable and  immortal  as  they  are,  which 
we  are  conferring  upon  the  heathen  na- 
tions, admit,  for  a  moment,  with  the  com- 
parison of  the  gift  of  a  Saviour — the  gift, 
I  say  (if  a  Saviour — which  Jerusalem  con- 
ferred upon  the  world  ]  And  yet  the  holy 
city  was  laid  in  ashes,  and  her  children 
sent  forth  into  a  long  and  terrible  cap- 
tivity. As  before  Jerusalem  was  de- 
stroyed, a  way  was  prepared  for  the 
church  of  God  in  the  Roman  empire,  so 
before  the  vials  of  wrath  are  emptied  upon 
the  fragment,  or  the  whole  kingdoms  of 
the  empire,  a  safety-place  must  be  pre- 
pared for  the  church  beyond  its  limits. 
And  is  not  this  the  great  work  which  the 
Bible  Society  and  our  Missionary  Socie- 
ties are  now  executing  under  the  protec- 
tion of  a  special  providence ;  and  when 
this  purpose  is  executed,  may  not  Britain 
be  destroyed,  as  the  Babylonian,  the  Per- 
sian, the  Macedonian,  and  the  Roman 
empires  were  destroyed,  when  the  end  for 
which  God  had  raised  them  up  was  ac- 
complished ?  When  the  machine  has 
done  its  work,  may  it  not  be  broken  or  laid 
aside  ? 

But  how  long  will  it  be  to  the  end  of 
these  wonders  ?  Is  the  great  and  terrible 
day  of  the  Lord  near  at  hand  ?  Is  this 
the  crisis  of  the  nations,  and  of  Britain's 
destinies  ?  A  miraculous  degree  <f  inspi- 
ration is  necessary  to  enable  any  man  to 
answer  these  questions  positively  in  the 
affirmative,  and  as  I  make  no  pretensions 
to  such  inspiration,  it  behooves  me  to 
guard  against  such  a  presumption.  "  The 
Father  holdeth  the  times  and  seasons  in 
his  own  power."  "  Secret  things  belong 
to  the  Lord  our  God  ;  and  the  things  that 
are  revealed  belong  to  us  and  our  chil- 
dren." But  as  he  has  been  pleased  to 
lay  before  us  several  chronological  pro- 
phecies, doubtless  with  some  wise  and 
gracious  design,  it  is  our  duty  to  examine 
them,  and  see  whether,  by  comparing 
them  among  themselves,  and  with  the 
general  train  or  system  of  prophecy,  and 


SIGNS  OF  THE  TIMES. 


275 


with  the  signs  of  the  times,  something 
may  not  be  discovered  to  put  us  on  our 
guard,  and  to  encourage  the  faithful  ser- 
vants of  God  to  bear  up  with  patience 
under  the  trial  of  their  faith,  which  we 
are  told  is  much  more  precious  than  gold, 
though  it  be  tried  in  the  fire,  and  shall  be 
found  to  praise,  and  glory,  and  honour, 
at  the  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ! 

The  spirit  of  prophecy  informed  Daniel, 
that  at  the  time  of  the  end,  the  very  crisis 
which  we  have  supposed  to  be  near  at 
hand,  many  shall  be  purified  and  made 
white,  but  that  the  world  shall  go  on  to 
do  worldly.  He  further  observes,  and 
tlie  passage  is  very  remarkable,  that 
"  none  of  the  wicked  shall  understand 
these  events  when  they  come  to  pass,  but 
that  the  wise  shall  understand  them,  for 
the  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that 
fear  him."  Seventy  prophetical  weeks, 
or -190  years,  according  to  the  chronologi- 
cal prophecies  of  Daniel,  were  to  intervene 
from  the  going  forth  of  the  commandment 
to  restore  and  to  build  Jerusalem  to  the 
Jirst  advent  of  the  IMessiah,  and  the  pro- 
phecy was  well  understood  by  the  Jewish 
nation.  At  the  time  of  his  appearance 
every  eye  was  awakened,  and  every  ear 
was  attentive,  both  in  the  land  of  Judea, 
and  in  all  the  nations  where  the  Jews  re- 
sided, to  mark  the  signs  that  immediately 
indicated  his  coming.  And  not  only  so, 
but  this  prophecy  had  been  translated 
into  the  Greek  language,  which  at  that 
time  was  universally  read  and  universally 
understood.  A  general  expectation  of  his 
appearance  prevailed  through  the  whole 
world.  Here,  then,  is  a  numerical  pro- 
phecy— one  of  the  most  mysterious  pro- 
phecies in  the  whole  book  of  God,  but 
yet  it  was  plainly  understood  before  the 
event  predicted  came  to  pass  :  for  the 
whole  world  was  in  expectation  of  its  ful- 
filment. The  learned  Mede  and  Prideaux 
have  clearly  proved  that  Daniel,  or  rather 
the  interpreting  angel  of  the  remarkable 
prophecy,  not  only  foretold  the  precise 
time  of  the  Saviour's  advent,  but  that  he 
divided  the  history  of  his  life  into  three 
distinct  periods ;  the  first  of  which  he 
spent  in  obscurity ;  the  second  compre- 
hends his  personal  ministry,  and  that  of 


his  precursor,  John  the  Baptist ;  and  the 
third,  which,  though  its  existence  is  in- 
comparably the  most  important,  includes 
the  closing  scene  of  his  life  and  death. 
They  have,  moreover,  proved  that  the 
spirit  of  prophecy  foretold  the  year,  the 
month,  the  loeek,  the  day  when  the  Mes- 
siah should  be  cut  off,  not  for  himself, 
but  for  the  transgression  of  the  people ; 
when  he  should  finish  transgression, 
make  reconciliation  for  iniquity,  bring 
in  an  everlasting  righteousness,  abolish 
the  Jewish  sacrifices,  and  confirm  the 
covenant  of  redemption. 

Three  prophetic  years  and  a  half,  or 
1260  years,  are  frequently  mentioned  by 
Daniel  and  St.  John,  as  the  period  that 
should  intervene  from  the  full  dominancy 
of  papacy,  until  the  second  coming  of  the 
Messiah  to  destroy  the  man  of  sin,  to 
break  in  pieces  the  papal  kingdom,  and 
to  establish  his  millennial  kingdom  in  its 
meridian  brightness.  As  the  object  of 
these  lectures  is  not  a  learned  or  critical 
analysis  of  chronological  prophecies,  but 
is  rather  of  a  practical  nature,  as  will  be 
seen  from  the  last  lecture,  I  shall  not  pre- 
sume to  say  with  a  confident  tone  of  in- 
fallibility when  the  mysterious  1260  years 
commenced  ;  whether  in  the  reign  of  the 
tyrant  Phocias — according  to  the  opinion 
of  Faber  and  other  writers  of  high  au- 
thority ;  or  in  the  reign  of  Justinian,  as 
mentioned  by  Freer,  and  Irving,  and  other 
respectable  writers  ;  or  not  until  the  papal 
throne  was  seen  in  its  full  groM'th  and 
full  development,  when  the  Roman  pon- 
tiff was  made  a  secular  as  well  as  a  spi- 
ritual sovereign  in  the  reign  of  Charle- 
magne, according  to  the  opinion  of  Bishop 
Newton,  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  and  other 
writers  of  very  great  authority.  It  would 
seem,  from  many  prophetical  intimations, 
that  when  the  1260  years  have  run  out 
their  course,  or  very  soon  after  it,  the  man 
of  sin  must  be  destroyed,  the  kingdom  of 
the  papacy  broken  to  pieces,  the  Ottoman 
empire  overthrown,  and  the  sacred  seed 
of  Abraham  be  restored  to  the  land  of 
their  fathers.  But  the  man  of  sin  is  not 
yet  destroyed,  the  papal  kingdoms  are 
not  yet  broken  in  pieces,  the  Ottoman 
empire  is  still  standing,  the  seed  of  Abra- 
ham are  still  scattered  among  the  nations; 


276 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


we  may  therefore,  I  think,  conclude  that 
the  mysterious  period  is  not  yet  fulfilled, 
and  that  a  great  work  yet  remains  to  be 
done  on  the  theatre  of  the  world.  Recent 
events,  however,  especially  the  late  revo- 
lution in  France,  the  concussion  of  the 
continental  nations,  and  the  sudden  and 
almost  instantaneous  change  of  public 
opinion,  both  in  this  country  and  through 
all  Europe,  prove  that  the  Supreme  Ruler 
of  the  nations  may  accomplish,  and  very 
probably  will  accomplish,  a  great  work 
in  a  short  time. 

In  correspondence  with  the  chronologi- 
cal prophecy,  several  signs  or  prognostics 
are  given  us  as  harbingers  announcing  the 
speedy  coming  of  the  Son  of  man.  "  Learn 
(says  our  Lord)  a  parable  of  the  fig  tree  ; 
when  his  branch  is  yet  tender,  and  putteth 
forth  leaves,  ye  know  that  summer  is 
nigh  ;  so  likewise  ye,  when  ye  shall  see 
all  these  things,  know  that  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  nigh  at  hand."  Although  the 
Father  keepeth  the  times  and  seasons  in 
his  own  power — although  no  man  know- 
eth  the  day  or  the  hour  wherein  the  Son 
of  man  cometh — although  it  was  not  given 
in  commission  to  the  Son  himself,  to 
make  it  known  in  his  public  ministry,  yet 
by  comparing  the  signs  of  the  times  with 
the  numerical  prophecies,  we  may  know 
with  certainty  when  the  day  of  the  Lord 
is  advancing  rapidly  upon  us.  The  great 
and  broad  outlines  of  prophecy  are  open 
to  the  man  who  is  exercised  in  the  study 
of  the  prophetic  writings,  even  long  be- 
fore the  events  are  fulfilled ;  but  the  small- 
er lines,  which  refer  to  the  times,  the 
places,  and  the  circumstances  of  their  ac- 
complishment, are  faint,  are  less  distinctly 
defined  ;  and  the  Saviour  of  the  world  has 
been  pleased  that  a  considerable  obscurity 
should  rest  upon  the  prophetic  dates,  until 
the  consummation  is  drawing  near.  Thus 
the  interpreting  angel  informed  Daniel 
that  the  prophecy  should  be  closed  up 
and  sealed  till  the  time  of  the  end,  when 
the  book  was  to  be  opened,  the  seals  were 
to  be  removed,  the  prophetic  dates  to  be 
developed,  many  were  to  run  to  and  fro, 
and  prophetical  knowledge  was  to  be  in- 
creased. The  period  here  foretold  is  that 
very  period  in  which  we  are  now  living : 
for  never  since  the  time  of  the  reformation 


has  there  been  such  a  deep  and  intense 
attention  paid  to  sacred  prophecy,  as 
within  the  last  thirty  or  forty  years.  Yes ! 
the  seals  are  being  removed  ;  the  siffns  of 
the  times  are  throwing  light  upon  the 
prophetical  dates — the  prophetical  dates 
are  reflecting  their  light  upon  the  signs 
of  the  times;  the  general  or  descriptive 
prophecies  lend  their  radiance  also  to  the 
stock  of  general  information;  and  all 
together  form  a  concentrated  body  of  light, 
which  is  quite  conspicuous  to  all  except 
those  who  are  wilfully  blind. 

Among  these  signs  or  various  precur- 
sors of  the  appearance  of  the  Son  of  man 
coming  in  his  kingdom,  witness, 

1st.  The  present  concussion  of  the  na- 
tions. 

We  have  entered  upon  a  new  era  in  the 
history  of  the  world  ;  revolution  has  be- 
gun its  march  ;  the  great  wheel  of  human 
affairs  has  turned  round,  nearly  so  at 
least,  in  our  own  time ;  and  He  who  hath 
said,  "  I  will  overturn,  overturn,  overturn, 
until  he  shall  come  whose  right  it  is," 
hath  plainly  told  us  where  all  these 
mighty  revolutions  shall  terminate — ^in 
the  destruction  of  the  man  of  sin,  the 
breaking  in  pieces  of  the  papal  kingdom, 
the  overthrow  of  the  Ottoman  power,  the 
conversion  of  the  heathen  nations  in  their 
national  capacity,  and  finally — O  trans- 
porting thought ! — in  the  triumphant  es- 
tablishment of  the  millennial  kingdom  of 
our  beloved  Redeemer. 

2d.  The  smallness  of  all  the  provinces 
of  the  Ottoman  empire,  with  the  convulsions 
of  the  papal  kingdoms,  is  another  sign  of 
the  nearness  of  that  great  day. 

Popery  and  Mohammedanism  —  the 
eastern  and  the  western  scourges  of  the 
church  of  God — rose  about  the  same  time ; 
and  about  the  same  time,  according  to 
prophetic  intimation,  they  will  fall  in  one 
common  ruin. 

3d.  The  fearful  progress  of  infidelity 
is  also  mentioned  as  one  of  the  signs  of 
the  nearness  of  the  great  and  terrible  day 
of  the  Lord. 

Daniel  foretold  that,  when  the  ruin  of 
the  papacy  was  hastening  to  its  close, 
an  atheistical  power  should  rise  and  do 
according  to  its  will,  exalting  and  mag- 
nifying itself  above  every  God,  speaking 


.SIGNS  OF  THE  TIMES. 


2T7 


marvellous  things  or  blasphemies  against 
the  God  of  gods,  and  that  it  should  pros- 
per until  the  time  of  the  indignation  de- 
termined should  be  accomplished.  And 
have  we  not  seen  an  atheistical  monster 
arising  out  of  a  putrid,  corrupted  mass 
of  matter  in  these  latter  days ;  pushed  and 
goaded  on  by  infernal  ferociousness — 
breaking  down  the  thrones,  and  overturn- 
ing" the  altars,  of  pagan  superstition — 
stalking  among  the  nations  with  portent- 
ous strides — hovering  around  every  thing 
sacred  and  divine,  shaking  their  founda- 
tions— crucifying  the  Son  of  God  as  an 
impostor — speaking  marvellous  things 
against  the  God  of  gods,  blaspheming  his 
name,  denouncing  his  excellencies,  and 
rolling  pestilence  and  death  through 
Europe  and  the  world  1  Then  the  reign 
of  the  last  enemy,  I  mean  the  last  politi- 
cal enemy,  of  God  and  man,  is  come  ;  nor 
was  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons — the 
temporary  re-establishment  of  popery — 
the  late  expulsion  of  Charles  the  tenth — 
any  interruption  to  its  reign.  In  the  pre- 
sent government  of  France  he  is  imbodied 
in  full  power,  and  ere  long  will  discover 
his  impious  and  his  singular  character. 
Under  his  reign  we  are  now  living,  but 
blessed  be  God  it  is  but  of  short  duration. 
The  apostles  Paul,  Peter,  and  Jude,  fore- 
tell that  in  the  last  day,  in  the  last  times, 
perilous  times' shall  come;  atheistical 
mockers  shall  arise  and  ask,  "  where  is 
the  promise  of  his  coming  !"  deriding  the 
second  adventof  the  Lord  Jesus,  willingly 
ignorant  of  the  deluge  ;  boasters,  proud, 
blasphemers,  high  minded,  traitors,  in- 
continent, despisers  of  those  that  are  good, 
fierce,  presumptuous,  self-willed,  de- 
spisers of  government,  speaking  evil  of 
dignities,  overbearing,  boasting  of  "  the 
march  of  intellect  and  scientific  discove- 
ries"— but  never  able  to  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth — resisters  of  the 
truth,  reprobate  concerning  the  faith,  men 
of  corrupt  minds,  promising  the  world 
liberty  while  they  themselves  are  the 
slaves  of  corruption — in  short,  infidels 
and  atheists,  denying  the  Father  and  the 
Son — the  only  Lord  God,  who  made  the 
fteavens  and  the  earth,  and  Jesus  Christ, 
vrhom  he  hath  sent  to  be  the  Saviour  of 
the  world. 


These  are  the  leading  features  of  the 
last  days,  of  the  last  times — these  are  the 
characteristics  of  these  days  and  of  these 
times  ;  we  therefore  are  living  in  the  last 
days  of  the  last  times,  and  may  conse- 
quently expect  the  speedy  appearance  of 
the  Son  of  man  in  the  glory  of  his  king- 
dom. "When  the  Son  of  man  comes, 
(says  the  Lord,)  shall  he  find  faith  on 
earth  ]"  Such  an  interrogation,  from  lips 
so  sacred,  on  a  subject  the  most  awful 
that  could  drop  from  human  lips,  certainly 
implies  the  strongest  negation.  It  is  as 
though  he  had  said,  "  When  the  Son  of 
man  comes  in  his  glory,  the  faith  of  God's 
elect  will  scarcely  be  found  amongst 
men."  The  apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
when  speaking  of  the  breaking  off  of  the 
Gentiles,  or  the  unnatural  branches,  from 
the  true  olive  for  their  unbelief,  and  the 
re-ingrafting  of  the  Jews,  the  natural 
branches,  into  their  own  olive  tree,  of 
which  the  Abrahamic  covenant  is  the 
root,  tells  us  that  "  God,  who  hath  con- 
cluded the  Jews  in  unbelief,  hath  also 
concluded  the  Gentiles  in  unbelief;  and 
afterwards  that  he  will  have  mercy  upon 
both,  and  that  there  shall  be  a  re-ingraft- 
ing both  of  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles, 
when  the  Redeemer  shall  come  to  Zion 
and  turn  away  ungodliness  from  Jacob  ; 
and  that  the  receiving  of  the  Jews  shall 
be  as  life  from  the  dead  to  the  Gentile 
world." 

The  state  of  things  is  now  rapidly  ad- 
vancing towards  this  awful  state  of  unbe- 
lief, which  made  the  great  Bossviet — who 
was  a  man  endowed  with  powers  of  the 
highest  order,  though  a  Roman  Catholic ; 
in  his  modest,  admonitory,  and  most  as- 
tonishing exposition  of  the  eleventh  chap- 
ter of  this  epistle  to  the  Romans-.-and  the 
only  rational  exposition  which  has  ever 
yet  been  offered — say  "  Let  the  Catholic 
church,  let  all  Christian  churches,  let  the 
heretics  of  every  name  (by  which  he 
means  Protestants)  read  this  chapter, 
and  tremble  for  the  calamities  that  sr6 
coming  upon  them.  For  my  own  part,  I 
never  read  it,  but  I  tremble  to  the  centre 
of  my  being." 

4th.  The  propagation  of  the  gospel  in 
heathen  lands  beyond  the  limits  of  the  papal 
empire,  to  prepare  a  way  for  the  church  of 
2A 


278 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


God,  b'fore  the  kingdoms  of  the  empire  are 
broken  to  pieces  and  annihilated,  is  another 
sign  that  indicates  that  the  day  of  God  is 
at  hand. 

The  gospel  of  the  kingdom  (says  our 
Lord)  must  be  preached  in  all  the  world 
as  a  witness  to  all  nations — not,  you  will 
observe,  for  the  conversion  of  all  nations, 
this  glorious  and  vast  accession  to  the 
kingdom  of  our  Redeemer  is  an  achieve- 
ment in  reserve  for  the  millennial  age — 
but  as  a  witness  to  all  nations  ;  and,  when 
this  witness  has  made  the  circuit  round 
the  world,  then  the  end  of  the  age,  or  of 
the  present  state  of  things,  shall  come. 
My  brethren,  fix  your  attention  upon  the 
operation  of  Bible  and  Missionary  Socie- 
ties, their  union  and  co-operation.  Ob- 
serve their  progress,  mark  their  success 
from  kingdom  to  kingdom,  from  region  to 
region,  and  see  in  them  the  symbolical 
angel  of  the  apocalyptic  vision  flying  in 
the  midst  of  heaven,  shaking  eternal  bless- 
ings from  his  wing,  and  having  the  ever- 
lasting gospel  to  preach  to  all  that  dwell 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  This  remarka- 
ble sign  moving  with  speed  and  majesty, 
in  the  spirit  of  universal  charity,  indicat- 
ing the  coming  of  the  Lord,  is  visible  to 
all  nations  ;  for,  if  you  will  look  into  the 
book  of  Revelations,  you  will  find  that 
this  symbolical  angel  takes  wing  just  be- 
fore the  day  of  the  Lord,  and,  it  is  a  re- 
markable fact  that  these  noble  instances 
of  Christian  benevolence  originated  in 
Great  Britain  at  the  momentous  crisis 
when  the  papal  kingdom  began  to  shake 
under  the  visitations  of  divine  wrath. 
Yes,  it  was  amidst  the  raging  madness  of 
atheism,  and  the  horrors  of  anarchy  and 
revolution,  that  these  societies  arose  with 
placid  dignity,  combining,  as  they  grew, 
the  talent,  the  wealth,  the  influence,  the 
energy,  of  countless  myriads  of  various 
nations  and  all  denominations  of  Chris- 
tians, in  one  single  effort  to  rescue  the 
heathen  world  from  the  bondage  of  cor- 
ruption. Brethren,  the  finger  of  God 
has  here  marked  this  sign  of  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord ;  for  "  it  is  the  Lord's 
doing,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes." 

5th.  The  deep  interest  that  has  of  late 
years  beeii  awakened  to  the  Jewish  nation, 
the  extraordinary  movements  now  taking 


place  among  that  wonderful  people,  and 
the  eager  expectation  which  they  cherish  at 
this  moment  of  the  coming  of  the  Messiah, 
is  another  sign  that  he  will  speedily 
make  his  appearance. 

A  small  remnant  of  the  seed  of  Abra- 
ham, "  according  to  the  election  of  grace," 
has  been  of  late  years  converted  to  the 
Christian  faith,  like  the  gleaning  of  the 
vine  after  the  vintage,  only  here  and  there 
a  berry  on  the  uppermost  bough.  Chris- 
tian churches,  expressly  of  converted 
Jews,  have  been  formed  and  are  still 
forming  in  this  country,  on  the  continent 
of  Europe,  and  in  the  heathen  world. 
The  Jews  in  Poland,  where  they  exist  in 
great  numbers,  are  formed  into  armies, 
and,  it  is  said,  are  the  finest  soldiers  in 
Europe,  are  commanded  by  oflicers,  gene- 
rally, of  their  own  nation  ;  and  they  fre- 
quently assemble  in  their  synagogues  for 
fasting  and  humiliation,  and  united  sup- 
plications to  the  God  of  their  fathers  with 
their  faces  turned  towards  Jerusalem — the 
ruins  of  the  temple — according  to  the  im- 
port of  Solomon's  prayer,  under  the  very 
general  persuasion  that  the  days  of  their 
tedious  captivity  are  hastening  to  a  close, 
and  that  their  God  will  very  speedily  turn 
again  the  captivity  of  his  people.  In 
Germany,  in  Poland,  in  Russia,  and  in 
various  kingdoms  in  the  eastern  world, 
an  earnest  expectation  of  the  speedy  com- 
ing of  the  Messiah  is  as  intense  as  that 
which  preceded  his  first  advent,  when  he 
came  to  his  own  people,  and  his  own  peo- 
ple received  him  not. 

Within  the  last  twenty  or  thirty  years 
scarcely  two  hundred  Jews  were  to  be 
found  in  Judea,  but  at  this  day  there  are 
upwards  of  twenty  thousand,  and  their 
number  is  increasing  every  year;  indeed, 
the  whole  nation,  especially  in  the  east, 
seems  to  be  at  this  instant,  while  I  am 
speaking  to  you,  on  the  move  towards 
Palestine.  All  these  things  speak  aloud, 
as  if  the  voice  of  God  were  telling  us  that 
that  prophecy  is  now  going  to  be  ful- 
filled which  says  that,  after  the  children 
of  Israel  have  been  for  many  days  (and 
many  days  they  have  been)  without  a 
king,  without  a  sacrifice,  without  a  priest, 
without  an  ephod,  without  teraphim — af- 
terward shall  they  seek  the  Lord  their  God 


w 


SIGNS  OF  THE  TIMES 


279 


and  David  their  king,  and  shall  fear  the 
Lord  in  his  goodness  in  the  latter  days. 
The  throne  of  David,  he  it  remembered, 
was  the  throne  of  the  Messiah  ;  the  ever- 
lasting, absolute  dominion  promised  to 
David  was  the  dominion  of  the  Messiah. 
Such  is  the  great  subject  of  all  the  pro- 
phecies, and  especially  of  our  text.  The 
present  state,  therefore,  of  that  extraordi- 
nary people  is  another  indication  that  the 
restitution  of  all  things,  and  the  second 
advent  of  the  Messiah,  is  at  hand. 

Once  more.  77ie  infidel  insensibility  of 
Vie  world,  and  the  torpid  indifference  of  the 
church,  to  the  signs  of  the  times,  forms  also 
a  distinct  subject  of  prophecy. 

With  regard  to  the  world  we  know  that 
the  day  of  the  Lord  shall  come  upon  it  as 
a  thief  breaking  into  the  house  at  mid- 
night ;  so  that  while  they  cry  peace,  peace, 
sudden  destruction  cometh  upon  them, 
and  they  shall  not  escape.  As  in  the  day 
when  Noah  entered  into  the  ark  they  ate, 
they  drank,  they  builded,  and  planted,  and 
knew  not,  until  the  flood  came  and  swal- 
lowed them  up,  so  also  shall  it  be  in  the 
day  wherein  the  Son  of  man  cometh.  As 
in  the  day  that  Lot  departed  out  of  Sodom 
they  ate,  they  drank,  they  builded,  and 
planted,  and  knew  not  till  the  Lord  rained 
down  fire  and  brimstone  from  heaven  and 
destroyed  them  all,  so  shall  it  be  in  the 
day  wherein  the  Son  of  man  shall  be 
revealed.  He  was  not  revealed  at  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  word 
revelation  is  the  very  same  word  that  is 
employed  when  it  is  said,  "  He  shall  be 
revealed  from  heaven  with  flaming  fire." 
Thus  it  was  with  the  infidels  before  the 
flood — thus  it  was  with  the  infidels  in  So- 
dom— thus  it  was  with  the  infidels  in  Je- 
rusalem when  Jerusalem  was  destroyed 
— and  thus  it  will  be  with  the  infidels  in 
these  latter  times.  Reckless  of  the  fu- 
ture, they  are  victims  dancing  round  the 
altar  on  which  they  are  just  going  to  be 
immolated  ;  for  that  day  shall  come  as  a 
snare  upon  the  whole  earth. 

But  let  us  look  for  the  last  sign  within 
the  sacred  enclosure  of  the  church  of  God. 
This,  also,  it  is  very  remarkable,  is  the 
subject  of  prophecy.  Our  Lord  commu- 
nicated several  parables  to  his  disciples 
concerning  his  second  advent.     In  one  of 


these  the  state  of  the  church  herself,  as  to 
the  expectation  of  the  return  of  her  Lord, 
is  accurately  described  :  "  Then — that  is 
at  the  time  of  his  coming — then  shall  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto  ten 
virgins,  which  took  their  lamps,  and 
went  forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom.  And 
five  of  them  were  wise,  and  five  were 
foolish.  They  that  were  foolish  took 
their  lamps  and  took  no  oil  with  them  ; 
but  the  wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with 
their  lamps."  Mark  what  follows, — 
"  While  the  bridegroom  tarried  they  all 
slumbered  and  slept.  And  at  midnight 
there  was  a  cry  made.  Behold,  the  bride- 
groom cometh  ;  go  ye  out  to  meet  him." 
The  whole  visible  church,  hypocrites  and 
real  Christians  alike,  are  represented  as 
sinking  into  a  death-like  slumber,  from 
which  they  are  only  aroused  by  the  sudden 
outcry  and  annunciation  of  the  coming  of 
the  Judge.  How  exactly  is  this  descrip- 
tive of  the  present  state  of  the  Christian 
church  !  And  she  will  slumber  on,  though 
a  thousand  righteous  Noahs  should  ring 
the  alarm  in  her  ears — she  will  still  slum- 
ber on  ;  for  the  word  of  God  cannot  be 
broken.  "  Blessed  are  those  servants, 
whom  the  Lord  when  he  comes  shall  find 
watching."  But  many  professing  Chris- 
tians, alas !  have  assumed  a  very  differ- 
ent attitude,  and  have  actually  joined  with 
atheists  and  scoffers  in  asking,  "  Where 
is  the  promise  of  his  coming  1 — for 
since  the  fathers  fell  asleep  all  things 
continue  as  they  were."  How  clearly 
does  the  omniscient  Jesus  foresee  this, 
and  how  distinctly  does  he  foretell  this 
awful  state  of  the  church  ! 

But  I  must  now  hasten  to  conclude. 
Upon  the  whole,  we  learn  that  the  signs 
of  the  times  shed  their  light  upon  the  mys- 
terious dates  of  prophecy,  and  the  viysteri- 
ous  date  of  chronological  prophecies  shed 
their  light  upon  the  signs  of  the  times.  The 
concussions  of  the  nations — the  simulta- 
neous shaking  of  the  Ottoman  and  papal 
empires — the  propagation  of  the  gospeL 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  western  Roman 
empire — the  state  of  feeling  and  excite- 
ment in  the  Jewish  nation — the  infidel 
insensibility  of  the  world — and  the  death- 
like slumbers  of  the  church — the  mid- 
night cry  which  has  recently  been  raised, 


280 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


and  is  now  ringing  in  the  ears  of  the  infi- 
del world  and  the  sleeping  church — all 
indicate  that  the  mysterious  1200  years, 
if  not  past,  are,  at  least,  nearly  run  out 
their  course.  "  When  you  see  these 
things,  know  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is 
nigh  at  hand."  "  No  man  knoweth  the 
day  nor  the  hour  when  the  Son  of  man 
Cometh,"  yet,  from  the  signs  of  the 
times,  and  the  chronological  prophecies, 
we  may  know  with  certainty  that  it  is 
rapidly  approaching. 

But  I  must  conclude.  It  would  be  idle 
— I  could  not  acquit  myself  to  my  own 
conscience,  to  you,  or  to  the  bar  of  God 
— were  I  to  lead  you  in  speculating  into 
prophecy  without  having  a  view  to  prac- 
tical purposes.  It  is  trifling  with  the  sa- 
cred Scriptures  unless  we  bring  a  part  of 
them  to  bear  upon  the  conscience  and 
upon  the  conduct.  Whenever  the  tide  of 
death  shall  arrest  us,  there  will  be  an  end 
of  tlie  world,  and  all  the  kingdoms  there- 
of, as  far  as  we  are  personally  interested 
in  them.  Our  own  salvation  is  the  great 
concern  of  each  individual,  and,  in  con- 
nexion with  this,  the  interests  of  our 
beloved  country.  May  God  grant  to  us 
his  blessing  !     Amen. 


MAN    BY   NATURE   AVERSE   FROM   RELIGION. 

Religion,  it  is  acknowledged,  brings 
its  pains;  just  because  it  comes  from 
heaven  to  maintain  a  deadly  conflict  in 
the  soul,  with  principles  and  dispositions 
which  are  rebellious  against  heaven,  and 
destructive  to  the  soul  itself.  Nothing 
can  be  more  thoughtless  or  unknowing 
than  the  strain  in  which  some  have  in- 
dulged in  the  recommendation  of  it,  as  if 
it  were  all  facility  and  enjoyment.  You 
have  possibly  heard  or  read  graceful 
periods  of  descant  on  the  subject,  repre- 
senting to  young  people  especially,  that 
their  unsophisticated  principles,  their 
lively  perception  of  the  good  and  the 
fair,  their  generous  sentiments,  their  un- 
contaminated  affections,  are  so  much  in 
unison  with  the  spirit  of  piety,  that  it  is  a  I 


matter  of  the  utmost  ease  for  them,  for 
such  as  you,  to  enter  on  the  happiness  of 
the  religious  life.  Some  little  obstruc- 
tion surmounted,  one  light  spring  made, 
and  you  regain  the  walks  of  Eden  !  Did 
you  believe  it?  If  you  did,  what  unac- 
countable caprice,  what  pure  wantonness 
of  perversity,  could  it  be  that  withheld 
you  ■?  Or,  if  you  were  induced  to  make 
some  short  attempt  in  the  way  of  experi- 
ment, did  you  not  wonder  how  it  should 
happen,  by  a  peculiar  untowardness  in 
your  case,  that  these  youthful  qualities, 
so  congenial  with  piety,  and  so  easy  to 
be  resolved  into  it,  did  nevertheless  prove 
obstinately  repugnant  to  the  union  ]  Did 
you  not  think.  Why,  then,  this  aversion 
to  read  the  Bible,  or  to  retire  for  serious 
meditation  and  devotional  exercise,  or  to 
any  act  of  duty  to  be  done  simply  in  obe- 
dience to  God  ]  But  the  declamation 
which  you  had  heard  was  idle  rhetoric, 
or  wretched  ignorance. — Foster. 


LET   YOUR    SUBJECT,   NOT    YOURSELF,   BE   PRO- 
MINENT. 

I  NEVER  heard  a  man  who  succeeded  so 
well  in  averting  the  attention  of  his  hear- 
ers from  himself  to  the  subject.  Like 
the  priest  under  the  Jewish  hierarchy, 
he  disappeared  in  the  cloud  of  incense 
that  himself  sent  up.  His  positions, 
though  strong  and  important,  were  cloth- 
ed in  language  whose  peculiar  and  provi- 
dential felicity  it  is,  that  it  is  universal 
language ;  the  language  which  genius 
reverences  and  ignorance  understands ; — 
the  language  of  the  poet  and  of  the  phi- 
losopher, of  divinity  and  of  the  heart,  the 
language  of  the  Scriptures.  He  spake 
as  a  father  to  a  wayward  child,  as  a  judge 
to  a  criminal  to  confess  and  be  forgiven, 
as  a  guide  to  a  wanderer  to  return  and  to 
rest.  After  he  had  descended  from  the 
pulpit,  though  the  thunder  of  his  elo- 
quence was  hushed,  his  countenance 
spoke  still,  and  his  visage  retained  the 
brightness  of  that  light  and  holy  eleva- 
tion.— Eclectic  Review. 


SERMON  XXX. 


ON    THE    BEING    AND   PERFECTIONS  OF  GOD. 
PREACHED 

BY  THE  REV.  DR.  STYLES. 


This  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever." — Psal.  xlviii.  14. 


My  brethren,  the  mechanics  of  this 
great  metropolis,  it  is  my  province  to 
commence  a  course  of  lectures,  especially 
designed  for  your  instruction  in  the  high- 
est branches  of  practical  knowledge 
which  can  possibly  engage  your  thoughts, 
and  which  has,  therefore,  the  most  urgent 
claims  upon  your  serious  and  devout  con- 
sideration. The  character  of  the  times 
in  which  you  live  is  highly  favourable  to 
your  mental  culture.  It  has  raised  you 
to  a  state  of  intellectual  eminence,  hitherto 
unknown  to  the  classes  of  the  commu- 
nity to  which  you  belong,  and  this,  as  is 
perfectly  natural,  has  inspired  you  with 
the  ardent  hope  of  improving  your  social 
condition.  Already  you  begin  to  feel 
that  knowledge  is  power;  but  this  just 
axiom  of  philosophy  you  are  in  great 
danger  of  employing  against  yourselves, 
of  misapplying  to  purposes  subversive  of 
your  own  happiness  and  injurious  to  the 
best  interests  of  society.  As  yet,  the 
knowledge  you  have  acquired  has  merely 
awakened  the  thinking  faculty,  and  raised 
you  from  the  slumbers  of  ignorance. 
Your  minds  are  partially  illuminated 
with  science,  but  you  have  scarcely  at- 
tained to  the  grandeur  of  its  higher  prin- 
ciples, or  to  a  rigid  adherence  to  that 
course  which  would  secure  to  you  all  the 
benefits  of  its  practical  results.  The 
things  which  you  best  understand  you 
know  but  imperfectly — you  are  but  learn- 
ing their  rudiments,  and  from  these  your 
attention  is  diverted  to  other  subjects, 
which  you  have  not  the  means  of  under- 

VoL.  L~36 


standing,  and  in  which  you  are  likely  to 
be  misled  by  persons  more  pretending, 
but  not  less  ignorant  than  yourselves  ;  or 
who,  if  they  are  better  informed,  aim  only 
at  some  selfish  or  sinister  object  of  their 
own,  which  they  hope  to  realize  by  mak- 
ing you  their  dupes  and  victims.  They 
attempt  to  dazzle  your  imagination  by 
wild  theories,  rather  than  to  inform  your 
reason  by  sound  principles.  Their  grand 
design  is  not  to  reform  but  to  revolutionize, 
and  to  try  the  most  visionary  experiments, 
which  cannot  be  attempted  without  sub- 
verting every  government  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth,  and  destroying  the  whole  sys- 
tem of  social  order,  not  only  in  its  frame, 
but  in  its  principles.  A  chaos  is  a  neces- 
sary preliminary  to  their  new  creation. 
Whatever  is,  must  give  place  to  an  edi- 
fice of  society  which  is  to  be  built  in 
perfect  contempt  of  the  former  architec- 
ture, on  the  principles  of  a  demoralizing 
necessity  from  which  the  oratory  and  the 
altar  are  to  be  excluded,  whose  materials 
are  to  consist,  not  of  immortal  men,  but 
of  mere  machines  operated  upon  by  un- 
controllable circumstances ;  these  circum- 
stances to  be  first  created  by  the  redoubt- 
able projector  of  the  sublime  absurdity. 
You  will,  my  brethren,  in  a  moment 
perceive  that  I  here  refer  to  the  new 
scheme  of  society,  which  among  your 
own  class  especially  has  obtained  so 
many  supporters.  Of  its  author  I  know 
nothing.  Were  it  not  for  the  atheism 
and  the  consequent  materialism  which 
disgrace  the  entire  system,  and  which  he 
2  A  2  281 


282 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


maintains  are  essential  to  its  success,  I 
should  pronounce  him  to  be  an  amiable 
enthusiast,  whose  imagination,  darkened 
by  the  evils  of  the  social  state,  and  per- 
petually brooding  over  them,  can  devise 
no  remedy  but  a  perfectibility  incompati- 
ble with  the  nature  of  that  state,  and 
which  can  never  be  even  approached 
without  the  agency,  which  he  not  only 
disregards,  but  utterly  contemns — I  mean 
that  of  true  religion. 

We  admit,  with  the  new  theorists,  that 
the  face  of  society  is  deformed  by  a  thou- 
sand blemishes,  and  that  its  fitful  and 
irregular  pulsation  indicates  that  the 
whole  head  is  sick  and  the  whole  heart 
faint.  With  them  we  feel  that  effectual, 
political,  and  moral  remedies  must  be 
applied,  or  that  a  convulsive  dissolution 
of  the  whole  frame  of  civilized  life  can- 
not be  long  averted.  But  we  fearlessly 
tell  them  that  we  have  no  confidence  in 
their  empirical  nostrums — we  dare  not 
intrust  a  nation's  weal  in  the  crisis  of  its 
fate  to  those  who  leave  out  of  their  cal- 
culations the  inherent  evils  of  human 
nature,  who  would  remove  from  those 
evils  the  most  effectual  restraints  that 
ever  have  been  imposed  upon  them  under 
the  considerations  furnished  by  piety, 
and  the  hopes  and  fears  inspired  by  the 
consciousness  of  accountableuess  and  the 
sublime  realities  of  a  future  \vorld. 

My  brethren,  if  we  could  imagine  so 
preposterous  an  idea  as  a  company  of 
atheists  inflamed  with  a  generous  ardour 
for  the  public  good,  their  bosoms  over- 
flowing with  philanthropy,  and  that  phi- 
lanthropy assuming  the  form  of  the  most 
devoted  patriotism,  could  we  with  safety 
appoint  them  to  be  the  restorers  or  the 
guardians  of  our  social  happiness  1  Men 
who  entertain  principles  at  variance  with 
those  which  mankind  in  general  regard 
as  sacred  and  fundamental,  take  great 
delight  in  their  propagation.  If  atheists, 
therefore,  had  the  formation  of  the  public 
mind,  or  if  the  political  and  civil  institu- 
tions of  their  country  w^ere  under  their 
direction  or  subject  to  their  control,  we 
may  be  perfectly  certain  that  the  negation 
of  a  Deity  would  stand  pre-eminently 
forth  in  all  their  works  and  distinguish 
all  their  policy.     This  happens  precisely 


in  the  neAV  scheme  of  society.  From  an 
attentive  perusal  of  one  of  its  most  elabo- 
rate expositions,  we  learn  that  it  renounces 
as  far  as  it  regards  recognition  and  wor- 
ship, every  religion,  true  or  false,  that  has 
ever  obtained  in  the  world ;  proscribing 
all  reference  to  God,  both  as  the  Creator 
and  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  universe. 
That  it  ridicules  every  idea  of  rewards 
and  punishments — that  as  character  is 
formed  for  the  individual  and  not  by  him, 
he  has  no  responsibility,  is  neither  the 
object  of  praise  nor  of  blame — that  com- 
munities as  well  as  individuals  are  the 
mere  creatures  of  a  circumstantial  neces- 
sity controlling  them  in  spite  of  them- 
selves— and  that  the  only  hope  of  improv- 
ing their  condition  and  emancipating 
them  from  the  calamities  which  degrade 
and  oppress  them,  must  arise  from  the 
operation  of  a  new  and  totally  opposite 
class  of  circumstances  :  and  this  mighty 
revolution  they  are  to  achieve  for  them- 
selves. That  is,  those,  who  from  their 
very  nature,  must  be  the  passive  victims 
of  whatever  circumstances  surround  them, 
and  which  it  is  affirmed,  they  have  no 
moral  power  to  resist,  are  suddenly  to 
assume  a  supernatural  and  independent 
energy,  and  instead  of  being  carried  along 
as  heretofore,  with  the  stream  of  destiny, 
they  are  to  roll  back  the  tide  which  had 
threatened  to  ingulf  them,  and  this  not 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  their  moral 
liberty,  but  simply  that  they  may  become 
as  passive  as  before,  the  creatures  of  a 
necessity  which,  though  it  affords  them 
a  greater  sum  of  present  enjoyment,  still 
degrades  them  below  the  level  of  intelli- 
gent and  accountable  beings.  Now, 
allowing  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that 
the  co-operative  system  is  fraught  with 
all  the  advantages  which  the  most  gene- 
rous enthusiasm  might  hope  to  derive 
from  it,  we  maintain  that  it  is  utterly 
impracticable  on  the  principles  of  atheism 
which  its  author  assumes  ;  but  that  these 
and  still  greater  advantages  may  be  more 
than  realized  on  the  principles  of  that 
religion  which  he  impiously  rejects,  and 
which  is  founded  on  the  being  and  per- 
fections of  God,  as  partially  displayed  in 
the  works  of  nature,  and  more  extensively 
revealed  in    the   Holy   Scriptures.      In 


ON  THE  BEING  AND  PERFECTIONS  OF  GOD. 


283 


illustrating  these  positions,  1  am  per- 
suaded I  shall  ensure  your  candid  atten- 
tion. 

The  very  assumption  of  atheism  by  an 
individual  who  seeks  to  be  distinguished  as 
the  belief  actor  of  society,  aiid  who  proclaims 
himsef  the  enemy  of  its  existing  institu- 
tions, ought  to  awaken  distrust  of  his  men- 
tal capacity,  as  well  as  excite  disgust  at  his 
moral  depravation. 

Atheism,  wherever  it  exists,  is  the  re- 
sult of  some  peculiar  conjunction  of  dis- 
astrous influences.  An  atheist  is  the 
unhappy  victim  of  a  mental  obliquity,  of 
a  strange  perversion  of  the  understanding, 
which  renders  him  incapable  of  compre- 
hending the  laws  of  evidence  and  the 
principles  of  right  reason. 

There  are  certain  principia  on  which, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  all  men  are  agreed. 
The  foundation  of  all  reasoning,  concern- 
ing being  and  events,  for  instance,  is  a 
supposed  or  acknowledged  connexion 
between  cause  and  effect.  By  cause  is 
meant  that  something,  be  it  what  it  may, 
which  produces  existence,  or  any  change 
of  existence,  and  without  which  the  ex- 
istence or  the  change  could  not  have  been. 
It  is  universally  admitted  that  we  have 
no  knowledge  of  any  existence,  or  any 
change  which  has  taken  place  without  a 
cause.  The  human  mind,  under  what- 
ever circumstances  of  culture  or  neglect, 
has  acknowledged  in  the  clearest  manner, 
and  in  every  way  of  which  the  subject  is 
susceptible,  the  inseparable  nature  of  this 
connexion.  We  learn  it  from  experience, 
and  in  two  ways — by  the  testimony  of 
our  senses,  and  by  the  inspection  of  our 
own  minds.  We  cannot  realize  the  fact, 
that  existence  or  change  can  take  place 
without  a  cause.  The  man  who  begins 
by  denying  what  is  so  self-evident,  dis- 
covers an  incapacity  to  reason.  He  holds 
nothing  in  common  with  the  rest  of  man- 
kind, and  no  absurdity  can  be  greater 
than  to  attempt  to  argue  with  him.  In- 
deed he  cannot  pursue  an  argument  on 
the  subject  without  a  practical  refutation 
of  the  principle  he  assumes.  In  speaking, 
he  exhibits  himself  as  a  cause  of  all  the 
words  uttered  by  him,  and  of  the  opin- 
ions he  would  communicate,  and,  in  the 
act  of  arguing,  admits  you  to  be  a  similar 


cause.  If  his  body  be  not  a  cause,  and 
your  eyes  another,  you  cannot  see  him ; 
— if  his  voice  and  your  ear  be  not  causes, 
you  cannot  hear  him; — if  his  mind  and 
yours  be  not  causes,  you  cannot  under- 
stand him.  In  a  word,  without  admit- 
ting the  connexion  between  cause  and 
effect,  you  can  never  know  that  he  is 
arguing  with  you,  or  you  with  him.  But 
the  sophistry  which  leads  to  atheism 
denies  this  first  principle  of  all  reason- 
ing, and  betrays  a  mental  perversion, 
which  utterly  disqualifies  for  sober  and 
rational  investigation.  But  the  source 
of  atheism  is  the  heart  rather  than  the 
head  ; — and  it  is  a  moral  phenomenon  of 
a  most  portentous  and  appalling  charac- 
ter. It  is  the  child  of  depravity,  bearing 
all  the  worst  features  of  its  parent. 

A  tree  is  known  by  its  fruits. 

Reason  never  produced  such  a  monster 
as  atheism  ; — it  is  to  be  traced  to  the  in- 
disposition of  the  heart  to  acknowledge 
the  existence  of  the  Creator.  He  that 
hates  the  control  and  dreads  the  inspect- 
ing judgment  and  retribution  of  his  Maker, 
finds  no  refuge  from  anxiety  and  alarm 
so  safe  as  the  belief  that  there  is  no  God. 
To  me  there  is  something  fearful  and 
even  terrific  in  the  state  of  mind  which 
can  delight  in  the  renunciation  of  the 
Deity,  which  can  derive  satisfaction  from 
the  feeling,  that  the  infinite  Spirit  is  gone, 
that  the  only  solid  foundation  of  virtue  is 
wanting — which  can  enjoy  pleasure  in 
renouncing  that  system  of  doctrine  of 
which  a  God  is  the  great  subject,  and  that 
train  of  affections  and  conduct  of  which 
he  is  the  supreme  object.  The  idea  of  a 
God  seems  essential  to  every  pleasurable 
and  sublime  emotion  ; — without  it  we 
can  conceive  of  nothing  glorious,  and 
nothing  delightful.  And  could  it  once 
be  exploded,  in  my  view,  it  would  dimin- 
ish to  insignificance  the  range  of  thought, 
and  the  circle  of  enjoyment.  The  ab- 
sence of  God  would  cover  the  face  of 
nature  with  funereal  gloom ; — and  he  that 
should  first  make  the  fatal  discovery, 
according  to  my  apprehension,  would  be 
at  once  and  for  ever  the  most  miserable 
being  in  the  universe.  He  would  evince 
no  eagerness  to  communicate  the  dismal 
fact; — on  the  contrary,  he  would  envy 


284 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


his  fellow-creatures  the  pleasant  delusion 
which  sustained  their  virtue  and  encou- 
raged their  hope. 

Now  we  ask  with  confidence  whether 
an  individual  who  cannot  discern  that 
God  exists,  or  that  he  requires  and  de- 
serves any  homage  from  his  creatures, 
who  knows  not  how  to  reason  on  the 
plainest  facts,  ought  to  be  regarded  as  an 
oracle,  when  he  approaches  the  terra  in- 
cognita of  a  new  order  of  things  conjured 
out  of  his  own  imagination,  the  principles 
of  which  have  never  been  submitted  to 
the  process  of  induction ;  which  experi- 
ence cannot  explore,  nor  science  illumine. 
What  judgment  are  we  to  form  of  his 
understanding,  who  renounces  faith  to 
become  the  dupe  of  the  most  absolute 
credulity  ]  For  we  fearlessly  maintain 
that  there  is  no  absurdity  which  the  hu- 
man mind  in  the  very  spirit  of  extrava- 
gance has  been  capable  of  inventing, 
which  the  denier  of  a  God  has  not  made 
an  article  of  his  creed. 

The  dogmas  of  atheism  are  the  most 
melancholy  exhibition  of  weakness  which 
has  ever  degraded  the  human  understand- 
ing. Its  eternal  series — its  spontaneous 
universe  of  worlds  and  beings,  the  result 
of  motion  and  matter — and  all  produced 
and  continued  as  they  are  by  a  physical 
necessity,  to  the  utter  exclusion  of  intel- 
ligence, and  the  moral  perfections  which 
infinite  intelligence  implies,  have  been 
unanswerably  proved,  not  only  to  be  false, 
but  to  be  impossible.  What  then  can 
we  think  of  the  mental  capacity  of  him 
who  goes  quietly  on  with  his  faith  in 
these  hypotheses,  and  resolves  to  believe 
in  defiance  of  demonstration  and  impossi- 
bility. But  it  is  in  his  character  of  a 
philanthropist  and  a  remodeller  of  the 
whole  frame-work  of  society,  that  his 
principles  necessarily  operate  to  the  de- 
struction of  his  hopes. 

We  have  already  intimated  that  the 
co-operative  system  excludes  all  conside- 
rations of  a  Deity,  as  forming  the  human 
character — that  it  utterly  abrogates  all 
religion,  and  we  may  add,  that  while  it 
degrades  man  from  his  high  rank  as  a 
responsible  being  in  the  universe,  it  at 
the  same  time  teaches  him  to  believe  that 
there  is  nothing  greater  than  himself  in 


existence,  and  that  he  is  formed  for  thi«» 
world  and  no  other.  He  is  the  creature 
of  death — but  he  has  no  inheritance  be- 
yond the  grave — and  as  he  is  to  acquire 
no  property,  to  rise  to  no  distinction  on 
earth,  hopes  and  fears  are  to  have  no  in- 
fluence in  restraining  his  passions  or  vices 
— his  destiny  is  comprised  within  the 
narrow  limits  of  threescore  years  and 
ten — and  the  character  which  he  acquires 
in  his  passage  to  the  tomb  is  not  his  own. 
It  belongs  to  other  influences  for  which 
he  is  irresponsible,  and  over  which  he 
has  no  control. 

Now,  my  brethren,  what  estimate  can 
we  possibly  form  of  a  man  who  under- 
takes to  govern  the  moral  world  without 
a  God,  who  would  form  a  moral  charac- 
ter without  motives,  who  would  limit  the 
existence  of  the  human  being  to  the  pre- 
sent state,  and  who  proposes  to  construct 
the  whole  fabric  of  society  on  the  princi- 
ple of  such  exclusion  and  limitation  ? 
With  whatever  professions  he  may  ap- 
proach us,  must  we  not  instantly  shrink 
from  him  as  the  worst  enemy  of  his  spe- 
cies 1  If  he  could  even  banish  all  the 
evils  from  the  world,  which  he  ascribes 
to  its  tyrannical  governments  and  anti- 
social institutions,  if  at  the  same  time  he 
annihilated  the  fear  and  the  love  of  God, 
the  dread  of  retribution,  and  the  expecta- 
tion of  enjoying  the  divine  favour  after 
death,  mankind  would  be  infinite  losers 
by  the  change,  and  might  justly  curse 
their  benefactor,  for  procuring  for  them 
the  temporal  advantages  of  a  perishing 
world,  during  a  few  fleeting  years,  at  the 
expense  of  all  that  is  ennobling  to  their 
intellectual,  their  moral  and  immortal 
nature.  But  this  inversion  of  the  order 
of  Providence  is  impossible  ;  you  might 
as  well  expect  the  seasons  to  revolve, 
and  the  earth  to  bring  forth  all  its  won- 
drous and  useful  productions  without  the 
light  and  heat  of  the  great  luminary  of 
day,  as  that  man  either  in  his  individual 
or  social  capacity  should  possess  happi- 
ness without  piety — or  piety  without  that 
sense  of  accountableness  which  springs 
from  the  conviction,  that  the  principles, 
motives,  and  volitions  which  form  his 
character  are  essentially  his  own,  irre- 
spective  of  all   outward   circumstances. 


ON  THE  BEING  AND  PERFECTIONS  OF  GOD. 


289 


which  can  no  further  control  his  destiny 
than  as  he  voluntarily  yields  himself  up 
to  their  influence.  In  support  of  this  very 
unqualified  assertion,  and  we  make  it  as 
broadly  as  the  strength  of  human  lan- 
guage will  admit — we  proceed  to  show 
that  The  legitimate  consequences  of  atheism 
are  appallijig  and  demoralizing  impieties, 
and  that  the  co-operative  system,  assuming 
atheism  for  its  basis,  is  utterly  opposed  to 
the  nature  of  man,  and  the  very  existence 
of  society. 

Mr.  Burke  has  profoundly  remarked, 
"  that  man  is  by  his  nature  and  constitu- 
tion a  religious  animal ;  that  atheism  is 
against  not  only  our  reason  but  our  in- 
stincts, and  cannot  last  long."  This  was 
written  during  the  fury  of  the  French 
revolution — when,  as  in  one  day,  a  whole 
nation  threw  off  the  restraints  of  religion, 
and  avowed  in  the  face  of  civilized  Eu- 
rope that  they  were  a  community  of  athe- 
ists. The  prediction  in  the  latter  clause  of 
the  sentence  was  soon  fulfilled.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  some  of  the  advocates  of  the 
scheme  we  are  reprobating  may  endeavour 
to  shield  its  author  from  the  imputation 
of  atheism — but  to  do  this  successfully 
is  impossible — the  grand  pre-requisite  to 
the  application  of  his  principles,  is  that 
the  communities  formed  by  him  shall 
have  no  religion,  no  God.  The  French 
atheists  have  fully  expressed  what  is 
necessarily  implied  in  this  preliminary 
stipulation.  During  the  reign  of  Robes- 
pierre, the  convention,  in  one  of  its  most 
popular  and  authentic  papers,  makes  the 
following  announcement.  "  Provided  the 
idea  of  a  Supreme  Being  be  nothing  more 
than  a  philosophical  abstraction,  a  guide 
to  the  imagination  in  the  pursuit  of  causes 
and  effects,  a  resting-place  for  the  curi- 
osity of  inquiring  minds,  a  notion  merely 
speculative,  and  from  which  no  practical 
consequences  are  to  be  applied  to  human 
life,  there  can  be  no  great  danger  in  such 
an  idea ;  but  if  it  is  to  be  made  the  foun- 
dation of  morality,  if  it  is  to  be  accompa- 
"ied  by  the  supposition  that  there  exists 
4  God,  who  presides  over  the  affairs  of 
the  world,  and  rewards  and  punishes  men 
for  their  actions  on  earth,  according  to 
some  principle  of  speculative  justice, 
there  can  be  no  opinion  more  prejudicial 


to  society."  In  these  sentiments  the  sup- 
porters and  author  of  the  co-operative 
system  perfectly  concur.  With  respect 
to  a  belief  in  the  being  and  moral  govern- 
ment of  God,  one  of  their  writers  ob- 
serves, "  We  attach  no  importance  to  the 
belief  of  doctrines  that  are  inexplicable — 
as  man  does  not  form  his  own  character, 
it  is  injustice  and  cruelty  to  visit  him 
with  punishment — even  the  robber  has  it 
not  in  his  power  to  govern  his  own  actions 
— the  motives  by  which  he  is  impelled 
have  been  produced  by  the  circumstances 
under  which  he  has  been  placed,  acting 
upon  his  peculiar  organization — and  as 
this  applies  to  all  men  without  a  single 
exception — on  this  principle  the  whole 
system  of  rewards  and  punishments  must 
fall  to  the  ground."  Such  is  the  moral 
philosophy  on  which  the  new  scheme  of 
renovating  society  is  founded.  Let  us 
for  a  few  moments  examine  it  as  a  matter 
of  reason,  and  trace  the  principle  to  its 
just  consequences  ;  and  then, let  us  con- 
template its  actual  operation  in  those 
cases  where  it  has  been  brought  to  the 
test  of  experiment. 

The  only  character  under  which  man 
either  is,  or  can  be  placed  before  us,  ac- 
cording to  this  system,  is  that  of  a  mere 
automaton,  with  a  principle  of  what  is 
called  life  superadded,  which  life  how- 
ever confers  no  moral  power,  but  leaves 
its  subject  to  be  as  necessarily  impelled 
to  action  by  the  circumstances  in  which 
he  is  placed,  as  the  puppet  is  moved  by 
the  springs  and  wires  that  compose  its 
actuating  machinery.  This  is  an  essen- 
tial fundamental  doctrine  of  atheistical 
materialism,  and  is  inseparably  connected 
with  all  its  forms.  This  doctrine,  Mira- 
baud,  the  atheistical  oracle  of  the  present 
day,  has  publicly  avowed  and  defendea. 
He  unhesitatingly  says,  that  "  Every 
thing  is  necessary — that  it  cannot  be 
otherwise,  than  it  is — that  all  the  beings 
we  behold,  as  well  as  those  which  escape 
our  sight,  act  by  certain  and  invariable 
laws.  In  those  terrible  convulsions  that 
sometimes  agitate  political  societies, 
shake  their  foundations,  and  frequently 
produce  the  overthrow  of  an  empire,  there 
is  not  a  single  action,  a  single  word,  a 
I  single  thought,   a  single  will,  a  single 


286 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


passion  in  the  agents,  whether  they  act 
as  destroyers  or  victims,  that  is  not  the 
necessary  result  of  the  causes  operating 
— that  does  not  act  as  of  necessity  it  must 
act,  from  the  peculiar  essence  of  the  be- 
ings who  give  the  impulse,  and  that  of 
the  agents  who  receive  it,  according  to 
the  situation  these  agents  occupy  in  the 
moral  whirlwind."  And  he  further  adds, 
"  Man's  life  is  a  line  that  nature  com- 
mands him  to  describe  upon  the  surface 
of  the  earth,  without  his  ever  being  able 
to  swerve  from  it  even  for  an  instant. 
He  is  born  without  his  own  consent;  his 
organization  does  in  no  way  depend  upon 
himself;  his  ideas  come  to  him  involun- 
tarily ;  his  habits  are  in  the  power  of 
those  who  cause  him  to  contract  them ; 
he  is  unceasingly  modified  by  causes, 
whether  visible  or  concealed,  over  which 
he  has  no  control,  which  necessarily  re- 
gulate his  mode  of  existence,  give  the 
hue  to  his  way  of  thinking,  and  determine 
his  manner  of  acting  !  He  is  good  or 
bad — happy  or  miserable — wise  or  fool- 
ish— reasonable  or  irrational,  without  his 
will  going  for  any  thing  in  these  various 
states."  This  is  the  doctrine  which  Mr. 
Owen  has  adopted  and  moulded  into  his 
system.  The  principle  which  he  acknow- 
ledges has  wrought  all  the  evils  and  mise- 
ries which  prevail  in  the  present  order  of 
things,  in  his  hands  is  to  erect  a  new 
machinery  productive  only  of  virtue  and 
felicity.  But  how  is  this  to  be  achieved 
— whence  is  the  intellectual  and  moral 
power  to  be  derived,  which  is  to  battle 
with  a  blind  and  inexorable  necessity, 
which  acts  without  intelligence,  and  in 
defiance  of  every  thing  like  moral  govern- 
ment in  the  universe "? 

pan  the  principle  which  degrades  man 
to  the  humblest  possible  level  of  intellect- 
ual existence  at  the  same  time  illumine 
and  expand  his  mind — can  that  which 
renders  him  unsusceptible  of  moral  obli- 
gation elevate  him  to  the  dignity  of  virtue 
— can  the  doctrine  which  tells  him  that 
he  is  insulated  in  all  his  interests,  and 
these  the  interests  of  a  mere  animal,  that 
he  is  united  to  his  fellow  men  only  by 
time  and  chance,  that  he  is  born  merely  to 
breathe,  to  eat,  to  drink,  to  sleep,  to  pro- 
pagate his  kind  and  to  die,  without  the 


remotest  apprehension  of  law  or  govern- 
ment, merit  or  reward,  can  such  a  doc- 
trine dignify  him  with  personal  worth, 
inspire  him  with  the  love  of  rectitude, 
delight  him  with  pleasurable  emotions 
derived  from  the  present,  or  the  future, 
or  the  past,  or  produce  in  him  any  desire 
to  promote  the  common  good,  the  general 
happiness  1  Assuredly  not.  "  Men  do 
not  gather  grapes  of  thorns  nor  figs  of 
thistles — the  same  fountain  cannot  send 
forth  bitter  waters  and  sweet."  Allow 
me  to  strengthen  the  position  I  have  thus 
assumed  by  a  quotation  from  one  of  our 
ablest  writers  on  Christian  theology  : — 
"  Personal  worth  is  all  dependent  on  the 
existence  of  laws  and  government  formed 
by  one  who  has  a  right  to  enact  the  for- 
mer and  administer  the  latter : — a  right 
founded  on  the  relations  which  he  sustains 
to  those  who  are  under  his  government. 
To  these  relations  also  must  the  laws 
and  the  government  be  conformed  in 
such  a  manner  as  that,  and  that  only, 
shall  be  enacted  which  requires  the  con- 
duct suited  to  these  relations,  and  pro- 
motive of  general  and  individual  happi- 
ness. In  the  same  manner  must  be 
directed  the  rewards,  punishments,  and 
administrations.  But  on  the  scheme 
which  disavows  the  being,  or  that  pro- 
scribes the  recognition  of  a  God,  there  is 
no  such  ruler  and  no  such  right  to  rule  ; 
there  are  no  such  relations,  and  no  such 
duties.  Rectitude,  the  sum  of  personal 
worth,  consists  in  rendering  voluntarily 
that  which  others  have  a  right  to  claim ; 
but  on  this  scheme  no  claim  can  be 
founded  and  none  exists.  There  is,  there- 
fore, nothing  due ;  of  course  no  duty  can 
be  performed  and  no  rectitude  experi- 
enced ;  hence  that  high,  unceasing,  and 
refined  enjoyment  which  attends  the 
sense  of  rectitude  can  never  be  found  by 
the  atheist."  Where  rectitude  or  moral 
principle  is  discarded,  nothing  remains 
as  the  impelling  principle  and  the  guid- 
ing rule  of  human  conduct  but  appetite 
and  passion.  And  what  must  be  the  re- 
sult?— Disorder,  crime,  and  misery!^ 
If  this  scheme  be  true,  all  men  ought 
undoubtedly  to  be  governed  by  it.  What 
would  become  of  such  a  world  and  of  the 
atheist  himself  in  the  midst  of  such  a 


OIS  THE  BEING  AND  PERFECTIONS  OF  GOD. 


287 


world  ?  We  may  confidently  ask,  in 
what  possible  way  can  atheism  secure  the 
well-being  of  society.  If  we  grant  that 
the  being  of  a  Deity  operates  as  a  very 
slight  restraint  on  vice,  in  individual 
cases,  where  the  character  has  become 
utterly  depraved,  yet  its  general  influence 
must  be  mighty,  interwoven  as  it  is  with 
the  whole  civil  and  social  economy  of 
man.  It  must  act  powerfully  as  an  in- 
centive to  good,  and  as  a  check  to  what- 
ever is  evil :  and  it  can  only  fail  in  par- 
ticular instances  of  atrocious  obduracy. 

But  what  offences  against  himself  or 
his  fellow-creatures,  may  not  an  atheist 
perpetrate  with  conscious  impunity,  with- 
out regret  and  without  a  blush  1  What 
protection  can  his  principles  afford  to  con- 
fiding innocence  and  beauty  1  What  shall 
deter  him  from  dooming  an  amiable  and 
lovely  wife  to  penury,  to  desolation,  and  an 
untimely  grave  ]  What  shall  make  seduc- 
tion and  adultery  criminal  in  his  eyes,  or 
induce  him,  when  she  is  in  his  power,  to 
spare  the  victim  of  unhallowed  and  guilty 
passion  1  What  can  he  know  of  honour,  of 
justice  and  integrity  1  What  friend  will  he 
not  betray — what  enemy  will  he  not  pur- 
sue to  utter  destruction  1  What  lawless 
gratification  will  he  not  indulge  when  its 
indulgence  does  not  compromise  his  per- 
sonal safety]  Who,  we  may  ask,  are 
those  that  set  the  decencies  of  life  at  de- 
fiance, that  laugh  at  virtue,  and  riot  in 
epieureean  debauchery  1  Are  they  not  the 
base  apostates  from  God  who  boast  of 
their  impiety,  and  write  themselves  athe- 
ists to  their  own  disgrace  and  the  scandal 
of  the  country  that  gave  them  birth. 

From  the  specimens  of  atheists  which 
the  world  has  seen,  some  faint  idea  may 
be  formed  of  what  an  atheistical  com- 
munity would  soon  become  ;  soon  would 
it  be  transformed  into  an  image  of  hell ; 
"and  distrust,  jealousy,  wrath,  revenge, 
murder,  war  and  devastation  overspread 
the  earth.  In  the  midst  of  millions  the 
atheist  would  find  himself  in  a  desert. 
His  situation  would  be  that  of  a  hermit, 
his  character  that  of  a  fiend."  But  as 
the  author  of  the  new  scheme  of  society 
is  loud  and  violent  in  his  condemnation 
of  all  existing  governments  and  every 
system  of   civil  polity  which  is  esta- 


blished, let  us  see  how  a  government 
formed  on  his  favourite  principle  of  athe- 
istical necessity,  and  intended  to  rule  a 
people  professing  the  same  creed,  would 
be  found  to  conduct  itself — what  would 
be  the  character  of  the  ruler  and  the  go- 
verned in  reference  to  each  other  and  the 
relations  subsisting  between  them  ]  Dr. 
Dwight  has  furnished  us  with  a  dark  but 
not  overcharged  portraiture.  Under  such 
an  absence  of  all  that  would  impose 
restraint  on  wickedness  and  under  the 
active  operation  of  all  that  can  stimulate 
depravity,  he  observes,  "  Rulers  would 
feel  no  sense  of  rectitude,  possess  no 
virtue  and  realize  no  moral  obligation. 
To  all  these  things  their  fundamental 
principles  would  be  hostile,  and  would 
render  the  very  thought  of  them  ridicu- 
lous. God  is  the  only  acknowledged 
source  of  obligation,  but  to  them  there 
would  be  no  God,  and  therefore  no  such 
obligation.  Conformity  to  His  laws  is 
the  only  rectitude  ;  but  to  these  men  there 
would  be  no  such  laws,  and  therefore  no 
rectitude.  Convenience  of  course,  or  in 
better  words,  passion  and  appetite,  would 
dictate  all  the  conduct  of  these  rulers. 
The  nature  of  a  government  directed  by 
passion  and  appetite  we  know  imperfectly 
by  the  histories  of  Caligula,  Nero,  and 
Heliogabalus,  and  more  thoroughly, 
though  still  imperfectly,  in  those  of  Dan- 
ton,  Murat,  Robespierre,  and  their  associ- 
ates. Who  would  be  willing  to  see  such 
a  tissue  of  madness,  cruelty,  misery,  and 
horror  woven  again  1" 

"The  subjects  of  such  a  government 
would  at  the  same  time  lie  in  the  same 
manner  under  the  influence  of  the  same 
doctrine.  Their  conduct  would  accord- 
ingly be  an  exact  counterpart  to  that  of 
their  rulers.  Appetite  would  change 
every  man  into  a  swine,  and  passion  into 
a  tiger.  Right  would  neither  be  acknow- 
ledged, nor  be  fell,  nor  exist.  Whatever 
was  coveted  would  be  sought  and  ob- 
tained, could  it  be  done  with  safety. 
Whatever  was  hated  would,  so  far  as 
safety  would  permit,  be  hunted  and  de- 
stroyed ;  to  deceive,  to  overreach,  to 
betray,  to  maim,  to  torture,  and  to  butcher, 
would  be  the  common  employment  and 
the  common  sport.     The  dearest  and  most 


288 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


venerable  relations  would  be  violated  by 
incestuous  pollution ;  and  children,  such 
of  them  I  mean  as  were  not  cast  under  a 
hedge,  thrown  into  the  sea,  or  dashed 
against  the  stones,  would  grow  up  with- 
out a  home,  without  a  parent,  without  a 
friend.  The  world  would  become  one 
vast  den,  one  immeasurable  stye,  and  the 
swine  and  the  wolf  would  be  degraded 
by  a  comparison  with  its  inhabitants." 

Such,  my  brethren,  is  the  reasoning, 
fair  and  conclusive,  from  principles  to 
their  legitimate  consequences.  But  we 
come  now  to  a  fearful  practical  illustra- 
tion of  this  reasoning.  As  if  to  silence 
infidelity  for  ever,  and  to  stamp  upon  it 
the  brand  of  everlasting  execration  ;  the 
Governor  of  the  world,  in  his  inscrutable 
wisdom,  was  pleased  to  permit  the  most 
polished  and  refined  among  the  civilized 
nations  of  the  earth  to  reduce  atheism  to 
practice,  to  bring  its  principles  to  bear 
upon  the  social  state,  and  to  exhibit  the 
tremendous  result.  In  mercy,  however, 
he  limited  its  duration — for  a  short  sea- 
son only  was  it  suffered  to  perform  its 
dreadful  tragedies.  It  soon  destroyed 
itself,  while  it  displayed  before  the  uni- 
verse its  scroll  of  blood,  on  which  was 
written  lamentation,  and  mourning,  and 
woe !  Atheistical  philosophers  seized 
the  power  of  legislation  and  government; 
they  talked  of  the  perfectibility  of  man, 
and  promised  to  their  deluded  votaries  a 
golden  age  for  them  and  their  regenerated 
species.  The  pledge  was  given,  and 
fairy  scenes  were  delineated  with  all  the 
glow  of  an  excited  imagination — another 
paradise  bloomed.  The  human  race, 
freed  from  tyranny,  oppression,  and  crime, 
were  described  not  merely  as  innocent, 
but  virtuous  and  immortal.  But  how 
was  all  this  realized  1  I  must  again  bor- 
row the  pencil  of  truth.  Atheism,  under 
a  co-operative  system,  began  its  career — 
the  experiment  was  tried,  and  we  have 
the  result  before  us,  as  a  warning  and  a 
calamity  the  most  fearful  that  the  offended 
Majesty  of  heaven  could  in  mercy  and  in 
vengeance  give  and  inflict. 

Dr.  Dwight  has  eloquently  observed, 
"  the  only  instance  in  which  infidels  of 
any  description  have  possessed  the  su- 
preme power  and  government  of  a  country, 


and  have  attempted  to  dispose  of  humao 
happiness  according  to  their  own  doc- 
trines and  wishes,  is  that  of  France,  since 
the  beginning  of  the  revolution.  If  we 
consider  this  government  as  established 
over  a  nation,  educated  for  ages  to  the 
belief  and  obedience  of  many  doctrines  of 
Christianity,  and  retaining,  as  to  a  great 
majority  of  the  people,  the  habits  formed 
by  that  education,  the  state  of  that  nation 
will  evince  beyond  a  question,  that  all 
which  I  have  said  is  true  without  exag- 
geration. 

"  France  during  this  period  has  been  a 
theatre  of  crimes,  which,  after  all  preced- 
ing perpetrations,  have  excited  in  the 
mind  of  every  spectator,  amazement  and 
horror.  The  miseries,  suffered  by  that 
single  nation,  have  changed  all  the  his- 
tories of  the  preceding  sufferings  of 
mankind  into  idle  tales,  and  have  been 
enhanced  and  multiplied,  without  a  pre- 
cedent, without  number,  and  without  a 
name.  The  kingdom  appeared  to  be 
changed  into  one  great  prison ;  the  inha- 
bitants converted  into  felons;  and  the 
common  doom  of  man  commuted,  for  the 
violence  of  the  sword  and  the  bayonet, 
the  sucking  boat  and  the  guillotine.  To 
contemplative  men,  it  seemed  for  a  sea- 
son as  if  the  knell  of  the  whole  natior 
was  tolled,  and  the  world  summoned  to 
its  execution  and  its  funeral.  Within 
the  short  space  of  ten  years,  not  less  than 
three  millions  of  human  beings  are  sup- 
posed to  have  perished  in  that  single 
country  by  the  influence  of  atheism. 
Were  the  world  to  adopt  and  be  governed 
by  the  doctrines  of  France,  what  crimes 
would  not  mankind  perpetrate  1  what 
agonies  would  they  not  suffer"?" 

After  this,  will  such  men  as  Mr.  Owen 
and  his  coadjutors  ever  efface  the  impres- 
sion from  our  minds,  that  atheism,  what- 
ever disguise  it  may  assume,  is  an  inhu- 
man, a  bloody  and  ferocious  system, 
equally  hostile  to  every  useful  restraint 
and  to  every  virtuous  affection  ;  leaving 
nothing  above  us  to  excite  fear,  or  around 
us  to  awaken  tenderness,  it  wages  war 
with  heaven  and  with  earth.  Its  first 
object  is  to  dethrone  God;  its  next  to 
destroy  man.  With  such  conviction,  the 
enlightened  and  virtuous  inhabitants  of 


ON  THE  BEING  AND  PERFECTIONS  OF  GOD. 


289 


Groat  Britain,  and  you,  my  brethren,  the 
very  sinews  and  strength  of  your  native 
land,  will  not  surely  be  tempted  to  your 
fate  by  the  rhapsodies  of  men,  without 
religion,  and  without  a  God. 

Mr.  Owen  tells  you,  that  the  remedy 
of  all  your  ills  is  co-operation,  as  opposed 
to  competition.  Co-operate  by  all  means ; 
but  on  principles  true  to  your  nature,  your 
interests,  and  your  happiness — let  Chris- 
tianity be  cordially  received — welcome 
its  blessings  to  your  hearts — place  your- 
selves under  its  wholesome  regimen — be 
a  community  of  Christians,  and  when  all 
shall  know  the  Lord,  from  the  least  to 
the  greatest,  there  will  be  nothing  to  hurt 
nor  to  destroy — "the  wolf  shall  dwell 
with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall  lie 
down  with  the  kid ;  and  the  calf  and  the 
young  lion  and  the  falling  together;  and 
a  little  child  shall  lead  them.  And  the 
cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed  ;  their  young 
ones  shall  lie  down  together :  and  the 
lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.  And 
the  sucking  child  shall  play  on  the  hole 
of  the  asp,  and  the  weaned  child  shall 
put  his  hand  on  the  cockatrice'  den." 
The  being  and  perfections  of  God,  as  the 
moral  Governor  of  the  world,  are  the 
foundation  of  this  glorious  system  of 
truth,  of  righteousness  and  mercy. 

Let  us  draw  a  hasly  sketch  of  its  ten- 
dency to  ameliorate  the  human  co7idition, 
as  it  is  applicable  to  the  present  state  of  the 
human  family. 

Your  time  is  gone,  and  your  attention 
is  wearied,  and  on  this  part  of  the  subject 
I  must,  for  my  own  sake  and  yours,  be 
brief.  This  1  should  regret,  if  in  looking 
over  the  syllabus  of  lectures,  I  did  not 
perceive,  that  this  topic  must  be  again 
discussed,  under  another  aspect  indeed, 
but  in  such  a  form  as  to  fill  up  my  outline 
and  supply  my  deficiencies. 

My  brethren,  the  idea  best  suited  to 
the  glorious  faculties  of  the  human  mind, 
and  which  can  it  most  worthily  cherish,  is 
the  idea  of  a  Deity,  which,  unlike  every 
other  with  which  we  are  familiar,  is  capa- 
ble of  continual  expansion,  enlarges  with 
our  intellectual  powers,  ranges  through 
all  space,  stretches  beyond  all  limited 
duration,  and  which,  to  use  the  words  of 
an   eloquent    Christian    orator,  borrows 

Vol.  I.— 37 


splendour  from  all  that  is  fair,  subordi- 
nates to  itself  all  that  is  great,  and  sits 
enthroned  on  the  riches  of  the  universe. 
This  idea,  illustrated  and  explained  in  an 
infinite  variety  of  forms  in  nature,  is  aug- 
mented with  a  moral  grandeur,  and  shines 
with  an  infinite  glory  in  the  pages  <of 
divine  revelation. 

In  both  it  is  brought  home  to  our  hearts 
with  irresistible  power;  and  produces  a 
character  in  those  who  sincerely  entertain 
it  in  some  humble  measure,  resembling  the 
perfections  of  the  Great  Being  who  is  its  . 
original  architype.  His  natural  attri- 
butes, such  as  eternity,  spirituality,  om- 
nipotence, wisdom,  omnipresence,  and 
infinite  goodness,  inspire  adoration  and 
furnish  all  the  elements  of  a  sublime  and 
elevated  piety ;  while  the  impressive 
manifestation  of  his  moral  excellencies, 
his  holiness,  rectitude,  truth,  and  mercy, 
as  the  Governor  and  Saviour  of  the  world, 
operates  to  the  production  of  principles 
which  renovate,  dignify,  and  exalt  the 
human  being,  placing  him  under  an  influ- 
ence which  supplies  his  understanding 
with  the  most  valuable  knowledge— his 
conscience  with  the  most  delicate  sensi- 
bility— his  will  with  the  purest  and 
mightiest  motives — his  affections  with 
the  noblest  objects — and  his  whole  sphere 
of  existence  with  duty  and  enjoyment. 

On  the  principle  that  "  the  character  is 
formed /or-  the  individual  and  not  hy  him, 
man  must  indeed  become  the  creature  of 
necessity,  and  thus  what  may  be  properly 
termed  influence  as  opposed  to  this  neces- 
sity, is  entirely  foreign  to  his  nature. 
But  on  the  Christian  principle,  that  every 
character  involves  personal  responsibility 
in  its  formation,  the  idea  of  a  moral  in- 
fluence instilling  its  motives,  impressing 
its  features,  and  controlling  its  destiny  is 
most  welcome  to  the  heart ;  and  this 
moral  influence  is  exerted  with  a  perpe- 
tual energy  on  the  individual  who  cor 
dially  receives  and  reverentially  adores 
Being  of  infinite  perfection  and  glory- 
his  Creator — his  Governor — his  Sancti 
fier — his  God.  The  character  rises  and 
is  sustained  under  his  transforming  in- 
fluence. The  struggles  against  tempta- 
tion, sin,  and  folly,  in  the  vale  of  tears, 
become  successful,  because  they  are 
2B 


290 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


animated  by  the  inspecting  eye  of  the 
Divinity  ;  and  the  feeble  creature,  armed 
with  the  omnipotence  of  heaven,  is  more 
than  a  conqueror.  Mighty  are  the  tri- 
umphs of  principle  over  passion,  and  of 
piety  over  the  world.  What  a  powerful 
check  to  vice  is  likewise  furnished  by 
the  consciousness  in  the  bosom  of  the 
sinner,  that  there  is  an  Almighty  Judge, 
from  whose  presence  he  cannot  hide  him- 
self— a  Being  that  surrounds  his  path 
and  is  acquainted  with  all  his  ways  ] 
Let  this  impression  be  once  felt,  and  the 
pleasures  of  vice  lose  all  their  captivating 
charms,  the  heart  sickens  at  temptation. 
"  God  is  here,''^  irradiates  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  tears  off  the  cowl  of  secret  vil- 
lany  in  the  face  of  day,  and  so  alarms 
the  conscience,  that  imagined  crimes  are 
destroyed  in  embryo. 

But  it  is  the  influence  of  these  sublime 
sentiments  upon  society,  upon  man,  in  his 
state  of  civil  compact  and  association,  that 
displays,  by  matchless  contrast,  the  degrad- 
ing  and  d  moralizing  character  of  atheism. 

We  have  shuddered  as  we  have  viewed 
the  scene  of  guilt  and  desolation  opened 
to  us  by  this  foul  spirit,  the  dark  and 
final  abyss  of  sin  and  ruin,  where  no  soli- 
tary virtue  gleams,  where  no  ray  of  hope 
or  comfort  trembles  througli  the  profound 
midnight;  let  us,  now,  though  but  for  a 
moment,  refresh  the  wearied  sight  by 
glancing  over  the  moral  world,  on  which 
the  "  Sun  of  Righteousness"  for  ever 
shines  with  healing  in  his  wings.  Here, 
at  the  head  of  the  vast  chain  of  moral 
being,  reaching  like  Jacob's  ladder  from 
earth  to  heaven,  sits  on  the  throne  of  in- 
finite dominion,  the  God  of  Abraham,  the 
God  of  Isaac,  the  God  of  Jacob,  the  God 
of  all  who,  like  them,  believe,  worship, 
and  obey  their  Creator.  In  Him,  the 
self-existent  and  infinite  mind,  the  Chris- 
tian beholds,  unceasingly,  an  object  of 
boundless  sublimity,  grandeur,  beauty, 
and  loveliness ;  commanding  by  the  dis- 
closure of  his  character,  and  exhausting, 
all  finite  admiration,  complacency,  love, 
and  praise ;  expanding  every  view,  refin- 
ing every  affection,  and  ennobling  every 
attribute.  From  the  immediate  contem- 
plation of  this  glorious  Being,  raised  to 
a  superiority  and  distinction,  of   which 


he  could  otherwise  have  never  conceived, 
he  casts  his  eyes  abroad  into  the  universe, 
which  that  Being  has  created.  There  he 
beholds  an  endless  train  of  intelligent 
minds,  reflecting  with  no  unhappy  lustre 
the  beauty  and  glory  of  their  Maker. 
From  the  pre-eminent  dignity  of  the  arch- 
angel, through  the  glowing  zeal  of  the 
seraph,  and  the  milder  wisdom  of  the 
cherub  ;  through  the  high  endowments  of 
Moses,  Isaiah,  and  Paul,  down  to  the 
humble  but  virtuous  inhabitant  of  a  cot- 
tage, one  spirit  lives,  and  breathes,  and 
actuates  in  all,  and  that  spirit  is  divine. 
Each  wears,  and  exhibits,  in  his  own 
manner,  and  that  manner  a  delightful  and 
useful  one,  the  image  and  beauty  of  Jeho- 
vah. All,  though  of  different  magnitudes, 
diffuse  a  real  light ;  all  are  stars,  though 
one  star  different  from  another  in  glory. 
All  are  the  subjects  of  virtuous  affections ; 
all  are  fitted  to  admire  and  adore,  to 
glorify  and  enjoy  their  Creator ;  all  are 
formed,  and  disposed  voluntarily,  to  fill 
up  their  existence  of  doing  good,  with 
promoting  individual  enjoyment,  and  in- 
creasing universal  happiness ;  all  are 
bound  together  as  children  of  one  God, 
and  brethren  of  each  other,  by  love,  the 
bond  of  perfection.  Every  one,  therefore, 
is  lovely  in  the  sight  of  his  Maker. 

To  this  universe  of  minds  the  Chris- 
tian believes,  that  the  Creator,  who  is  of 
course  the  rightful  lawgiver,  has  given 
laws  for  the  direction  of  its  members, 
which  require  perfect  conduct,  and  ensure 
to  it  perfect  happiness.  These  laws  ex- 
tend to  all  the  thoughts,  words,  and 
actions  alike,  and  regulate  each  with  un- 
erring propriety.  Their  obligation  is, 
and  is  acknowledged  to  be,  divine ; 
nothing  can  sunder,  nothing  can  lessen  it. 
This,  instead  of  being  a  source  of  regret 
to  him,  is  his  delight ;  for  what  these 
laws  require  is  better  than  any  thing  else ; 
and  more  fraught  with  self-approbation, 
worth,  and  enjoyment.  Of  course,  in  all 
the  relations  and  situations  in  life,  as  a 
parent  or  a  child,  a  neighbour  or  a  friend, 
a  magistrate  or  a  subject,  he  feels  him- 
self, on  the  one  hand,  irresistibly  obliged, 
and,  on  the  other,  entirely  delighted,  to 
obey  their  dictates. 

As  these  dictates   reach  every  moral 


ON  THE  BEING  AND  PERFECTIONS  OF  GOD. 


291 


being,  in  every  situation,  and  with  re- 
spect to  every  action,  they  provide,  of 
course,  and  universally,  for  that  conduct, 
in  every  being  which  is  commendable 
and  desirable.  Here  an  immovable  foun- 
dation is  laid  for  peace  within,  for  dignity 
of  mind,  for  real  and  enduring  enjoyment, 
in  the  recesses  of  solitude,  and  for  the 
endless  train  of  duties  and  blessings, 
necessary  to  the  happiness  of  society. 
A  ruler,  formed  in  this  manner,  will  go- 
vern only  to  bless.  "  Subjects  of  the 
same  character  will  obey,  because  recti- 
tude demands  their  obedience,  and  be- 
cause their  obedience  will  ensure  the  hap- 
piness both  of  themselves  an-d  their 
rulers."*  If  it  be  objected  to  this  vision, 
that  it  belongs  only  to  the  imagination, 
and  has  never  been  realized,  we  beg  to 
observe,  that  to  effect  all  this  is  the  im- 
mediate tendency  of  the  system,  that 
amidst  ten  thousand  counteracting  influ- 
ences, it  has  achieved  the  greatest  good 
to  society  ;  that  it  is  a  moral  system,  and 
that  just  in  proportion  as  it  has  ever  pre- 
vailed, have  been  the  number  and  mag- 
nitude of  the  evils  it  has  banished,  and 
the  benefits  it  has  conferred.  Wherever 
it  has  been  truly  welcomed,  it  has  pro- 
duced unmingled  good  ;  human  depravity 
and  guilt,  whenever  they  have  triumphed, 
they  have  triumphed  in  spite  of  it,  amidst 
its  remonstrances  and  determined  hos- 
tility. In  fact,  it  is  the  only  antagonist 
of  evil  in  the  moral  world  ;  while  infi- 
delity is  its  patron,  its  principle,  its  soul 
and  energy. 

A  people,  rising  in  their  intellectual 
character,  and  at  the  moment  when  they 
are  making  their  transit  from  ignorance 
to  knowledge,  and  from  the  degradation 
of  brutes  to  the  dignity  of  thinkingbeings, 
are  peculiarly  exposed  to  intellectual  de- 
lusions, to  fallacious  theories  and  ruinous 
seductions,  from  the  paths  of  truth  and 
happiness;  and  their  greatest  danger  is  to 
be  apprehended  from  the  dazzling  splen- 
dours of  perverted  genius,  and  the  wild 
dogmas  of  spurious  philanthropy. 

Both  these  insidious  spirits  are  at  this 

moment    at    work    among    our    people, 

watching  every  dawn  of  mind,  that  they 

may  obscure  it  with  the  discolorations 

*  Dwight. 


of  error  and  prejudice,  and  associate  it 
with  the  evil  powers  that  are  at  war  with 
the  best  interests  of  man.  We  cannot 
use,  we  cannot  invent  terms  sufficiently 
strong  by  which  to  express  our  indigna- 
tion at  the  prostitution  of  genius.  The 
talents  of  an  atheistical  and  profligate 
writer,  if  they  are  of  the  first  order,  will 
no  doubt  ensure  to  him  a  species  of  im- 
mortality ;  but  who  would  covet  it  1 
Who  that  is  not  lost  to  every  sentiment 
of  moral  dignity  would  not  deprecate  it 
as  a  dire  misfortune  1  To  occupy  through 
all  time  the  bad  eminence  which  vice 
assigns  to  her  most  powerful  agents,  to 
be  the  oracle  of  every  impious  witling 
who  is  unable  of  himself  to  construct  a 
sophism  against  religion ;  to  be  the  text 
book  of  quotation  to  the  impure  of  both 
sexes,  who  would  throw  a  splendid  refine 
ment  over  their  debaucheries ;  to  stimu- 
late the  already  too  precocious  depravity 
of  youth,  and  the  prurient  lasciviousness 
of  anticipated  decrepitude ;  instead  of 
brightening  the  heavens  as  a  star,  to  fall 
upon  the  earth,  to  be  in  reality  only  a 
putrescent  mass  of  shining  corruption, 
emitting  a  pestiferous  lustre,  and  then  to 
perish  forever!  These  are  the  exclusive 
triumphs  of  prostituted  genius,  this  its 
fearful  destiny. 

"  rd  rather  be  the  wretch  that  scrawls 
Its  idiol  nonsense  on  the  walls; 
The  gallant  bark  of  reason  wreck'd, 
A  poor  quench'd  ray  of  intellect; 
With  slabber'd  chin  and  rayless  eye, 
And  mind  of  mere  inanity  ; 
Not  quite  a  man,  nor  quite  a  brute, 
Than  I  would  basely  prostitute 
My  powers  to  serve  the  cause  of  vice. 
To  build  some  jewell'd  edifice  ; 
So  fair,  so  foul, — framed  with  such  art, 
To  please  the  eye  and  taint  the  heart ; 
That  he  who  has  not  power  to  shun, 
Comes,  looks,  and  feels  himself  undone." 

But  the  spurious  philanthropists,  these 
are  the  most  powerful  coadjutors  of  the 
theoretic  infidel.  They  bring  out  his 
principles  into  active  life.  True  philan- 
thropy aims  at  amelioration,  not  destruc- 
tion; it  does  not  dazzle  with  the  promise  of 
a  distant  visionary  good  that  is  to  be  pur- 
chased by  anarchy,  massacre,  and  the 
ruin  of   a  whole  generation   of  human 


292 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


beings  ;  but  it  applies  the  remedies  of 
principle  ;  it  does  good  in  its  immediate 
sphere,  and  extends  that  sphere  simply 
by  the  moral  expansion  of  its  useful- 
ness. 

Be  not  deceived,  my  brethren,  when 
the  enemies  of  your  God,  and  the  consti- 
tution of  your  country,  approach  you  with 
expressions  of  affected  concern  for  the 
well-being  of  society.  Think  not  that 
they  are  tender  hearted,  because  they 
have  nothing  but  douce  humanite  in  their 
mouth.  Even  the  assassins  and  butchers 
of  the  French  revolution,  and  the  very 
worst  of  them  too,  could  talk  in  raptures  of 
restoring  parents  to  their  children,  and 
children  to  their  parents,  relations  to  each 
other,  and  man  to  society,  "  I  ever  sus- 
pect," says  one  who  belonged  to  their 
school,  and  who  is  very  probably  an  athe- 
ist, "  I  ever  suspect  the  sincerity  of  a 
man  whose  discourse  abounds  in  expres- 
sions of  universal  philanthropy."  No- 
thing is  easier  than  for  a  person  of  some 
imagination  to  raise  himself  to  a  swell  of 
sentiment  Avithout  the  aid  of  one  single 
feeling  in  the  heart.  Rousseau,  for  in- 
stance, is  ever  babbling  about  his  genera 
humain,  his  human  race,  and  his  cceur 
animaut  et  tendre,  tender  and  loving  heart ; 
he  writes  for  the  human  race,  his  heart 
bleeds  for  the  distresses  of  the  human 
race,  and  in  the  midst  of  all  this  he  sends 
his  unfortunate  children  to  the  poor  house, 
the  receptacle  of  misery. 

In  the  instance  of  our  modern  martyrs 
to  humanity,  who  encounter  reproach  and 
ridicule,  opposition  and  scorn,  and  all  for 
the  good  of  mankind — whose  laws  they 
would  abrogate — whose  monarchs  they 
would  dethrone — whose  intellect  they 
would  extinguish — and  whose  account- 
ableness  they  would  destroy :  what  has 
all  their  boasting  come  to,  and  what  are 
the  results  of  their  exertions  %  Let  La- 
nark speak — rather  let  the  report  of  the 


parliamentary  commissioners  be  seriously 
pondered.  Of  all  the  manufacturing  dis- 
tricts which  they  had  visited  during  a 
season  of  unexampled  distress,  Lanark 
was  the  most  demoralized  and  the  most 
wretched.  The  unhappy  co-operatives 
had  gained  nothing  by  their  compact  but 
a  community  of  unsatiated  appetites,  ex- 
cited passions,  disappointed  hopes,  and  a 
reckless  disregard  of  the  future. 

These  practical  lessons,  I  trust,  will 
not  be  lost  upon  our  people,  who,  instead 
of  hunting  after  novelties  and  yielding  to 
the  seducing  spirit  of  the  age,  will  stand 
in  the  way  and  ask  for  the  old  paths,  where 
is  the  good  way,  and  walk  therein,  and 
thus  find  rest  to  their  souls. 


THE   MINISTRY   A   DIGNIFIED   CALLING. 

When  the  celebrated  George  Herbert 
informed  a  court  friend  with  his  resolu- 
tion to  enter  into  sacred  orders,  he  endea- 
voured to  dissuade  him  from  it,  as  too 
mean  an  employment,  and  too  much  be- 
low his  birth,  and  the  excellent  abilities 
and  endowments  of  his  mind.  To  whom 
he  replied, — It  hath  been  formerly  judged 
that  the  domestic  servants  of  the  King  of 
heaven  should  be  of  the  noblest  families 
on  earth.  And  though  the  iniquity  of  the 
late  times  have  made  clergymen  meanly 
valued,  and  the  sacred  name  of  priest 
contemptible ;  yet  I  will  labour  to  make 
it  honourable,  by  consecrating  all  my 
learning,  and  all  my  poor  abilities,  to 
advance  the  glory  of  that  God  that  gave 
them,  knowing  that  I  can  never  do  too 
much  for  him,  that  hath  done  so  much 
for  me,  as  to  make  me  a  Christian.  And 
I  will  labour  to  be  like  my  Saviour,  by 
making  humility  lovely  in  the  eyes  of  all 
men,  and  by  following  the  merciful  and 
meek  example  of  my  dear  Jesus. — Isaac 
Walton. 


SERMON  XXXI. 

ON   THE   JUDGMENTS  OF  GOD 
PREACHED 

BY  THE  VERY  REV.  G.  H.  BAIRD,  D.D., 

PRINCIPAL   OF   THE   UNIVERSITY,    AND   SENIOR.  MINISTER   OF   THE   HIGH   CHURCH,  EDINBURGH 


When  thy  judgments  are  in  the  earth,  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  wiU  learn  righteousness." 

Isaiah  xxvi.  9. 


I  BEGIN,  my  friends,  with  remarking 
that  by  the  term  "judgments  of  God" 
the  Scriptures  sometimes  denote  the  de- 
cisions, whether  favourable  or  adverse, 
which  God  passes  upon  the  conduct  of 
men.  But  more  frequently  this  phrase  is 
employed  w  denote  the  effect  of  such  de- 
cisions, when  they  are  unfavourable — to 
denote  those  remarkable  punishments  by 
which  the  Almighty  chastises  the  wick- 
edness of  guilty  individuals,  and  the 
crimes  of  guilty  nations.  In  the  course 
of  God's  providential  procedure  we  often 
see  his  judgments;  we  see  misfortune 
and  distress  following  so  closely  and  visi- 
bly the  conduct  of  men,  that  we  can  have 
no  doubt  whatever  concerning  the  con- 
nexion that,  by  his  appointment,  subsists 
between  them.  Thus  when  poverty,  like 
an  armed  man,  rusheth  on  the  prodigal— 
when  a  failing  of  eyes,  and  trembling  of 
joints,  and  rottenness  of  bones  afflict  the 
sensualist — when  a  dissolution  of  all  the 
moral  bonds  that  uphold  governments 
sweeps  from  a  once  high  place  among 
the  nations  an  ungodly,  and  profligate,  and 
effeminate  people,  we  see  in  such  cases 
an  obvious  relation  between  sin  and  pun- 
ishment— between  the  sin  and  the  judg- 
ment of  God  passed  against  it.  They  are 
connected  as  cause  and  effect  by  the  ori- 
ginal constitution  which  the  Almighty 
has  imposed  on  man,  and  on  the  world  in 
which  man  is  placed,  and  where  he  acts ; 
and  we  feel  no  surprise  when  we  see 


these  accompanying  one  another — the  sin 
and  the  punishment. 

But,  my  friends,  there  are  many  cases 
where  the  precise  object  of  the  divine 
visitation  is  unknown  and  invisible  to  us. 
In  many  cases  the  Lord  holdeth  back  his 
face  in  his  dealings  with  his  creatures, 
and  spreadeth  a  cloud  of  darkness  over 
it :  men  behold  the  effects  only  of  his  in- 
terposition, without  perceiving  the  parti- 
cular end  for  which  these  visitations  were 
produced.  For  instance,  in  the  material 
world  we  sometimes  witness  famine,  and 
the  raging  tempest,  consuming  all  and 
blasting  the  hopes  of  men — and  so  it  is  to 
this  day  in  our  land.  At  other  times  we 
behold  a  terrible  pestilence  thinning,  by  its 
ravages,  the  numbers  of  the  people.  And 
in  the  establishments  of  social  life,  too, 
do  we  not  often  see  deep  distress  brought 
on  the  inhabitants  of  whole  kingdoms 
through  political  revolutions  and  war  1 
Now,  we  know  from  the  Scriptures,  and 
the  suggestions  of  our  own  hearts,  that 
these  also  are  the  scourges  of  nations  ih 
the  hands  of  the  Almighty.  We  are  at 
the  same  time  but  seldom  able  to  point 
out  the  individuals  whose  sin  these  judg- 
ments were  sent  more  immediately  to 
punish.  The  individual  sufferers,  like 
the  eighteen  men  upon  whom  the  tower 
of  Siloam  fell,  are  often  not  more  guilty 
than  other  people.  Let  it  not,  however, 
be  overlooked,  that  the  promiscuous  ca- 
lamities which  happen  to  them,  if  they 
2  B  2  293 


294 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


do  not  come  as  punishments,  come  in 
divine  wisdom  as  salutary  general  warn- 
ings, or  as  improving  tests  and  trials  of 
their  faith,  or  as  exercises  of  their  forti- 
tude and  patience.  In  all  such  cases  it 
would,  therefore,  be  rash  and  uncharita- 
ble to  interpret  particularly,  and  with  re- 
ference to  individuals,  the  views  of  divine 
judgment  when  affecting  a  multitude. 
It  is  enough  for  us  to  know  that  these 
judgments,  whatever  be  their  kind,  what- 
ever be  their  nature,  or  whatever  their 
degree,  are  instruments  of  God's  govern- 
ment of  his  moral  and  rational  offspring, 
and  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  may 
learn  from  them  lessons  of  righteousness. 
This  is  the  view,  you  will  remark,  in 
which  the  text  represents  the  judgments 
of  God  to  our  consideration ;  and,  there- 
fore, in  conformity  with  the  pious  pur- 
pose for  which  we  are  assembled  this 
day,  I  shall  endeavour  to  suggest,  briefly, 
two  of  the  righteous  lessons  which  the 
judgments  of  God  ought  to  teach  us. 

In  the  first  place,  the  judgments  of  God, 
whatever  their  form,  and  whatever  their 
degree  may  be,  when  they  are  contem- 
plated by  an  enlightened  and  devout  mind, 
are  found  powerfully  to  excite  within  it 
sentiments  of  warm  piety  and  deep  devo- 
tion toward  that  God  from  whom  these 
judgments  proceed.  My  friends,  that 
God  continues  to  govern  the  world  which 
he  has  made,  and  that  his  rational  sub- 
jects owe  to  him  reverence  and  obedience, 
are  truths  which  scarcely  admit  of  doubt. 
God  has  impressed  so  visibly  on  all  his 
works  the  signature  of  that  unceasing 
care  which  he  exercises  for  their  pre- 
servation, that  we  have  only  to  open  our 
eyes  on  his  works  and  behold  it.  When 
we  look  up  to  the  heavens  which  his  fin- 
gers have  framed — when  we  see  the  sun, 
and  the  moon,  and  the  stars  observing 
order  and  regularity  in  all  their  move- 
ments, we  are  at  once  convinced  of  the 
powerful  superintendence  and  energy  of 
their  Creator; — and  when  we  turn  our 
view  to  this  earth,  we  meet  every  where 
indications  of  a  similar  kind.  It  is  by  the 
energies  of  his  hand  that  all  the  things  of 
this  world  are  maintained,  each  of  them 
in  their  due  season  and  proportion,  and  it 
is  upon  him  they  depend  for  the  wonder- 


ful maintenance  of  their  condition.  But, 
above  all,  we  can  trace  the  watchful  pro- 
vidence of  God  in  the  history  of  our  race 
— we  can  trace  the  watchful  providence 
of  God  communicating  to  man,  at  his  first 
formation,  the  instincts  and  powers  re- 
quired for  the  new  condition  he  was  to 
fill — we  can  trace  the  watchful  provi- 
dence of  God  mingling  men  in  society, 
and  adjusting  their  talents  to  the  situa- 
tion which  each  of  them  has  been  destined 
to  fill  in  it — and,  through  a  most  compli- 
cated series  of  arrangements,  we  can  see 
the  watchful  providence  of  God  render- 
ing men,  in  their  respective  spheres,  the 
instruments  of  promoting  the  destined 
and  ultimate  perfection  of  cur  race. 

Now,  to  a  man  capable  of  reflecting  on 
these  marks  of  divine  government,  the 
Almighty  surely  presents  an  object  most 
worthy  of  unbounded  veneration — a  Being 
whose  mercies  in  all  things  are  conspicu- 
ous, and  who  has  an  unquestionable  title 
to  receive  from  his  rational  creatures  the 
worship  and  homage  which  he  requires. 
But,  alas  !  my  brethren,  while  things  ob- 
serve their  ordinary  course,  how  seldom 
do  we  permit  our  thoughts  to  rise  from 
them  to  the  power  by  which  they  are  con- 
ducted 1  Alas  !  alas  !  the  beauty  and  be- 
nignity which  our  Father  in  heaven  has 
spread  around  us  in  the  world,  where  he 
has  given  us  our  situation,  detain  our  at^ 
tention  on  themselves,  without  suggest- 
ing the  source  from  which  they  flow. 
Nay,  that  very  order,  that  very  regularity 
which  is  the  effect  of  his  present  power 
and  care,  lulls  our  mind  asleep,  and  ren- 
ders us  insensible  to  the  workings  of  his 
hand.  It  is,  in  truth,  only  when  the  ge- 
neral order  of  events  seems  to  be  sensi- 
bly interrupted — it  is  only  when  the  ele- 
ments composing  the  world  and  the  frame 
of  divine  government  seem  to  jostle,  as 
it  were,  against  each  other — it  is  only 
when  the  pillars  that  support  the  society 
of  men  are  suddenly  shaken  or  broken 
down — or  when  some  public  or  personal 
misfortune  crosses  the  path  of  life,  that 
the  thoughtless  multitude — and,  alas  !  are 
we  not  all  to  be  considered  too  much 
members  of  the  thoughtless  multitude  1 — 
arise  to  reflection,  and  feel  tlie  presence 
of  their  God. 


ON  THE  JUDGMENTS  CJF  GOD. 


295 


My  friends,  there  are  various  principles 
m  our  constitution,  by  which  the  judg- 
ments of  heaven  contribute  to  a  salutary 
effect  upon  the  minds  of  a  thoughtless 
world.  Unexpected  revolutions,  either 
in  the  natural  or  moral  world,  naturally 
arrest  our  attention.  They  demonstrate, 
in  the  most  sensible  manner,  to  our  con- 
sciences our  own  weakness,  and  the  in- 
competency of  our  powers  either  to  pro- 
duce or  control  the  changing  events 
around  us ;  and  to  every  mind  that  is  not 
totally  enfeebled  and  darkened  through 
corruption,  such  revolutions  suggest  with 
irresistible  force  the  notion  of  a  powerful 
Supreme  Ruler,  they  alarm  our  fears  at 
his  displays,  and  awaken  all  those  sen- 
timents— (this  is  at  least  their  natural 
tendency,  or  ought  to  be  their  constant 
effect) — of  humility  and  penitence  which 
form  the  beginning  of  a  pious  and  devout 
temper.  And  I  would  especially  call 
your  attention  to  this  view  of  the  case, 
that  we  learn  from  Scripture  that  this  is 
not  only  the  tendency  of  the  divine  judg- 
ments when  rightly  improved,  but  often 
the  very  purpose  for  which  they  were 
sent  by  the  providence  of  God.  The 
early  record  of  Moses  proclaims,  repeat- 
edly, that  strange  punishments  came  upon 
the  disobedient.  And  why  1  That  the 
people  may  hear,  and  feel,  and  do  no 
more  their  iniquities.  The  plagues  were 
sent  upon  Egypt  that  the  Egyptians 
might  know  that  God  is  the  Lord.  When 
Sennacherib  was  pursuing  his  severe  con- 
quests, and  wickedly  railing  against  the 
God  of  Israel,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  slew 
in  one  night  a  hundred  and  fourscore 
and  five  thousand  men.  And  why'?  It 
was  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth 
might  know  that  he  is  the  Lord  God, 
even  he  alone !  And  the  psalmist  in 
express  terms  asserts  the  general  propo- 
sition, that  God  maketh  himself  known 
by  the  judgments  which  he  executeth, 
and  snareth  the  wicked  in  the  work  of  his 
own  hands. 

If,  then,  my  beloved  Christian  friends, 
the  judgments  of  God  be  both  fitted  and 
designed  to  awaken  us  to  the  ways  of  his 
providence,  how  should  we  labour  to  re- 
gard and  improve  them  !  Never  let  it  be 
forgotten  that  the  prevalence   of  these 


judgments  is  a  means  of  moral  reforma- 
tion for  which  we  are  accountable.  They 
are  chastisements  which,  after  all  gentler 
methods  have  failed,  our  gracious  Father, 
desirous  of  our  reformation  and  eternal 
safety,  employs,  and  employs  reluctantly, 
as  the  last  efforts  to  recall  us  to  the  paths 
of  obedience.  And  if  we  return  not — if 
we  still  harden  our  hearts  more  and  more, 
what  must  be  the  consequence  !  You  all 
know  what  must  be  the  consequence. 
This  consequence  may  follow,  and  follow 
most  certainly  under  the  divine  govern- 
ment it  will,  that  our  wickedness  must 
be  avenged  by  signal  calamity.  The  de- 
nunciations made  by  the  mouth  of  Isaiah 
must  come :  This  "  people  turn  not  to 
him  that  smiteth  them,  neither  do  they 
seek  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Therefore  the 
Lord  will  cut  off  from  Israel  head  and 
tail,  branch  and  rush,  in  one  day ;  for 
througli  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  of  hosfcs  is 
the  land  darkened,  and  the  people  shall 
be  as  the  fuel  of  the  fire :  no  man  shall 
spare  his  brother."  (Isaiah  ix.  13,  14. 
19.) 

From  these  remarks,  my  friends,  it  will 
appear  that  the  divine  judgments  have  as 
their  first  and  general  purpose,  whatever 
their  kind  and  form  may  be,  to  rouse  the 
attention  of  sinners  to  the  proofs  of  divine 
government,  and  to  recall  them,  before  it 
be  too  late,  from  their  sleep  of  inconsider- 
ation,  and  from  the  criminal  practices  of 
irreligion  and  vice.  These  purposes  of 
the  divine  judgments  which  we  have 
affirmed  in  so  many  portions  of  Scripture, 
and  which  so  heavily  afflict  our  land,  let 
us  carefully  improve.  Let  us  remember 
that,  amid  the  calamity  that  is  commit- 
ting its  ravages  among  our  brethren,  all 
is  the  doing  of  the  Lord  ;  and  considering 
that,  let  us  then,  with  habitual  and  awful 
reverence,  bow  before  him  in  submission 
to  his  will. 

But,  my  brethren,  the  judgment  which 
has,  by  the  divine  permission,  visited  our 
land,  and  which  has  this  day  brought  us, 
professing  humiliation,  to  the  house  of 
prayer — a  judgment  as  appalling  in  its 
effects  as  it  is  novel  in  its  circumstances — 
not  only  powerfully  impresses  the  gene- 
ral lesson  of  righteousness,  which  all  the 
divine  judgments  are  calculated   to  do, 


296 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


but  with  a  fatal  and  a  loud  voice  reminds 
us,  in  the  second  place,  of  this  other  pe- 
culiar lesson,  the  uncertainty  of  life,  and 
the  necessity  and  wisdom,  therefore,  of 
instant  preparation  for  a  Christian  death 
of  peace  and  hope.  For,  my  friends, 
what  judgment  has  ever  taught  so  widely 
and  so  alarmingly  the  truth  that  we  know 
not  what  a  day  or  a  night  may  bring 
forth  ■? — What  judgment  has  ever  so  ter- 
rified the  land  with  the  similitude  of  the 
psalmist — "  thou  turnest  man  to  destruc- 
tion, and  sayest.  Return,  ye  children  of 
men.  Thou  carriest  them  away  as  with 
a  flood  :  they  are  as  a  sleep — in  the  morn- 
ing they  are  like  grass  which  groweth  up. 
In  the  morning  it  flourisheth  and  groweth 
— in  the  evening  it  is  cut  down  and  with- 
ereth."  Yes,  my  brethren,  how  many 
are  the  dwellings  around  us,  where  the 
inmates,  healthy  and  light-hearted  when 
the  sun  arose,  have,  ere  the  sun  descend- 
ed, given  the  dust  to  dust,  and  their  spirit 
to  God?  Oh!  how  alarming  to  unpre- 
pared and  sinful  men  is  a  fate  like  this  ! 
No  time  is  there  for  review — no  time  for 
repentance — no  time  for  making  assu- 
rance of  peace  with  God.  Who  prays  not 
earnestly  at  this  moment  for  himself  from 
a  fate  like  this — "  O  God,  of  thy  good 
mercy  save  and  deliver  me."  O,  my 
brethren,  confine  not  your  feelings  to  a 
brief  momentary  prayer.  Let  them  have 
a  permanent  and  practical  influence  on 
your  hearts  and  lives.  The  disastrous 
inroads  of  the  pestilential  malady  into  the 
bosom  of  our  own  city  have  hitherto  been, 
through  the  divine  forbearance  in  mercy, 
comparatively  limited  ;  but  who  will  say 
that  our  dwellings — who  will  say  that 
our  persons  are  for  the  future  secure  1 
Signal  benevolence  has  been  manifested 
for  averting  the  mischief  by  the  opulence 
among  us.  No  labour  of  love  has  been 
spared  ;  and  as  to  the  professional  mem- 
bers of  the  healing  art,  they  have  by  their 
conduct  most  richly  deserved  the  grati- 
tude of  their  fellow-citizens,  and  have 
won  for  themselves  indelible  reputation. 
They  have  won  it  by  the  fearless  expo- 
sure of  their  own  persons  to  the  perils  of 
infection  in  the  discharge  of  their  hazard- 
ous duty,  in  their  unwearied  and  watch- 
ful toils  at  the  beds  of  the  diseased  and 


the  dying.  Ye  opulent — ye  professional 
men,  to  whom  I  have  now  alluded — let 
not  the  unfounded  and  insane  prejudices, 
as  I  must  term  them,  of  some  ignorant 
and  misguided  individuals  damp  your 
ardour,  or  relax  your  efforts,  in  your  god- 
like work  of  well-doing.  All  that  are 
enlightened  and  generous  approve  and 
applaud ;  and  even  the  ignorant  will 
eventually  feel  shame,  as  they  ought,  for 
their  uncharitableness  and  folly,  w  bile  it 
is  yours  to  enjoy,  above  all  the  praises  of 
men,  the  gracious  approbation  of  your  con- 
sciences and  your  God. 

But  still,  again  the  startling  question 
recurs,  under  all  that  opulence  and  me- 
dical labour  and  skill  have  contributed  to 
ward  off  the  evil  from  our  gates,  are  our 
houses,  I  ask  again,  are  we  ourselves  for 
the  future,  with  entire  certainty,  secure 
from  the  desolating  disease,  and  that 
frightful  rapidity  with  which  it  hurries 
its  victim  to  the  grave  ?  Never  let  it  be 
forgotten  that  opulence  and  medical  skill 
are  but  secondary  means  and  causes,  and 
that  their  efficiency  depends  on  the  influ- 
ential co-operation  and  blessing  of  our 
heavenly  Father.  Let,  then,  our  devout, 
sincere,  and  ardent  aspirations — let  the 
devout,  sincere,  and  ardent  aspirations  of 
every  inhabitant  of  our  city  ascend  to  him 
— let  us  thrust  our  tears  and  supplications 
before  the  footstool  of  his  throne,  before 
the  great  Mediator,  that  he  will  be  pleased 
still  to  be  around  us,  and  deliver  us  from 
our  threatening  dangers  and  troubles. 

But  then,  my  people,  let  me  impress 
on  every  conscience  and  heart,  if  we  hope 
for  success  to  our  supplications,  that  it  is 
not  enough  that  in  a  momentary  feeling 
of  devoutness  we  lift  our  hearts  to  the 
throne  of  the  Most  High,  but  we  must 
carefully  add  to  our  supplications  the  ac- 
ceptable incense  of  penitent  hearts  and 
holy  lives — for  thus  only,  let  us  be  as- 
sured, can  our  hope  be  on  rational  and 
safe  grounds.  What  is  the  language  of 
Britons  here  this  day  ]  If  it  has  any 
meaning,  it  is  that  you  believe  in  the 
great  truth  of  the  constant  superintend- 
ence of  God  over  human  affairs ; — if  it 
has  any  meaning,  it  is  that  he,  by  the  ge- 
neral tenor  of  his  laws,  manifests  favour 
to  the  godly ;  but  that  he  does,  and  ever 


ON  THE  JUDGMENTS  OF  GOD. 


297 


will,  by  the  unchanging  principles  of  his 
government,  reward  the  evil  according  to 
his  iniquities.  If  the  language  of  Bri- 
tons has  any  meaning,  it  is  that  you  are 
conscious  of  much  evil-doing — that  you 
deplore  it  in  your  own  personal  case ; 
and  that  you  resolve  to  cease  from  doing 
it  hereafter — that  you  resolve  to  be  stead- 
fast and  immovable,  always  abounding 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  which  steadfast- 
ness and  immovableness,  and  abounding 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  may  justify  your 
confessions  here,  and  procure  your  ac- 
ceptance in  the  day  of  final  account. 

Now,  surely,  never  was  there  a  louder 
call  on  Britons  than  there  is  this  day,  to 
adopt  this  language  in  the  sanctuary,  and 
in  all  their  future  conduct.  Let  all  ranks 
among  us,  therefore,  as  the  best  prepara- 
tion for  stopping  this  calamity — as  the 
best  preparation  for  that  death  which,  if 
not  this  calamity,  some  other  cause  will 
speedily  bring  upon  us  all — let  men  all 
repent  and  reform — let  men  of  every  rank 
consult  this  book  of  God,  which  explains 
so  clearly,  and  which  alone  can  explain 
with  authority,  because  it  bears  the  stamp 
of  divine  religion — let  all  consult  this 
book,  and  learn  what  the  terms  are  on 
which  God  is  willing  to  forgive  the  sin- 
ner— what  the  terms  are  on  which  they 
can  receive  the  assurance  in  their  minds 
of  their  being  heirs  of  that  salvation  which 
the  Redeemer  came  to  accomplish.  They 
will  find  that  there  is  only  one  way  in 
which  the  sinner  can  hope  for  forgive- 
ness. It  was  said  to  a  person  of  high 
rank  that  there  is  no  royal  road  to  any 
particular  science.  So  in  the  chair  of 
truth,  the  teacher  of  religion  is  called  on 
to  tell  the  people  that  there  is  no  privi- 
leged road  to  heaven — that  there  is  no 
peculiar  road  by  which  the  high  may 
reach  it  to  the  exclusion  of  the  poor — no 
peculiar  road  by  which  the  poor  may  reach 
it  to  the  exclusion  of  the  high — "  Strait 
is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way,  which 
leadeth  unto  life ;"  but  there  is  but  one 
gate,  and  one  way,  through  which  every 
living  soul  must  rise  to  heaven — if  to  hea- 
ven he  rise  at  all — and  that  is  through  faith 
in  Jesus  Christ,  and  through  that  holiness 
which  follows  that  faith — if  that  faith  is 
genuine.     Let  all  ranks,  then,  from  the 

Vol.  I 38 


highest  to  the  lowest,  learn  this  precious 
truth  from  the  book  of  God.  Believe  in 
Christ,  and  believe  in  him  with  the  heart 
unto  righteousness.  This  is  the  effect- 
ual way  to  be  taken  by  every  individual 
who  wishes  to  obtain  the  diminution  of 
the  divine  judgment  now  ravaging  our 
land — by  every  individual  who  wishes  to 
obtain  for  himself  a  ground  of  peace  in 
the  prospect  of  that  death  which  its  ap- 
proach may  bring  to  him,  but  which,  at 
all  events,  must  soon  come  to  him.  Let 
it  be  the  business  of  all  men  to  consider 
what  faith  is — to  beseech  the  grace  of 
God  to  bestow  it,  and  to  enable  them  to 
follow  after  holiness,  without  which  they 
can  never  please  nor  see  God. 

My  brethren,  these  are  the  means — the 
cherishings  and  actings  of  faith — these 
are  the  means  by  which  you  may  make 
yourselves,  as  I  have  said,  instruments 
of  good  to  the  public,  and  by  which  you 
may  make  yourselves  ready  for  the  hour 
in  which  the  Son  of  man  shall  come. 

Now,  surely,  any  long  detail  or  remark 
is  unnecessary  to  convince  you  that  for 
the  hour  of  the  Son  of  man  coming,  the 
most  important  duty  which  a  mortal  has 
to  discharge,  is  in  the  command  to  make 
himself  ready.  O,  my  brethren,  how  de- 
lightful will  it  be  to  you — how  delightful 
will  it  be  to  the  friends  that  may  surround 
your  dying  couch,  if  you  shall  be  one  of 
those  sainted  men  who,  having  been  tried 
with  tribulation,  tried  to  the  end  of  your 
earthly  career  by  the  world  and  seduction, 
shall  be  ready,  at  the  call  of  your  God,  to 
resign  its  enjoyments,  and,  standing  on 
the  verge  of  eternity,  shall  be  solaced  with 
a  conscience  void  of  offence,  when  reflect- 
ing on  the  past,  and  refreshed  with  the 
prospect  of  an  everlasting  kingdom  in  the 
heavens  !  The  ministers  of  religion  are 
called  to  furnish  consolation  to  the  dying, 
and  they  see  them  in  various  conditions 
of  character  and  feeling.  But  they  will 
tell  you  that  eye  cannot  behold  a  more 
sublime,  or  more  instructing,  or  edifying 
spectacle  than  the  deathbed  of  a  good 
man — full  of  humble  confidence  in  God — 
rejoicing  in  the  approbation  of  his  own 
heart — triumphing  over  the  fears  of  the 
grave — and  singing,  when  he  thinks  him- 
self standing  on  its  very  verge,  "  I  am 


298 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


now  ready  to  be  oifered,  and  the  time  of 
my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought 
a  good  fight ;  I  have  finished  my  course  ; 
I  have  kept  the  faith ;  henceforth  there  is 
laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness, 
which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge, 
shall  give  me  at  that  day  ;  and  not  to  me 
only,  Ijut  to  all  them  also  that  love  his 
appearing." 

My  dear  friends,  if  this  dignified  termi- 
nation of  our  earthly  trials  be  an  object 
we  desire  to  gain — if  the  state  of  our  souls 
at  death  shall  decide  our  eternal  fate — if 
the  hour  of  our  departure  from  time  shall 
be  the  hour  of  our  passage  to  happiness 
or  misery  everlasting,  I  put  it  to  your  un- 
derstanding, if  you  will  reflect,  how  care- 
fully, how  intensely,  how  incessantly,  we 
should  prepare  for  its  approach.  Because 
we  do  not  see  it,  we  are  apt  to  flatter  our- 
selves that  it  is  far  distant.  But  need  I 
tell  you,  my  mortal  brethren,  that  you 
were  born  to  die  1  If,  at  this  solemn  mo- 
ment, a  heavenly  messenger  should  de- 
scend from  the  sky,  and  announce  the 
time  of  your  departure,  as  to  an  ancient 
was  done — thy  sickness  shall  be  unto 
death — this  week  shall  be  thy  last  week 
on  earth — even  this  night  thy  soul  shall 
be  required  of  thee — who  among  you 
would  be  ready  for  this  message  of  terror  1 
Alas  !  what  tears  of  affliction  would  run 
down  our  cheeks  at  the  remembrance  of 
our  sins — what  prayers  we  would  give 
for  a  short  prolongation  of  our  trials — 
what  thoughts  would  we  have  of  those 
we  left  behind — what  solicitude  would  be 
felt  to  finish  our  work  of  sanctification  ! 
But  is  an  angel  from  heaven  necessary  to 
tell  us  that  we  are  mortal — that  our  ap- 
pointed days  are  few  ]  As  for  the  days 
that  are  gone,  and  the  ages  that  are  past, 
what  has  become  of  the  multitude  that 
filled  them  1  Let  us  look  around  in  quest 
of  those  in  our  own  time — let  us  look 


around  us  in  quest  of  those  whom  but  a 
few  moments  we  saw  with  delight  on  the 
stage  of  life,  the  companions  of  our 
youth,  the  friends  of  our  bosom,  the  chil- 
dren perhaps  whom  nature  designed  to 
be  props  of  our  declining  years,  whither 
have  they  gone  1  A  voice  from  their 
grave  pierces  the  heart  of  the  thinking 
soul,  and  calls  on  us  all  to  be  ready  to 
follow  them.  Listen,  then,  to  this  warn- 
ing voice.  It  accords  with  the  dictates 
of  universal  experience — every  change 
in  our  condition  reminds  us  of  its  truth — 
infirmities,  as  they  draw  upon  us,  tell 
that  the  hour  of  our  departure  comcth. 
In  this,  the  day  of  a  merciful  visitation — 
in  this,  our  present  escape  from  the  dread- 
ful malady,  let  us  attend  to  the  things  that 
belong  to  our  peace — let  us  cherish  the 
dispositions,  and  hopes,  and  habits,  the 
remembrance  of  which  may  cheer  our 
departed  spirits — let  us  learn  lessons  of 
righteousness  from  the  judgments  of  God 
— let  us  lay  up  for  ourselves  treasures  in 
heaven,  and  then  when  our  Lord  comes, 
whether  he  come  in  the  first  watch  or  in 
the  second — whether  this  day  or  to-mor- 
row— whether  in  the  hour  of  our  wor- 
ship or  in  the  hour  of  business — whether 
when  we  are  asleep  or  awake — he  will 
find  us  ready.  No  painful  retrospect  will 
disquiet  our  consciences  —  no  anxious 
forebodings  terrify  our  souls.  If  we  lead 
the  life  of  the  righteous,  we  shall  die 
their  death — we  shall  depart  like  them, 
and  be  with  them  ;  and  our  works  shall 
follow  us  unto  the  habitation  of  our  hea- 
venly Father. 

I  only  add,  and  let  all  join  in  the  prayer 
— Do  thou,  0  God,  to  whom  belong  the 
issues  of  life — do  thou  stand  by  us  in  our 
dying  moments — support  our  feeble  limbs 
in  their  passage  through  the  dark  valley, 
and  receive  them  into  their  everlasting 
rest,  for  Christ's  sake.     Amen. 


SERMON  XXXII. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 
BY  THE  LATE  REV.  RICHARD  WATSON. 


"  For  ye  have  not  received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to  fear ;  but  ye  have  received  the  Spirit 
of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father.  The  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that 
we  are  the  children  of  God." — Rom.  viii.  15,  16. 


You  are  most  of  you  familiar  with  the 
argument  of  the  apostle  in  the  preceding 
chapters  of  this  epistle — an  argument  of 
the  utmost  importance,  and  which  affects 
the  great  foundations  of  our  faith — which 
carries  all  that  there  is  of  established  and 
confirmed  doctrine  in  the  gospel  into  ac- 
tual and  personal  experience.  He  proved 
that  all  the  world  were  guilty  before  God 
— that  Jew  and  Gentile,  differing  as  they 
did  in  religious  principles,  in  this  respect 
stood  on  the  same  ground — that  every 
mouth  is  sUypped ;  there  can  be  no  justifi- 
cation, no  palliation,  no  boasting;  every 
mouth  is  stopped,  and  the  whole  world 
is  guilty  before  God.  And  if  guilty,  then 
under  condemnatio7i,  under  the  penalty 
of  the  law,  under  the  penalty  of  death, 
liable  to  an  eternal  separation  from  God 
and  happiness. 

The  next  step  which  the  apostle  takes 
is  to  show  that  the  law  of  Moses,  as  a 
particular  revelation  of  law,  as  a  moral 
law,  furnished  no  means  of  justification 
before  God.  This  he  proves  from  one 
great  principle,  which  is  exceedingly 
obvious,  that  by  the  law  is  the  knowledge 
of  sin ;  and,  therefore,  the  office  of  the 
law  as  to  the  guilty  is  to  give  them  the 
knowledge  of  sin,  to  convict  them  of  it, 
and  to  show  the  penalty  to  which  they 
are  exposed.  How,  then,  can  justifica- 
tion come  from  the  law  ?  Its  sole  office 
as  to  the  guilty  is  to  give  them  heart- 
rending knowledge  of  sin,  and  to  reveal 
the  conviction  of  this  to  all  eternity. 
Butj  it  may  be  said,  there  are  a  number 


of  persons  exceedingly  serious  in  their 
disposition,  concerned  as  to  their  state, 
making  the  strongest  efforts  to  please 
God — what  do  you  say  of  them  ?  The 
apostle  allows  that ;  and  he  speaks  in  the 
first  person,  as  if  there  had  been  a  time 
when  he  was  of  that  number — though 
that  is  not  very  clear — however,  he  speaks 
in  the  first  person,  and  no  doubt  repre- 
sents a  class  of  persons.  And  he  shows 
in  the  chapter  preceding  this,  that  even 
in  this  state  of  mind,  when  men  are  under 
the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God  con- 
vinced of  sin,  the  Spirit  opening  their 
eyes  to  discern  the  spirituality  of  the 
law,  and  inspiring  them  with  the  strong- 
est distaste  of  sin,  and  earnest  desire  to 
be  delivered  from  it — he  shows  that  even 
in  this  state  the  law  can  do  nothing  for 
them — that  it  gives  them  the  knowledge 
of  their  sin,  and  the  knowledge  of  their 
sin  only ;  and  that,  though  man  consents 
to  the  law  that  it  is  good,  and  strives  to 
fulfil  it,  still  he  feels  himself  bound  ;  he 
finds  a  principle  of  corruption  in  his  flesh 
which  obtains  the  victory  over  every  reso- 
lution ;  and  so,  at  last,  after  repeated 
struggles,  he  comes  to  the  issue,  and  cries 
out,  "  O  wretched  man  that  I  am  !  who 
shall  deliver  me  1" — acknowledging  that 
the  deliverance  must  come  not  from  him- 
self, but  from  without.  Here,  then,  the 
gospel  comes  in :  "I  thank  God,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord,"  says  the  apostle, 
that  he  is  delivered.  And  then  he  tells 
us,  that  there  is  no  condemnation  to  them 
that  are  in  Christ  Jesus — to  those  who 
299 


800 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


have  fled  to  him,  resting  on  him  as  their 
sacrifice — so  believing  as  to  be  justified, 
and  to  be  virtually  united  to  him  ;  there 
is  no  condemnation  to  them ;  the  power 
of  sin  is  broken,  and  they  walk  not  after 
the  flesh  but  after  the  spirit. 

The  apostle  then  goes  on  to  speak  of 
the  great  and  glorious  privileges  of  all 
true  believers  ;  and,  among  the  rest,  he 
introduces  the  one  that  is  mentioned  in 
the  text — that  they  are  not  only  recon- 
ciled to  God — not  only  justified  freely  by 
his  grace,  and  brought  into  this  state  of 
fellowship  and  friendship  with  him — but 
that  they  are  certainly  persuaded  they 
are  passed  from  death  unto  life ;  and  that 
this  is  no  matter  of  doubtful  inference  of 
their  own,  from  premises  which  they  may 
wrongly  lay  down,  or  an  inference  so 
conducted  that  they  may  be  mistaken  in 
it ;  but  that  God  himself  shows  it  them — 
that  it  is  the  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God,  called  in  the  text  the  Spirit  of  adop- 
tion— and  that  He  it  is  who  assures  them 
of  this  glorious  truth.  This  is  the  sub- 
ject before  us.  I  need  not  say  it  is  one 
deeply  interesting  to  us  all ;  to  know  not 
only  that  our  sins  may  be  remitted,  and 
that  we  may  pass  into  the  family  of  God ; 
but  to  know  that  we  may  be  graciously 
assured  of  it  from  God  the  Holy  Spirit — 
that  this  assurance  may  be  alive — that  it 
may  shed  abroad  its  comforting  and  hal- 
lowing influences  in  our  spirits  continu- 
ally— and  that  it  shall  be  to  us  the  blessed 
pledge  and  foretaste  of  the  assurance  we 
shall  have  of  God's  eternal  favour,  when 
we  see  him  in  his  glory,  and  when  he 
speaks  to  us  even  from  his  throne.  The 
subject,  then,  is  of  importance  to  us.  Let 
us  attend  to  it — let  us  endeavour  to  mark 
its  nature — let  us  earnestly  press  into  the 
enjoyment  of  it,  if  we  have  not  received  it 
— and  let  us  rejoice  in  the  additional  con- 
firmation of  our  faith,  if,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  we  are  now  able  to  call  him  Father. 

Let  us,  in  the  first  place,  offer  a  few 

EXPOSITORY     REMARKS    ON    THE     TERMS    OF 

THE  TEXT.  This  is  necessary  to  prevent 
error  and  misconception. 

The  first  term  which  needs  explanation, 
is  "  the  Spirii  of  bondage.''^  What  may 
the  apostle  mean  by  that  ?  There  are, 
indeed,  some  who  tell  us  that  he  personi- 


fies, so  to  speak,  the  genius  of  the  law, 
and  calls  it  the  spirit  of  bondage;  calls  it 
so,  because  there  was  that,  they  tell  us,  in 
the  law,  which  naturally  produces  a  servile 
spirit — a  servile  dread  of  God — uneasi- 
ness with  respect  to  the  future — a  want 
of  confidence  even  in  all  their  services. 
Brethren,  I  doubt  that — I  doubt  the  fact. 
When  the  apostle  tells  us  that  he  was 
alive  without  the  law — or  quite  alive  in 
his  own  mind,  before  the  law  was  brought 
home  to  him  in  its  convincing  energy,  as 
revealed  in  its  spiritual  meaning  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  he  was  not  the  subject  of 
this  servility — not  the  subject  of  this 
bondage — not  the  subject  of  this  fear ; 
nor  had  any  of  the  Pharisees  who  were 
unawakened.  We  have  an  instance  of 
this  in  the  case  of  the  publican  and  Pha- 
risee in  the  temple.  The  publican  had 
the  spirit  of  bondage  indeed  ;  but  the 
Pharisee,  pressing  boldly  forward,  justi- 
fied himself  before  God.  It  cannot, 
therefore,  be  the  meaning  that  the  spirit 
of  bondage  is  the  personification  of  the 
genius  of  the  law,  because  all  those  who 
were  under  the  law  would  thus  have 
been  affected  by  the  bondage;  and,  since 
the  Pharisees  were  the  most  anxious  to 
obtain  justification  by  the  law,  they 
would  be  most  under  the  influence  of  this 
spirit,  if,  indeed,  it  were  merely  the  per- 
sonification of  the  genius  of  the  law. 

By  the  "  Spirit  of  bondage"  the  apos- 
tle means  the  Holy  Spirit — the  Holy 
Spirit  in  his  convincing  operations  ;  for 
it  is  his  office  to  convince  the  world  of 
sin.  When  he  brings  a  man  into  that 
state,  that  he  consents  to  the  law  that  it 
is  good — that  he  would  do  good,  yet  has 
his  eyes  open  to  discern  all  his  defects, 
and  groans  under  a  weight  and  burden 
from  which  he  cannot  relieve  himself, 
and  under  the  power  of  a  chain  which  he 
cannot  break — and  when  he  is  brought 
into  the  state  described  by  the  apostle, 
and  says,  "  0  wretched  man  that  I  am  ! 
who  shall  deliver  me!"  then  he  has  re- 
ceived the  Spirit  of  bondage  unto  fear. 

The  next  term  is  "the  Spirit  of  adop- 
tion." Some  suppose  that  this  means 
the  genius  of  the  gospel  personified,  be- 
cause there  is  something  free,  and  liberal, 
and   hopeful   in  the  whole  character  of 


THE  TESTIMONY  OF  THE  SPIEUT. 


301 


Christianity — that  the  (Spirit  of  adoption 
is  the  effect  which  this  cliaracterof  Cliris- 
tianify  produces  in  men,  allaying  their 
fears  and  raising  their  hopes.  But  we 
can  easily  prove,  brethren,  that  the  apos- 
tle cannot  mean  the  genius  of  the  gospel 
by  the  expression,  but  the  Holy  Spirit 
himself;  because,  observe,  in  the  next 
clause,  "  the  Spirit  itself,"  or  himself,  or 
that  same  Spirit  "  beareth  witness  with 
our  spirits,  that  we  are  the  children  of 
God."  This  is  rendered  more  clear  by 
the  parallel  passage  in  the  epistle  to  the 
Galatians,  "And  because  ye  are  sons, 
God  hath  sent  forth,"  not  the  genius  of 
the  gospel,  but  "  the  Spirit  of  his  Son 
into  your  hearts,  crying  Abba,  Father." 
If  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  is  the  Holy  Spirit, 
then  is  the  Spirit  of  adoption  here  men- 
tioned the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  whose 
particular  office  is — after  he  has  brought 
us  under  a  sense  of  bondage,  and  made 
us  sensible  of  the  need  of  deliverance  at 
the  hand  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  seek  it  from 
him — to  give  us,  in  some  way  or  other,  that 
blessed  testimony  and  assurance  of  our 
adoption  into  the  family  of  God — that  we 
are  the  children  of  God.  For  this  rea- 
son, and  in  reference  to  this  particular 
office,  he  is  called  the  Spirit  of  adoption. 
The  third  term  is  "^iSa,"  which  is 
interpreted  "  Father."  There  may  be 
some  meaning  in  what  many  commenta- 
tors say,  that  the  reason  why  the  term 
was  used  in  the  Syriac  language,  and 
then  expressed  in  the  Greek,  was  to  inti- 
mate that  Jew  and  Gentile  were  equally 
privileged  to  call  God  Father  by  the  gos- 
pel— that  there  was  no  difference  at  all, 
but  that  whoever  believed,  whether  Jew 
or  Gentile,  entered  into  this  common 
privilege;  and  that  the  believing  Gentile 
was  as  much  a  child  of  God  as  the  believ- 
ing Jew.  However,  there  is  more  pro- 
bably an  allusion  to  the  prohibition  which 
was  well  known  among  the  Jews  and 
others,  that  no  slave  was  allowed  to  call 
the  master  of  the  family  Abba,  Father; 
that  was  the  language  of  a  child,  not  a 
slave,  and  the  apostle,  therefore,  repre- 
sents this  as  the  great  privilege  of  Chris- 
tians, that  they  are  no  longer  servants, 
no  longer  slaves  ;  in  that  condition  you 
cannot  call  God  Father.     As  the  bond 


slaves  of  sin,  that  is  not  the  language  for 
you;  but  the  moment  you  believe  in 
Christ,  and  become  a  child  of  God  by 
faith  in  him,  you  may  call  him  Father 
with  unfaltering  tongue.  Since  you  have 
entered  into  the  condition  of  children,  you 
may  use  the  language  of  filial  confidence 
and  filial  fear. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  apostle 
adds, "  the  Spirit  of  adoption  whereby  we 
cry  Abba,  Father,"  intimating  to  us  that 
it  is  impossible  to  call  God  Father  with 
filial  confidence,  but  by  the  Spirit  of 
adoption.  Whatever  measure  of  the 
Spirit  we  may  receive  in  any  other  cha- 
racter, it  is  only  by  the  Spirit,  as  the 
Spirit  of  adoption,  that  we  can  call  God 
Father.  And  it  is  necessary  that  we  re- 
ceive this  Spirit  to  the  existence  of  this 
filial  confidence,  and  to  the  authorized  use 
of  this  filial  confidence. 

Having  made  these  remarks  on  the 
terms  of  the  text,  we  may  secondly  con- 
sider THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  TWO  WITNESSES 
MENTIONED    IN    THE    TEXT.       "  The    Spirit 

itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit"— ~ 
not  merely  to  our  spirits,  which  it  must 
do,  but  alu7ig  with  our  spirits  :  that  seems 
the  proper  interpretation.  Thus  we  have 
two  witnesses — the  Holy  Spirit  of  God, 
and  our  own  spirit.  It  is  important  for 
us  to  mark  the  distinction,  and  to  know 
the  office  of  both. 

Let  us  remark,  in  the  first  place,  the 
subject  of  their  testimony — it  is  "  that  we 
are  the  sons  of  God."  This  testimony 
of  the  Spirit  is  not  that  we  have  been 
awakened  to  a  sense  of  our  fallen  condi- 
tion— that  we  have  truly  and  heartily 
repented  us  of  our  sins — that  a  very  con- 
siderable number  of  moral  changes  have 
taken  place  in  our  affections  and  desires — 
that  in  many  respects  we  love  that  which 
we  once  hated,  and  hate  that  which  we 
once  loved.  All  these  things  do  in  effect 
take  place,  more  or  less,  preparatory  to  a 
man's  justification  before  God.  But  then 
the  office  of  the  Spirit  of  adoption  is  not, 
let  it  be  observed,  to  assure  us  of  these 
various  moral  changes,  and  then  to  lead 
us  to  conclude  that,  because  of  these 
moral  changes  having  taken  place,  we  are 
the  children  of  God;  but  the  object  of 
this  testimony — the  simple  object  of  this 
2C 


302 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


testimony  of  the  Spirit,  is  to  bear  witness 
that  we  are  the  children  of  God — to  give 
some  witness  to  the  great  fact  that  we  are 
the  children  of  God. 

Let  us  observe,  in  the  next  place,  that 
Ihe  Spirit  is  the  only  witness  that  can  give 
direct  evidence  to  this.     A  competent  wit- 
ness,  but   the  07iii/  competent  witness. 
Our  own  spirits  do  not  give  evidence  to 
this  fact ;  it  is  the  Spirit  of  God  which 
exclusively  gives  direct  evidence  to  it. 
So  far  as  there  is  a  direct  testimony  to 
the  fact,  our  own  spirits  have  nothing  to 
do  with  it ;  they  are  not  competent  to  de- 
pose upon  it;  that  is  confined  to  the  Spirit 
of  God.     Let  us  only  consider,  in  order 
to  illustrate  this,  that  the  act  of  pardon 
takes  place  upon  our  believing  in  Christ. 
Whenever  God  accepts  our  faith — when- 
ever our  faith  is  that  which  he  requires 
of  us,  then  is  a  man  justified  from  all 
things ;  he  is  forgiven  and  admitted  into 
the  favour  of  God.     But  then,  this  is  an 
act  which  passes  in  the  mind  of  God. 
Who  can  be  cognizant  of  that  act  1     It  is 
very  true  God  might  give  us  a  special 
revelation  of  it;  or  he  might  commission 
an  angel  to  assure  us  that  our  sins  are  all 
forgiven.     But  he  has  not  pleased  to  do 
this ;  it  is  not  his  way  to  give  a  special 
revelation  as  to  this  fact ;  nor  is  it  his 
method  to  send  an  angel  to  assure  us  of 
it.     How  then  does  man  become  acquaint- 
ed with  it  1     The  text  informs  us  :  it  is 
the  office  of  the  Spirit,  who  knows  all 
things,  and  searches  the  deep  things  of 
God.     The  spirit  of  a  man  does  not  know 
the   spirit   of  another   man :   we   cannot 
search   our   own  spirits.     The  Spirit  of 
God,  however,  says  the  apostle,  knoweth 
"  the  deep  things  of  God."     And  when 
this  act   of  forgiveness  takes  place,   in 
pursuance  of  his  own  benevolent  will  and 
the  office  which  has  been  assigned  to  him 
in  the  great  economy  of  our  redemption, 
he   hastens   to  renew,  and  becomes  the 
Holy  Ghost  unto  us.     He  only,  therefore, 
can  be  cognizant  of  the  fact  whether  or 
not  the  act  of  forgiveness  has  taken  place. 
For  the  promises  are  general ;  our  names 
are   not  written  in  these  sacred  pages : 
whether  I  have  so  believed  as  to  come  up 
to  the  requisitions  of  the  gospel  in  this 
respect  it  is  not  for  me  to  know;  I  have 


no  rule  by  which  to  judge  of  it.  And 
when  God  accepts  my  faith,  why  then 
he  forgives  my  sin ;  but  he  forgives  it  by 
the  acting  of  his  own  mind,  of  which  he 
makes  no  revelation  to  man.  The  me- 
thod he  has  appointed  by  which  it  shall 
be  conveyed  to  the  heart  of  man  for  his 
comfort  is  this  testimony  of  the  Spirit. 

How  this  testimony  is  revealed,  or  the 
manner  in  which  it  is  to  be  communicated, 
is  difficult  to  describe  ;  and  it  is  not  at  all 
necessary  for  us  to  be  able  to  describe. 
There  are  various  ways,  probably,  and 
various  degrees  of  confidence,  by  which 
this  great  fact  is  communicated  to  man. 
However  it  be,  whether  it  be  by  any  im- 
pression, or  by  whatever  name  you  may 
call  it,  it  is  that  which  amounts  to  a  tes- 
timony, that  which  amounts  to  a  witness, 
which  puts  away  the  doubt.  For  why  is 
a  witness  called  in,  but  to  clear  up  some 
doubt  1  For  what  purpose  do  we  bring 
witnesses  but  to  come  at  the  knowledge 
of  some  truth  1  Now,  whatever  be  the 
means  by  which  the  Spirit  may  commu- 
nicate the  truth,  the  great  thing  is  com- 
municated— in  wa5's,  perhaps,  somewhat 
different,  but  all  coming  from  the  same 
Spirit — some  persuasion,  some  assurance, 
some  conviction  of  the  fact,  that  I  am 
now,  through  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ, 
a  child  of  God — that  Christ  has  loved 
me,  and  given  himself  for  me. 

Then  we  have  the  ivitness  of  our  own 
spirits.  "  The  Spirit  beareth  witness 
with  our  spirit."  The  Spirit  of  God 
alone  can  bear  direct  witness  to  the  fact 
of  our  forgiveness  and  adoption :  why, 
then,  are  our  own  spirits  brought  to  bear 
testimony  to  that?  Certain  it  is  that 
where  the  Spirit  of  God  is  there  can  be 
no  darkness  ;  he  makes  himself  manifest 
by  his  own  light,  as  a  voice  which  faith- 
ful souls  cannot  be  deceived  by.  There 
can  be  no  delusion  where  the  Spirit  of 
God  renews ;  but  there  may  be  impres- 
sions which  men  may  mistake  for  the 
impressions  of  the  Spirit  of  God ;  and 
therefore,  our  own  spirits  should  be  a 
guard  against  a  delusion  of  this  sort:  in- 
asmuch as  where  the  Spirit  of  God  dwells 
as  the  Spirit  of  adoption  he  must  necessa- 
rily dwell  as  the  great  Author  of  our 
regeneration — as  the  source  of  all  holy 


THE  TESTIMONY  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


303 


feelings  and  principles.  These  are  in- 
separable the  one  from  the  other.  Where 
the  Spirit  of  God  dwells  he  dwells  with 
all  his  graces.  When  he  comes  and 
takes  possession  of  a  believer's  heart, 
there  he  is  also,  and  must  necessarily  be, 
as  the  Spirit  of  holiness.  And  our  own 
spirits,  conscious  of  these  moral  changes, 
of  these  holy  principles  and  affections, 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  we  have 
received  the  Spirit  of  God.  Now,  the 
witness  of  our  own  spirits  to  the  fact  that 
we  have  received  the  Spirit  of  God — that 
those  impressions  of  assurance  which 
have  given  us  so  much  comfort  are  not 
delusive,  but  are  from  the  Spirit  of  God 
himself — the  witness  of  our  own  spirits 
is  a  direct  testimony  to  this  fact ;  but  only 
an  indirect  witness  to  the  fact  of  our 
adoption.  Thus  we  have  a  direct  and  an 
indirect  witness. 

In  the  third  place,  we  proceed  to  con- 
sider a  FEW  ERRORS  CONNECTED  WITH  THIS 

DOCTRINE.  I  trust  it  is  clear  to  all  that, 
upon  our  believing  in  Christ  with  a  peni- 
tent heart,  we  are  justified  before  God ; 
that  the  knowledge  of  that  great  act  of 
pardon  of  which  only  the  Holy  Ghost 
can  take  cognizance  is  communicated  to 
us  by  the  Spirit  of  testimony ;  and  that 
from  that  springs  up  filial  confidence,  and 
the  power  to  use  filial  language,  and  call 
God  our  Father.  But  there  are  some 
errors  connected  with  this  important  doc- 
trine that  ought  to  be  noticed. 

The  first  is,  that  there  is  no  certainty  of 
our  being  now  in  a  state  ff  salvation — that 
this  is  an  unattainable  blessing.  A  great 
and  unspeakable  blessing  it  is  acknow- 
ledged. For  who  can  fail  to  acknow- 
ledge it  an  unspeakable  blessing  that  a 
sinful  man  should  look  up  to  God  with 
confidence — that  he  should  be  enabled  to 
use  such  language  as  this — "  O  Lord,  I 
will  praise  thee  ;  though  thou  wast  angry 
with  me,  thine  anger  is  turned  away,  and 
thou  comfortest  me.  Behold,  God  is  my 
salvation  ;  I  will  trust  and  not  be  afraid  !" 
—that  the  man,  unworthy  as  he  is  of  the 
least  of  God's  mercies,  having  the  access 
of  a  child  to  the  throne  of  the  heavenly 
grace,  may  go  with  filial  confidence,  and 
ask,  and  receive  whatever  blessings  he 
may  need  in  time  and  eternity — that  his 


voice  shall  ever  prevail — that  whatever 
he  shall  ask  he  shall  receive — and  that 
he  shall  be  encouraged  to  ask  by  the  pre- 
vious assurance  that  God  his  Father  can 
deny  him  no  good  thing.  These  are 
great  and  unspeakable  blessings,  but  not 
attainable,  say  they.  Well,  then,  breth- 
ren, if  they  are  not  attainable,  the  state 
of  good  men  under  the  New  Testament 
dispensation  is  far  inferior  to  the  state  of 
good  men  under  the  Old.  And,  if  that 
be  an  absurdity,  then  the  notion  from 
which  it  springs  cannot  be  held.  It  is 
no  neio  thing  in  the  world.  The  first 
man  that  ever  offered  a  sacrifice  in  faith 
obtained  the  testimony,  the  witness,  of 
his  acceptance.  Enoch  walked  with 
God,  and  was  not,  for  God  took  hirn ; 
and  before  he  was  translated  he  had  this 
testimony — that  he  pleased  God.  Now, 
what  was  peculiar  in  the  case  of  Enoch  ? 
He  was  a  sinful  man,  like  ourselves  ;  and 
deserved  as  little  at  the  hands  of  God. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  experience  of  that 
man,  or  any  of  the  great  men  mentioned 
in  the  Old  Testament,  but  what  may  be- 
come (allowing  for  the  particular  circum- 
stances of  their  case)  substantially  and 
generally,  the  experience  of  every  man 
that  has  faith  in  God.  Look  at  the  cha- 
racter of  Abraham ;  see  the  filial  confi- 
dence that  he  had  from  the  moment  God 
counted  his  faith  for  righteousness.  He 
was  styled  the  friend  of  God ;  and  every 
action  of  his  life  showed  that  he  knew 
God  was  his  friend.  When  David  so 
affectingly  prays  in  his  penitential  psalm, 
"  Restore  unto  me  the  joj^s  of  thy  salva- 
tion," did  he  not  recollect  joys  of  sal- 
vation previously  experienced  1  Not, 
surely,  a  salvation  which  related  to  any 
outward  deliverance  ;  for  the  very  nature 
of  the  psalm,  and  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  composed,  force  us  to  con- 
clude that  the  expression — "the  joys  of 
thy  salvation,"  refers  to  that  holy  state 
of  mind,  and  friendship  with  God,  to 
which  he  had  been  previously  introduced, 
and  which  thus  spread  so  much  joy 
through  his  spirit,  arising  from  the  assu- 
rance of  his  being  an  object  of  the  divine 
favour.  These  were  the  joys  that  had 
been  withered  by  his  sin;  and  for  the 
restoration  and  revival  of  these  joys  he 


304 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


prayed.  So  many  other  passages  showi 
that  this  was  the  case  with  good  men  i 
under  the  old  dispensation.  And  if  ours  j 
be  a  dispensation  more  glorious,  and  if 
we  know  that  the  Spirit  of  God  has  this 
particular  office,  and  bears  this  particular 
character  of  the  Spirit  of  adoption,  we 
are  not  to  conclude  that  we  are  placed  in 
nferior,  but  in  superior  circumstances, 
even,  to  the  saints  of  the  Old  Testament 
dispensation,  with  respect  to  the  comfort- 
able assurance  of  our  being  now  accepted. 
We  may  say  also  that  this  notion,  that 
no  such  assurance  is  attainable,  is  con- 
trary to  all  the  words  of  Christ  and  his 
apostles.  We  do  not  mean  to  say  that 
the  assurance  may  not  be  in  a  different 
degree.  It  may  be  accompanied  with 
admixtures  of  doubt ;  it  may  be,  in  the 
first  instance,  far  from  being  a  strong 
assurance ;  but,  in  all  its  stages,  it  is  that 
which  gives  comfort,  and  rest,  and  peace, 
to  the  soul.  In  all  its  degrees  it  enables 
man  to  call  God  Father.  When  our 
Lord  says,  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest" — can  such  words  be  recon- 
ciled with  the  idea  of  our  being  in  a  state 
of  uncertainty  as  to  whether  we  are  ac- 
cepted of  God "?  Remember  what  that 
uncertainty  implies — remember  that  it 
implies  this — I  am  uncertain  whether 
God  be  my  friend  or  my  enemy.  I  am 
uncertain  whether  his  wrath  abides  upon 
me  unmitigated  by  any  merciful  pardon; 
or  whether  he  secretly  regards  me,  though 
he  has  not  manifested  this,  with  compas- 
sion and  kindness.  It  is  matter  of  un- 
certainty whether  I  shall  live  through 
this  day  or  not ;  therefore,  it  is  matter  of 
uncertainty  whether  I  die  under  the  curse 
of  God,  or  under  his  smile — whether  I 
am  to  be  happy  or  miserable  for  ever. 
Uncertainty  as  to  our  acceptance  with 
God  implies  all  this  ;  and  is  it  possible, 
if  the  man  be  awakened,  and  the  mind  be 
serious,  that,  if  this  be  the  only  state  into 
which  our  religion  brings  us,  mitigated 
by  some  degree  of  hope— is  it  possible 
that  Christ  himself  can  give  us  resf? 
"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  are  weary," 
however,  he  says,  "  and  I  will  give  you 
rest."  And  the  very  idea  of  a  spirit  at 
rest,  a  spirit  in  a  state  of  quiet  repose,  is 


perfectly  inconsistent  with  the  idea  that 
there  shall  be  a  doubt  hanging  over  the 
fact  whether  I  am  accepted  with  God. 
Take  all  this — that  it  is  impossible  for 
us  to  attain  such  an  assurance  as  shall 
give  us  a  general  degree  of  peace,  and 
save  our  spirits  from  anxiety  and  fear. 
But  then  they  tell  us  there  is  a  great  dan- 
ger of  fanaticism  if  we  teach  the  doctrine 
that  this  knowledge  is  communicated  by  the 
direct  impression  and  impulse  of  God ;  and 
therefore,  it  is  much  more  safe  to  proceed 
in  this  way : — since,  they  tell  us,  God 
has  said  that  as  many  persons  are  his 
children  as  bear  certain  characteristics, 
we  must  examine  ourselves  to  discover 
whether  these  are  found  in  us ;  and,  if 
we  find  them  in  us,  we  may  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  we  are  the  children  of 
God :  and  it  is  in  this  safe  and  rational 
way  that  we  gain  a  comfortable  per- 
suasion of  our  being  adopted  into  the 
family.  Well ;  we  allow  all  that  is  very 
plausible ;  but  then,  what  are  we  to  do 
with  the  text,  and  other  texts  1  Men  may 
make  plausible  theories ;  but  are  we 
bound  to  receive  the  Scriptures  or  not? 
And  are  we  bound  to  interpret  them  fairly 
or  not  ■?  I  ask,  what  are  we  to  do  with 
the  text  on  such  a  theory  as  this  1  The 
apostle  speaks  of  the  Spirit  of  God  as  the 
Spirit  of  adoption — what  meaning  has 
that  ■?  And  then  he  tells  us  we  have  not 
received  the  Spirit  of  bondage  unto  fear, 
but  the  Spirit  of  adoption,  whereby  we 
cry  Abba,  Father ;  and  that  the  Spirit 
itself,  that  same  Spirit,  the  Spirit  of  adop- 
tion, the  Holy  Spirit,  bears  testimony 
with  our  spirits,  and  to  our  spirits,  that 
\Ye  are  the  children  of  God.  That  is  the 
process  by  which  we  come  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  fact.  And  what  is  it  that 
you  can  invent  another  1  ,  What  is  it  that 
you  can  conceive  of  another  1  I  put  it  to 
you  whether  you  are  to  form  your  reli- 
gious opinions  from  Scripture,  or  by  your 
own  imaginations  1  Take  that  passage  in 
the  Galatians,  "  Because  ye  are  sons" — 
because  ye  are  adopted  and  accepted  into 
the  family  of  God — "  God  hath  sent  forth 
the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  your  hearts,  cry- 
ing, Abba,  Father."  Why,  you  cry  Abba, 
Father,  according  to  this  theory,  by  vir- 
tue of  your  own  discovery :  it  is  your  own 


THE  TESTIMONY  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


305 


reasoninfj  and  inference  that  cry  out  in 
your  spirit,  Abba,  Father.  Will  you  take 
that  voice  of  your  own  judjrment,  instead 
of  the  blessed  voice  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
in  his  character  of  the  Spirit  of  adoption  1 
Let  us  go  a  little  nearer  this  objection, 


the  same  faith  that  brinigrs  us  into  this 
state  must  maintain  us  in  this  state.  We 
must  watch  and  pray — we  must  be  layinw 
aside  every  weig-ht,  and  the  sin  which 
besets  us — fighting- the  good  fight  of  faith, 
if  we  will  lay  hold  of  eternal  life;  and  all 


There  are  certain  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  it  j  this  from  the  beginning. 


is  said,  by  which  we  are  to  infer  that  we 
are  the  ciiildren  of  God.  And  what  are 
these  fruits'?  If  you  examine  you  will 
find  that  several  are  such  fruits  of  the 
Spirit  as  must  necessarily  imply  a  pre- 
vious persuasion  communicated  to  us  by 
God  himself,  and  a  previous  persuasion 
of  our  being  in  the  favour  of  God.  We 
have  a  catalogue  of  these  fruits,  "  The 
fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  love,  joy,  peace, 
long-suifering-,  gentleness,  goodness, 
faith,  meekness,  temperance ;  against 
such  there  is  no  law."  "  Love" — now 
you  would  say — this  doctrine  leads  us  to 
say — a  man  must  examine  whether  he 
has  love  to  God  ;  "joy,"  whether  he  has 
joy  in  God;  "meekness,"  whether  he 
has  got  meekness;  "  goodness,  fidelity, 
temperance,"  and  if  he  has  all  these,  he 
is  to  conclude  that  he  is  a  child  of  God. 
Why,  is  it  not  most  obvious  to  you  that 
it  is  absurd  to  look  for  such  a  fruit  of  the 
Spirit  as  love  to  God  our  reconciled  Father 
till  we  know  him  as  our  reconciled  Father 
— or  peace,  till  we  know  that  we  are  at 
peace  with  him]  Therefore  these  fruits 
of  the  Spirit  are  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit 
of  adoption  previously  bestowed ;  and 
you  cannot  expect  to  find  such  fruits,  and 
never  will  find  them,  independently  of 
the  previous  assurance  that  God  is  recon- 
ciled to  you  in  Christ.  The  moment  a 
man  is  pardoned  he  receives  the  Spirit  of 
adoption,  and  he  immediately  can  call  God 
his  Father,  and  he  can  love  him,  and  be 
at  peace  with  him,  and  rejoice  in  him. 

Then  we  notice  another  error.  Some 
persons  confound  this  assurance  of  present 
acceptance  with  an  assurance  of  final  salva- 
tion. The  one  is  very  distinct  from  the 
other ;  for  the  last  I  find  no  authority  in 
the  book  of  God.  We  may  live  in  the 
comfortable  assurance  that  we  are  accept- 
ed of  God  ;  but  that  conveys  to  us  no  cer- 
tain assurance  that  we  shall  finally  be 
saved.  We  must  still  walk  by  the  same 
rule — we  must  still  mind  the  same  things ; 
Vol.  L— 39 


Then  there  is  another  error — that  this 
comfortable  assurance  and  persuasion  of  our 
adoption  is  the  privilege  only  of  some  emi- 
nent Christians.  That  I  believe  is  a  very 
general  notion.  There  is  no  authority 
for  it  certainly  in  the  book  of  God.  This 
blessing  is  as  common  a  blessing  as  par- 
don;  it  is  put  on  the  same  ground,  it  is 
offered  in  the  same  general  manner.  And 
I  would  say  the  whole  of  that  objection  is 
grounded  on  some  secret  idea  of  some 
moral  worth — some  idea  that  holy  per- 
sons may  attain  to  this  by  a  merit  of  their 
own,  but  others  cannot.  Brethren,  none 
of  these  gifts  are  bestowed,  but  as  they 
are  the  purchase  of  the  blood  of  Christ; 
and  they  are  all  parts  of  the  great  salva- 
tion held  out  to  you,  however  unworthy, 
without  money  and  without  price. 

I  would  say  of  that  error  to  which  I 
have  already  adverted,  that  respects  the 
direct  impulse  of  God  on  the  mind, 
that  I  wonder  any  man — I  wonder  there 
are  so  many  persons,  generally  speaking, 
serious  and  excellent  persons,  who  are 
afraid  of  a  doctrine  of  that  sort,  and  would 
associate  with  it  ideas  of  fanaticism.  Is 
it  not  the  universal  doctrine  of  the  book 
of  God  ]  That  God  should  dwell  with 
men — that  he  should  make  the  human 
heart  his  temple — that  he  should  tak& 
man  into  communion  with  himself — is 
not  this  the  glory  of  the  new  dispensa- 
tion ?  Is  not  this  all  consistent  with  its 
spirit]  And  you  lose  all  these  gran- 
deurs, all  these  hopes  of  man,  in  a  base 
and  wretched  fear,  by  which  you  make 
yourselves  subservient  to  the  silly  infidel 
philosophy  of  the  world.  Let  us  think 
better  things — let  us  think  nobler  things 
— let  us  enter  more  fully  into  the  cha- 
racter of  the  Christian  dispensation,  and 
know  that  while,  on  the  one  hand,  this 
grand  truth  is  revealed  to  us — that  God 
dwells  in  man,  and  man  is  called  to 
dwell  with  God,  and  to  walk  with  him 
in  secret,  sensible,  vital  fellowship  and 

2ca 


306 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


union — that,  while  this  is  acknowledged 
one  of  the  glories  of  our  religion,  it  is  not 
possible  for  a  man  that  rightly  under- 
stands it  to  convert  such  a  doctrine  into 
an  occasion  of  folly  or  of  sin — that  there 
is  a  sanctity  in  it  as  pure  and  delicate  as 
the  glory  of  the  doctrine  itself — and  that, 
wherever  the  Spirit  of  God  dwells,  there 
must  be  all  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit — and 
that  every  man  must  know,  unless  he  be 
wilfully  ignorant,  that  it  is  only  those 
who  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God  that  are 
the  sons  of  God. 

Let  us  conclude  the  whole  by  a  few- 
practical  observations  :— 

In  the  first  place,  this  doctrine  may 
well  turn  the  attention  of  those  of  you  to 
your  own  condition,  who  have  an  assu- 
rance in  your  minds,  with  respect  to  your 
religious  state,  that  you  are  under  the 
divine  displeasure,  are  still  living  care- 
lessly, and  neglecting  the  great  salvation. 
Am  I  addressing  any  such  in  the  divine 
presence  ]  You  know  well,  for  you  can- 
not have  heard  the  truth  so  often  as  you 
have  without  knowing,  that  your  religious 
state  is  not  right — that  you  have  no  good 
hope  through  grace — that  you  are  not 
founded  on  a  rock — that  were  you  called 
into  the  presence  of  God  you  would  re- 
ceive the  summons  with  dread.  And 
yet,  alas !  with  this  assurance,  with  this 
inward  persuasion  and  conviction  in  your 
minds,  how  carelessly  you  hear — how 
you  immerse  yourselves  in  the  business 
and  pleasures  of  this  life — how  habitually 
do  you  restrain  prayer  before  God — and 
how  presumptuously  do  you  depend  on 
the  exercise  of  his  mercy  at  some  future 
time !  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the 
mercy  which  has  spared  you  till  this  day, 
that  you  no  longer  live  in  this  state. 
Turn  to  God — confess  your  sin  before 
God — let  the  weight  of  your  case  rest 
on  your  conscience — fly  to  his  mercy 
— remember  all  that  has  been  said,  and 
all  you  have  heard,  from  time  to  time,  of 
his  infinite  willingness  to  pardon  all  them 
that  return  to  him — and  carry  this  weight 
with  you  no  longer.  Enter  into  rest — 
take  hold  of  God  that  you  may  be  at  peace 
with  him — and  increase  not  the  weight 
of  your  future  punishment,  by  continuing 


to  resist  these  impressions,  and  to  turn  a 
deaf  ear  to  these  awful  warnings. 

The  subject  applies  itself  to  those  who 
have  a  burdened  conscience.  How  many 
of  you  desire  to  call  God,  Father?  How 
many  of  you  have  heard  of  this  blessing, 
and  perhaps  have  been  waiting  for  it? 
And  what  is  the  reason  that  you  have  not 
been  brought  into  this  state?  How  is  it 
that  you  are  not  rejoicing  in  the  mercy  of 
your  God — that  you  have  not  received  the 
Spirit  of  adoption?  Examine  the  fact. 
Have  you  earnestly  desired  it?  Has  it 
been  a  special  object  of  your  prayer? 
Have  you  learned  the  art  of  waiting  upon 
God,  keeping  your  spirits  in  a  waiting 
frame  ?  Have  you  been  looking  out  for 
God  ?  Have  you  been  fully  persuaded 
that  this  is  your  Christian  privilege  and 
calling?  Do  you  recollect  this  is  a  bless- 
ing to  be  attained  by  simple  trust  in 
Christ;  that  you  must  plead  the  merit  of 
his  atonement?  And  do  you  know  that 
mere  trusting  will  not  do  ? — that  those 
who  really  trust  will  plead  and  pray? 
When  once  you  get  the  faith  that  pleaJs, 
and  prays,  and  waits,  it  is  not  long  before 
God  will  hear  your  earnest  prayer,  and 
say  unto  you,  "I  am  your  salvation," 
Now  look  up  to  him.  The  blessing  is 
purchased — you  are  sinful,  and  you  need 
the  heavenly  gift — and  cannot,  therefore, 
be  better  prepared  for  it.  All  things  are 
ready;  come  to  the  marriage.  There  is 
the  blessing  of  pardon,  free  justification 
before  God,  with  the  Spirit  of  adoption, 
whereby  you  call  God  your  Father. 
There  is  grace  offered  to  your  acceptance 
in  the  gospel — I  warn  you  against  resting 
short  of  it.  It  cannot  be,  that  these  im- 
pressions shall  continue  with  them  in  all 
their  strength.  God  has  begun  a  good 
work  in  you,  and  awakened  you  to  a  sense 
of  the  meaning  of  this  greatchange.  You 
must  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord,  and 
must  determine  to  wait  for  him,  as  those 
who  watch  for  the  morning ;  otherwise 
those  impressions  will  become  weak,  and 
by  and  by  you  will  find  you  have  grieved 
the  Spirit  of  God,  and  that  he  has  depart- 
ed from  you.  God  is  pleased  that  you 
should  take  hold  of  his  strength.  Jacob, 
when  he  discovered  that  he  was  wrestling 


THE  PULPIT  GALLERY. 


307 


'svith  ihe  angel  of  the  covenant — when  lie 
found  he  had  got  hold  of  a  being  who 
could  bless  him,  he  grasped  him  the 
more  powerfully,  and  would  not  let  him 
go,  God  is  well  pleased  with  your  ear- 
nestness ;  take  hold  of  the  same  conde- 
scending angel  of  the  gospel  covenant, 
and  say,  "  I  will  not  let  thee  go  unless 
thou  bless  me." 

Let  those  who  have  the  Spirit  of  adop- 
tion recollect  their  privileges.  If  child- 
ren, then  heirs,  heirs  of  God  :  this  is  your 
Messing.  Turn  from  the  world,  and 
claim  the  communications  of  his  grace, 
the  sanctifying  influence  of  God  the 
Spirit.  Take  hold  of  his  infinite  mercy, 
and  out  of  that  fulness  we  shall  receive 
them,  and  grace  for  grace ;  until  at  last 
we  enter  on  the  great  inheritance  above, 
and  see  him  in  his  glory  for  ever  and 
ever. 


TI2S   ?U-Z>FXT  CA.ZiLiZJR'y-. 

NO.    XI. 

TESTIMONV    TO   THE    CHARACTER   OF   HENRY 
MARTYN. 

BY    THE    LATE    REV.    R.    HALL. 


The  religious  public  have  lately  been 
favoured  with  a  rich  accession  to  the  re- 
corded monuments  of  exalted  piety,  in 
the  life  and  religious  experience  of  the 
lamented  Henry  Martyn.  It  is  delightful 
to  behold  in  the  history  of  that  extraordi- 
nary man,  talents,  which  attracted  the 
admiration  of  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
seats  of  learning,  consecrated  to  the  hon- 
our of  the  cross  ;  an  enterprising  genius, 
in  the  ardour  of  youth,  relinquishing  the 
pursuit  of  science  and  of  fame,  in  order 
to  travel  in  the  steps  of  a  Brainerd  and  a 
Schwartz.  Crowned  with  the  highest 
honours  a  university  could  bestow,  we 
see  him  quit  the  luxurious  shades  of 
academic  bowers,  for  a  tempestuous  ocean 
and  a  burning  clime,  for  a  life  of  peril 
and  fatigue,  from  which  he  could  expect 
no  other  reward  than  the  heroic  pleasure 
of  communicating  to  perishing  millions 


the  word  of  eternal  life.  He  appears  to 
have  formed  his  religious  character  chiefly 
on  the  model  of  Brainerd  ;  and  as  he 
equalled  him  in  his  patience,  fortitude, 
humility,  and  love,  so  he  strictly  re- 
sembled him  in  his  end.  Both,  nearly 
at  the  same  age,  fell  victims  to  a  series 
of  intolerable  privations  and  fatigues, 
voluntarily  incurred  in  the  course  of  their 
exertions  for  the  propagation  of  the  faith 
of  Jesus.  And  though  their  death  was 
not  a  violent  one,  the  sacrifices  they  made, 
and  the  sufferings  they  endured,  entitle 
them  to  the  honours  and  rewards  of  a 
protracted  martyrdom.  Their  memory 
will  be  cherished  by  the  veneration  of  all 
succeeding  ages ;  and  he  who  reads  their 
lives  will  be  ready  to  exclaim,  "  Here  is 
the  faith  and  patience  of  the  saints." 


GOD  IS   LOVE. 

GoD  is  love :  all  his  perfections  and 
procedures  are  but  so  many  modifications 
of  his  love.  What  is  his  omnipotence 
but  the  arm  of  his  love  1  What  his  om- 
niscience but  the  medium  through  which 
he  contemplates  the  objects  of  his  love? 
What  his  wisdom  but  the  scheme  of  his 
love  ■?  What  are  the  offers  of  the  gospel 
but  the  invitations  of  his  level  What 
the  threatenings  of  the  law  but  the  w^arn- 
ings  of  his  love?  They  are  the  hoarse 
voice  of  his  love,  saying,  "  Man  !  do  thy- 
self no  harm."  They  are  a  fence  thrown 
round  the  pit  of  perdition,  to  prevent  rash 
men  from  rushing  into  ruin.  What  was 
the  incarnation  of  the  Saviour  but  the 
richest  illustration  of  his  love  1  What 
were  the  miracles  of  Christ  but  the  con- 
descensions of  his  love  ?  What  were  the 
sighs  of  Christ  but  the  breath  of  his  love  ? 
What  were  the  prayers  of  Christ  but  the 
pleadings  of  his  love  ?  W^hat  were  the 
tears  of  Christ  but  the  dew-drops  of  his 
love  ?  What  is  this  earth  but  the  theatre 
for  the  display  of  his  love  ]  What  is 
heaven  but  the  Alps  of  his  mercy,  from 
whose  summits  his  blessings,  flowing 
down  in  a  thousand  streams,  descend  to 
water  and  refresh  his  church  situated  at 
its  base  1 — Dr.  Waugh. 


SERMON  XXXIII. 

ON    THE    VICARIOUS    SUFFERINGS    OF    CHRIST. 
BY  THE  RT.  REV.  DR.  BLOMFIELD, 

BISHOP  OF  LONDON. 


'For  1  delivered  unto  you  first  of  all  that  which  I  also  received,  how  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins 
according  to  the  Scriptures." — 1  Cor.  xv.  3. 


The  words  which  are  here  rendered 
"  first  of  all,"  are  otherwise  interpreted, 
and  mean,  amongst  the  chief  things  or 
principal  doctrines  of  the  gospel.  It  is 
not  very  material  which  of  the  two  sen- 
tences we  attach  to  the  expression  ;  for 
the  words  which  St.  Paul  had  delivered 
to  the  Corinthians,  first  in  order,  were  no 
doubt  considered  by  him  to  be  first  in  im- 
portance ;  they  were  the  foundation,  on 
which  the  whole  superstructure  of  Chris- 
tianity was  to  be  raised.  The  great  and 
astonishing  fact  that  Jesus  Christ  died 
for  our  sins,  as  an  essential  and  vital  truth 
of  the  gospel  revelation,  occupies  every 
where  the  most  conspicuous  place  in  the 
preaching  of  the  great  gospel :  which  he 
himself  describes  as  being  emphatically 
the  "  preaching  of  the  cross."  So  en- 
tirely does  the  whole  fabric  of  gospel 
truth  appear  to  him  to  rest  on  this  one 
foundation  stone,  that  he  speaks  of  it  as 
being  the  one  needful  and  sufficient  point 
of  knowledge  for  the  Christian  minister; 
— "  I  determined,"  he  says,  "  not  to  know 
any  thing  among  you  save  Jesus  Christ 
and  him  crucified;  God  forbid  that  I 
should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  hope  of  Chris- 
tians, which  was  made  sure  by  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus,  had  its  root  in  his  cruci- 
fixion ;  for  if  he  had  not  died  for  our  sins, 
his  rising  again  would  not  have  esta- 
blished the  fact  of  our  justification;  life 
and  immortality  would  indeed  have  been 
308 


ascertained  by  that  stupendous  miracle  ; 
but  it  would  have  been  to  the  conscious 
sinner  a  life  of  seclusion  from  the  pre- 
sence of  God  and  an  immortality  of  wo. 
Whatever  comfort  is  to  be  derived  from 
the  reflection,  that  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead  is  the  earnest 
and  assurance  of  our  own,  derives  all  its 
efficacy  frop  the  truth  that  he  died  for 
our  sins.  It  is  only  through  this  medium 
that  the  prospects  of  the  eternal  world 
can  be  contemplated  without  apprehen- 
sion by  sinful  man, — it  is  this  considera- 
tion alone  which  enables  us  to  view  the 
attributes  of  God  with  complacency  and 
comfort,  and  diffuses  over  them  a  sweet 
and  attractive  view  of  love.  The  suffer- 
ings and  death  of  our  Saviour  Christ  are 
indeed  a  most  interesting  and  important 
subject  of  inquiry,  as  evincing  his  perfect 
sincerity  and  devotedness,  and  proving 
his  own  entire  conviction  of  the  truth  of 
what  he  taught ;  and  we  are  by  no  means 
to  lose  sight  of  this  consideration  in  view- 
ing the  benefits  which  have  been  derived 
by  us  from  that  wonderful  act  of  conde- 
scension and  goodness.  But  if  we  go  no 
farther  than  this,  we  stop  very  far  short 
of  the  whole  truth ;  and  our  notions  of 
that  part  of  the  Christian  economy,  which 
the  apostle  held  to  be  of  primary  and  vital 
importance,  will  be  miserably  defective 
and  inaccurate.  If  the  death  of  Christ 
was  nothing  more  than  his  last  and  most 
decisive  attestation  of  the   truth  of  his 


THE  VICARIOUS  SUFFERINGS  OF  CHRIST. 


309 


teaching,  it  was  a  mere  historical  fact  in- 
volving in  itself  no  peculiar  doctrine, — a 
fact,  of  which  St.  Paul  could  not  have 
been  ignorant  if  he  had  ever  heard  the 
name  of  Jesus ;  and  yet  he  says  that  he 
received  it,  that  is  to  say,  by  revelation  ; 
the  subject  of  that  revelation  being,  not 
simply  the  fact  that  Christ  had  died,  but 
that  he  had  died  for  our  sins. 

Again,  had  our  blessed  Lord  submitted 
to  a  painful  and  ignominious  death,  only 
for  the  puri)ose  of  establishing  his  own 
veracity,  and  setting  a  seal  to  the  truth  of 
the  message  of  holiness  which  he  had 
proclaimed,  it  might  indeed  have  been 
said  of  Him,  considering  how  deeply,  the 
best  interests  of  mankind  were  involved 
in  the  belief  of  that  message,  he  laid 
down  his  life  for  the  sake  of  mankind, — 
for  their  improvement  and  for  their  in- 
struction; but  in  no  intelligible  sense  of 
the  word  could  it  be  said,  that,  he  died 
for  their  sins  ;  the  particle/or — "  died  for 
their  sins" — being  in  the  original  a  word 
which  signifies  on  account  of;  evidently 
implying,  that  as  siii  caused  the  death  of 
Christ,  so  the  death  of  Christ  was  to  be 
the  cause  of  God's  forgiving  sin.  The 
expression  ^^for  our  sins,^^  cannot  reasona- 
bly be  taken  in  any  other  sense  than  this 
— in  expiation  of  our  sins ;  as  in  the  fifth 
chapter  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews ; 
"  Every  high  priest  taken  from  among 
men,  is  ordained  for  men  in  things  per- 
taining to  God,  that  he  may  oifer  both 
gifts  and  sacrifices  for  sins."  But  the 
concluding  words  of  the  text  are  quite 
decisive,  as  to  the  sense  in  which  Jesus 
Christ  is  declared,  by  the  apostle,  to  have 
died  for  our  sins.  "  I  delivered  unto  you 
first  of  all  that  which  I  also  received,  how 
that  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to 
the  Scriptures,"  that  is  to  say,  according 
to  the  prophecies,  concerning  the  Mes- 
siah, which  are  contained  in  the  Jewish 
Scriptures.  In  these  prophecies,  there- 
fore, we  may  expect  to  find,  not  merely 
the  declaration,  that  the  Messiah,  the 
anointed  one,  should  die,  but  some  inti- 
mation of  the  manner  in  which  his  death 
should  be  connected  with  the  sins  of 
mankind  ;  and  such  in  fact  is  the  charac- 
ter of  these  predictions.  Had  the  writers 
of  the  New  Testament  been  altogether 


silent  as  to  the  great  object  which  was  to 
be  achieved  by  the  voluntary  death  of 
Christ,  the  prophets  of  the  Old  would 
have  furnished  an  explanation  of  that 
act  of  humiliation  and  mercy,  calculated 
to  satisfy  all  our  anxiety,  and  to  animate 
all  our  hopes  ;  and  to  make  the  gospel 
dispensation  appear  in  its  true  colours,  as 
afibrdinga  complete  and  sovereign  remedy 
for  sin.  That  the  prophets  distinctly  an- 
nounced the  connexion  between  the  suf- 
ferings of  Christ  and  the  salvation  of 
mankind  is  a  fact  pointed  out  by  St.  Pe- 
ter, of  which  salvation  he  says :  "  The 
prophets  have  inquired  and  searched 
diligently,  who  prophesied  of  the  grace 
which  should  come  unto  them  searching 
what  or  what  manner  of  time,  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  which  was  in  them,  did  signify, 
when  it  testified  beforehand  the  suffer- 
ings of  Christ  and  the  glory  that  should 
follow."  More  particularly  in  the  great 
and  evangelical  prophet,  the  doctrine  of 
the  atonement  is  clearly  and  unequivo- 
cally marked  out,  that  we  should  find  in 
his  glorious  foreshadowing  of  gospel 
truth,  a  sure  and  immovable  foundation 
for  this  vital  doctrine  :  and  even  if  it  had 
not  been  seen,  as  in  fact  it  is,  so  inter- 
woven with  the  whole  texture  of  apostolic 
teaching,  every  attempt  to  separate  it 
would  lacerate  and  mutilate  the  Christian 
system,  and  leave  it  disfigured  with  an 
open  inconsistency.  Let  us  hear  it : 
"  Surely  he  hath  borne  our  griefs  and 
carried  our  sorrows;  yet  we  did  esteem 
him  stricken,  smitten  of  God  and  afflicted. 
But  he  was  wounded  for  our  transgres- 
sion, he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities  : 
the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon 
him,  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed. 
AU  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray ;  and 
the  Lord  hath  laid  upon  him  the  iniquity 
of  us  all.  For  the  transgression  of  my 
people  was  he  stricken."  No  Christian, 
it  is  to  be  presumed,  will  dispute  that 
these  prophecies  relate  to  the  sufferings 
and  death  of  the  Messiah;  and  will  any 
one,  whether  a  Christian  or  not,  deny  that 
the  suflferings  are  described  and  are  spoken 
of  as  expiatory,  undergone  by  one  person 
in  the  stead  of  others,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  redeeming  them  from  the  consequences 
of  their  sins.     What  is  the  commentary 


310 


THE  BRIllSH  PULPIT. 


of  the  apostle  upon  this  sublime  and 
atFecting  prophecy  1  Hear  the  words  of 
St.  Peter; — •'  Christ  also  suffered  for  us, 
leaving  us  an  example,  that  ye  should 
follow  his  steps  :  who  did  no  sin,  neither 
was  guile  found  in  his  mouth :  who, 
when  he  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again  : 
when  he  suffered,  he  threatened  not;  but 
committed  himself  to  him  that  judgeth 
righteously  :  who  his  own  self  bare  our 
sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we 
being  dead  to  sin,  should  live  unto  right- 
eousness :  by  whose  stripes  ye  were 
healed."  The  prophet  says,  "  For  the 
transgression  of  my  people  was  he  smit- 
ten." The  apostle  says  to  the  Romans, 
"  He  was  delivered  for  our  offences ;"  and 
to  the  Galatians,  "  He  gave  himself  for 
our  sins."  Again,  the  language  of  Isaiah 
is,  "  The  chastisement  of  our  peace  was 
upon  him."  St.  Paul  tells  the  Ephesians, 
"  But  now  in  Christ  Jesus,  ye  who  some- 
times were  far  off  are  made  nigh  by  the 
blood  of  Christ."  "  He  was  led  as  a  lamb 
to  the  slaughter,"  is  the  prophetical  de- 
scription ; — "  Ye  were  redeemed,"  says 
the  apostle,  "  with  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ,  as  of  a  Lamb  without  blemish 
and  without  spot."  Were  there  any 
doubt  as  to  the  bearing  of  this  prophecy 
upon  the  doctrine  of  satisfaction  and 
atonement,  it  would  be  removed  by  the 
express  prediction  of  the  angel  solemnly 
delivered  to  Daniel — that  the  Messiah 
should  "  finish  transgression  and  make 
an  end  of  sin,  and  make  reconciliation  for 
iniquity."  If  therefore,  my  brethren, 
Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the 
Scripture,  he  died  in  expiation  of  those 
sins, — he  died  to  reconcile  man  to  God. 
But  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment set  forth  the  expiatory  nature  of 
Christ's  suffering  and  death;  not  merely 
in  express  prophecy,  but  in  the  imagery 
of  type  and  shadow.  It  is  to  this  more 
particularly,  that  St.  Paul  refers  in  the 
passage  which  I  recommend  to  your  most 
serious  and  careful  perusal,  as  most  com- 
pletely establishing  the  doctrine  of  the 
atonement, — I  mean  the  ninth  and  tenth 
of  Hebrews.  Under  the  law,  offences 
committed  in  ignorance,  or  through  inad- 
vertency, might  be  expiated  by  certain 
sacrifices,   which   were    called,  on   that 


account,  sin-offerings,  or  trespass-ofler- 
ings  ;  but  those  sacrifices  went  no  farther 
than  to  procure  a  remission  of  the  tem- 
poral punishment  due  to  those  offences  ; 
in  consideration  of  them,  God  being 
pleased  to  withhold  his  immediate  judg- 
ment which  had  been  denounced  against 
offenders.  But  it  was  impossible  that 
such  offerings  could,  by  any  intrinsic 
worthiness  of  their  own,  make  amends 
for  sin,  or  appease  the  righteous  Judge 
of  mankind  ;  that  could  only  be  effected 
by  a  sacrifice  of  a  very  different  kind,  of 
which  those  were  merely  the  shadows : 
)'et  they  were  the  shadows,  and  therefore 
they  resembled  the  substance  as  to  their 
outward  appearance,  especially  in  one 
remarkable  feature, — in  the  shedding  of 
blood  : — "  Almost  all  things,"  says  the 
apostle,  in  the  passage  above  referred  to, 
"  are  by  the  law  purged  with  blood ;  and 
without  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no 
remission.  It  was  therefore  necessary 
that  the  pattern  of  things  in  the  heavens," 
that  is,  the  things  under  the  spiritual 
dispensation,  "  should  be  purified  with 
these  ;  for  Christ  is  not  entered  into  the 
holy  places  made  with  hands,  which  are 
the  figures  of  the  true ;  but  into  heaven 
itself,  now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of 
God  for  us ;  nor  yet,  that  he  should  offer 
himself  often,  as  the  high  priest  entereth 
into  the  holy  place  every  year  with  blood 
of  others ;  for  then  must  he  often  have 
suffered  since  the  foundation  of  the 
world  :"  that  is,  since  the  Mosaic  dis- 
pensation :  "  but  now  once  in  the  end  of 
the  world  hath  he  appeared  to  put  away 
sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself." — This 
then  is  the  reasoning  of  the  apostle,  as 
the  expiatory  sacrifices  under  the  law 
offered  year  by  year  continually,  were 
effectual,  by  God's  gracious  appointment, 
to  procure  remission  of  the  temporal 
punishment  due  to  offences  under  the 
Mosaic  law ;  so  the  sacrifice  of  Christ 
and  his  precious  blood  shed  upon  the 
cross,  offered  by  him  once  for  all  in  the 
heavenly  sanctuary,  is  effectual  to  the 
remission  of  those  penalties  which  are, 
from  the  nature  of  eternal  justice,  due  to  the 
sins  of  all  mankind,  for  which  it  is  impos- 
sible that  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats 
could  ever  be  taken  as  a  commutation. 


THE  VICARIOUS  SUFFERINGS  OF  CHRIST. 


311 


Aflrr  sucli  tpstiinony  as  this,  we  may 
well  dispense  with  all  further  argument, 
to  prove  FIRST,  That  Christ  died  for  our 
sins,  AND  SKCONDLV,  That  He  died  fur  our 
sins  according  to  the  Scriptures.  This  is, 
in  truth,  the  point  to  which  all  the  Scrip- 
tures directly  or  by  implication  tend, — 
this  is  the  centre  to  which  all  the  lines 
of  Christian  verity  verge  ;  Christ  cruci- 
fied to  take  away  the  sins  of  the  world, 
according  to  the  pre-determined  council 
of  God  ;  foreshadowed,  by  his  Holy  Spi- 
rit, in  prophecy  and  type ;  carried  into 
effect  by  the  unwilling-  agency  of  those 
who  rejected  and  despised  him.  If  the 
death  of  our  Saviour  Christ  had  not  been 
a  real  and  complete  expiation  for  the  sins 
of  mankind, — had  not  effected  an  atone- 
ment, that  is  to  say,  the  reconciliation  of 
men  wdth  God,  the  whole  system  of 
Scripture  might  have  been  deprived  of 
its  characteristic  beauty,  and  enervated  of 
its  strejiglh.  The  apparatus  of  prophecy, 
of  type,  and  emblem  would  have  wanted 
its  corresponding  reality  under  the  gos- 
pel dispensation  ;  the  revelation  vouch- 
safed, by  the  Holy  Spirit,  of  the  nature 
of  the  divine  attributes,  the  law  of  holi- 
ness, and  the  sinfulness  of  man — \\hile 
they  enhanced  and  magnified  the  glory  of 
God,  would  have  blotted  out  the  hand- 
writing of  ordinances. 

The  incarnation  of  our  Lord  and  Sa- 
viour Christ  is  the  great  mystery  of  god- 
liness; it  is  a  mystery  in  itself,  but  it  is 
a  mystery  of  godliness  only  when  viewed 
in  connexion  with  its  end, — the  death  of 
an  all-sufficient  Mediator.  His  doctrines 
were  the  emanation  of  perfect  wisdom, 
holiness,  and  love ;  and  they  proceeded 
from  his  love  in  all  the  persuasiveness  of 
reality; — the  works  which  he  did  testi- 
fied the  truth  of  his  declaration,  that  he 
was  the  Son  of  God;  and  it  was  placed 
beyond  all  dispute  by  the  most  won- 
derful of  his  miracles, — his  resurrection 
from  the  dead.  Therefore  of  the  truth  of 
his  religion,  of  his  divine  authority,  and 
its  paramount  obligation  on  the  con- 
sciences of  mankind,  I  can  entertain  no 
doubt.  But  in  what  respects  am  I  a 
gainer  by  the  light  which  has  thus  been 
shed  on  the  whole  of  the  promises  of 
God, — by  the  instruction  they  have  given 


of  th(?  perfect  law  of  holiness, — by  the 
promises  of  reward,  nay,  by  the  prospect 
of  immortality,  if  I  am  at  the  same  time 
assured  of  what  my  own  reason  and  con- 
science too  plainly  suggest  to  me,  that 
obedience,  complete,  unvaried  obedience, 
is  not  within  my  power,  and  that,  if  it 
were  possible  for  me  to  do  all  that  God 
requires  of  me,  I  should  still  be  an  un- 
profitable servant,  deserving  of  no  thanks, 
Bud  no  recompense  ?  What  then  have  I 
to  look  for,  knowing  how  infinitely  short 
I  come  to  such  a  sinless,  though  unpro- 
fitable obedience'?  I  am  compelled  to 
acknowledge  with  shame  and  confusion 
of  face,  that  my  sins  are  more  in  number 
than  the  hairs  of  my  head.  The  gospel 
without  the  atonement  might  certainly 
contribute  to  my  present  ease  and  com- 
fort, by  regulating  my  actions  and  de- 
sires ;  and  it  would  promote  the  peace  and 
well-being  of  society,  because  it  incul- 
cates the  duties  of  forbearance  and  love  : 
but  it  would  not  remove  the  load  of  guilt 
which  lies  so  heavily  on  me  in  the  sight 
of  a  just  and  holy  God  ;  although  it  might 
diminish,  for  it  could  never  do  away,  the 
number  of  my  actual  transgressions,  it 
would  not  suffice  to  calm  the  pangs  of 
remorse,  it  would  not  mitigate  the  horrors 
of  the  parting  hour,  without  the  fair  pros- 
pect of  deliverance  from  the  WTath  to 
come.  But  admit  the  doctrine  of  the 
atonement,  and  the  gospel  at  once  appears, 
as  it  was  described  by  the  angel  who 
heralded  the  birth  of  its  divine  author,  not 
only  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest" — 
but  "  On  earth  peace  ;"  peace  between 
man  and  God,  Christ  reconciling  man 
unto  God  by  the  cross,  having  slain  the 
enmity  thereby.  The  gospel  is  indeed 
the  glory  of  God  ;  but  it  is  from  the  cross 
alone  that  it  beams  with  a  healing  reviv- 
ing light.  The  brightness  of  his  presence 
would  be  unapproachable  and  intolerable 
were  it  not  shrouded  by  the  veil  of  suf- 
fering humanity,  in  the  person  of  his  in- 
carnate Son,  dying  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  bringing  us  near  to  God.  For 
"  now  in  Christ  Jesus,  ye  who  sometimes 
were  far  off  are  made  nigh  by  the  blood 
of  Christ."  "  It  is  not,  therefore,  by  the 
precepts  merely  of  the  gospel,  nor  by  the 
revelations  of  the  gospel,  nor  by  the  ordi- 


312 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


nances  of  the  church,  that  sinners  are 
brought  nigh  unto  God,  but  by  the  blood 
of  Christ:  and  the  precepts,  and  revela- 
tion and  promises  and  aids  of  the  gospel 
— all  were  in  evidence  of  the  efficacy 
which  we  derive  from  the  shedding  of 
that  precious  blood.  On  this  superstruc- 
ture stands  the  whole  spiritual  temple. 
It  is  the  source  of  humility,  the  object  of 
faith,  the  principle  of  sanctification,  the 
key  to  all  the  treasures  of  God's  mercy. 
On  this  ground  then,  as  believers  in  the 
gospel,  we  take  our  stand  ;  if  we  recede 
one  hair's  breadth  from  this  we  relinquish 
that  which  holds  the  whole  system  to- 
gether. If  Christ  died  not  for  our  sins 
according  to  the  Scriptures — if  his  death 
was  not  a  full,  perfect,  and  sufficient 
sacrifice  and  oblation  for  the  sins  of  the 
world,  then  is  our  preaching  vain,  and 
your  faith  is  also  vain;  but  if  it  was,  we 
have  that  assurance  which  alone  can 
satisfy  the  desires  and  appease  the  anxie- 
ties of  a  conscious  sinner;  we  have  an 
advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ, 
and  he  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins. 

Well,  it  may  be  said,  we  admit  that 
the  words  of  Scripture  seem  to  favour 
your  supposition,  but  we  cannot  believe 
it,  it  surpasses  the  grasp  of  our  reason ; 
we  cannot  understand  it;  "it  is  a  hard 
saying,  who  can  bear  it?"  What  right 
have  you  to  expect  that  nothing  should 
be  proposed  in  holy  Scripture  for  your 
belief,  but  that  which  you  can  thoroughly 
comprehend  1  Undoubtedly  you  can 
comprehend  the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ 
did  die  for  our  sins,  although  you  may  be 
wholly  ignorant  of  the  mode  in  which  his 
propitiation  was  effectual,  and  of  the  rea- 
sons which  moved  the  supreme  arbiter  of 
the  universe  to  accept  that  wonderful 
mode  of  reconciliation.  The  Scripture 
not  only  proposes  to  us  the  doctrine  of 
the  divine  Redeemer,  but  it  proposes  it 
expressly  as  a  mystery — a  great  mysterj'^ ; 
thus  primarily  excluding  it,  as  to  its 
mode,  from  the  legitimate  province  of 
reason,  and  classing  it  among  the  things 
which  are  to  be  believed,  simply  and  ex- 
clusively, because  God  has  revealed  them 
to  us.  No  doubt  it  would  gratify  the 
pride,  and  satiate  the  curiosity  of  man,  to 
be  made  acquainted  with  all  the  reasons 


of  God's  providence,  especially  with 
the  secrets  of  redemption,  those  hidden 
springs  of  love  and  holiness  which  were 
in  action  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world ;  but  there  are  some  of  the  divine 
councils  into  which  even  the  angels  de- 
sire to  look,  and  this  probably  is  one  of 
them. 

The  expiatory  sacrifice  of  Christ,  and 
his  divine  nature  which  alone  made  that 
expiation  so  infinitely  meritorious,  are 
not  the  onl)'  mysterious  features  of  God's 
dealings  with  mankind.  The  moral  state 
of  man  is  a  mystery  throughout,  a  mys- 
tery respecting  which  reason  must  be 
content  with  the  light  which  revelation 
casts  upon  it ;  and  even  with  that  light  it 
can  only  be  viewed  "  as  through  a  glass 
darkly."  For  what  can  be  more  myste- 
rious than  the  origin  of  sin  and  evil  in  the 
world  ]  A  question  on  which  all  the 
powers  of  human  reason  have  been  ex- 
erted without  success,  which  no  man  pre- 
tends to  consider  as  clear  and  easy  of 
comprehension ;  and  if  the  origin  of  sin 
and  evil  be  mysterious,  what  reason  have 
we  to  conclude  that  its  remedy  should 
not  be  mysterious  1 

My  brethren,  if  you  believe  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  apply  to  them  the  ordinary 
rules  of  interpretation,  nay,  if  you  do  not 
torture  and  disfigure  them  for  the  express 
purpose  of  getting  rid  of  the  mystery, 
(and  even  then  you  cannot  blot  it  out 
from  the  blessed  gospel,)  you  cannot  fail 
to  perceive  the  word  "  atonement,''''  writ- 
ten therein  in  characters  of  light.  Con- 
sult then  your  own  conscience ;  go  down 
into  the  chambers  of  imagery,  unravel  the 
secrets  of  your  heart,  see  what  they  are. 
and  what  they  ought  to  be,  and  what  of 
themselves  they  never  can  be,  and  you 
will  wish  the  doctrine  to  be  true.  Em- 
brace it  cordially,  and  with  prayer  for  the 
increase  of  your  faith,  and  you  will  soon 
feel  the  force  of  the  exclamation,  "  Oh 
wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  de- 
liver me  from  this  body  of  sin  and 
death  V  Once  convinced  of  your  own 
sinfulness  and  insufficiency,  you  will 
readily  admit  that  it  is  indeed  "  a  saying 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,that  Jesus  Christ 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners." 

But  then  is  it  not  an  awful  as  well  as 


THE  VICARIOUS  SUFFERINGS  OF  CHRIST. 


313 


an  acceptable  saying]  That  our  great 
intercessor  and  surety  hath  put  away  sin, 
is  indeed  a  joyful  announcement ;  that  he 
hath  done  so  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself, 
is  a  subject  of  endless  wonder  and  grati- 
tude ;  that  expiation  could  not  otherwise 
be  made,  is  a  truth  above  all  others  cal- 
culated to  exhibit  the  exceeding  sinful- 
ness of  sin, — its  hatefulness  in  the  sight 
of  God.  Let  each  man  apply  that  truth 
to  his  own  case,  and  say — It  was  for  me 
that  Jesus  died  upon  the  cross  ;  it  was  for 
me  that  he  endured  the  contradiction  of 
sinners  ;  it  was  my  sin  bowed  down  his 
holy  head  with  sorrow  in  Gethsemane — 
planted  upon  his  brow  the  crown  of  thorns 
— pierced  his  hands  and  his  feet;  nay, 
those  very  sins  which,  day  by  day,  and 
hour  by  hour,  I  am  committing,  and  by 
which,  as  far  as  in  me  lies,  I  render  those 
sufferings  and  that  death  of  none  effect. 
Can  any  contemplation  be  more  awful 
than  this  1  Can  we  imagine  a  more 
powerful  discouragement  to  sin  ?  And  if 
it  be  less  effectual  to  us  than  it  ought  to 
be,  it  is  because  we  are  not  sufficiently 
alive  to  the  twofold  sense  in  which  Jesus 
Christ  died  for  our  sins.  He  died  to  re- 
deem us  not  only  from  the  penalty  of  sin, 
but  from  its  power,  by  opening  a  way  for 
the  Holy  Spirit  into  the  soul  of  man,  and 
purchase  glory  to  God,  by  the  renewal  of 
sinners  to  holiness.  "  Christ,"  says  St. 
Paul,  "  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse 
of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us." 
But  the  same  apostle  tells  us  that,  "  He 
gave  himself  for  our  sins,  that  he  might 
deliver  us  from  this  present  evil  world." 
But  then  a  deep,  heartfelt,  abiding  sense, 
not  merely  an  historical  belief,  but  a  cor- 
dial and  joyful  acquiescence  in  the  truth, 
that  Christ  has  redeemed  us  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  also  delivers  us  from  its 
power ;  for  it  cannot  be  that  such  a  con- 
viction should  take  place  in  the  soul,  with- 
out prayer,  and  meditation,  and  drawing 
its  affections  and  desires  towards  God. 


Still  less  can  we  conceive  it  possible 
that  any  person  could  really  believe  the 
vital  doctrine  of  the  atonement  who  neg- 
lects the  ordinance  appointed  by  the 
Great  Atoner  for  the  express  purpose  of 
keeping  alive  the  remembrance  of  that 
crowning  act.  "  Do  this  in  remembrance 
of  me" — not  merely  your  master,  your 
friend,  your  instructer,  but  of  me  your 
Saviour.  Let  this  remind  you  not  merely 
of  my  sojourn  upon  earth,  of  my  teaching, 
of  my  miracles ;  but  of  my  death,  my 
body  broken,  and  my  blood  shed  upon 
the  cross  for  the  remission  of  your  sins  ; 
and  not  yours  only,  but  the  sins  of  the 
whole  world.  Is  it  too  strong  a  condem- 
nation to  say,  that  the  neglect  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  is  a  practical  denial  of  the 
atonement  1  Blessed  Jesus,  Saviour  of 
the  world  !  can  we  behold  thee  stretched 
upon  the  cross,  enduring  shame  and 
agony  for  our  sins,  shedding  forth  that 
precious  blood  with  which  thou  hast  re- 
deemed us  on  the  cross,  upheld  under  all 
thy  sufferings  by  the  desire  of  saving  us 
miserable  sinners  from  eternal  death — can 
we  contemplate  this  spectacle,  and  yet 
contemn  and  refuse  the  consecrated  sym- 
bols of  that  body  so  broken,  that  blood 
which  was  so  shed  for  our  sins  1  Oh 
send  thy  Holy  Spirit  to  pour  into  our 
souls  those  gracious  influences,  by  which 
alone  we  can  realize  to  ourselves  the 
blessed  fruits  of  thy  cross  and  passion, 
strengthening  our  faith,  subduing  our  in- 
ordinate affections,  and  animating  our 
hopes  with  clearer  and  clearer  prospects 
of  that  glory,  in  which  we  shall  stand 
around  the  throne,  and  join  in  the  tri- 
umphant hymn  which  shall  then  be  raised 
by  all  the  redeemed  of  the  earth — "  Wor- 
thy is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive 
power,  and  honour,  and  riches,  and  wis- 
dom, and  strength,  and  glory." — "  Bless- 
ing and  honour  and  glory,  be  to  Him  that 
sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  for 
ever  and  ever." 


Vol.  L— 40 


2D 


SERMON   XXXIV. 

THE    MADNESS   AND    FOLLY    OF    RELIGION. 

DELIVERED      TO      MEDICAL      STUDENTS, 

BY  THE  REV.  T.  BINNEY. 


"  The  prophet  is  afool,the  spiritual  man  is  mad." — Hosea  ix.  7. 


I  SHALL  not  detain  you  by  any  minute 
criticism  on  the  exact  and  literal  applica- 
tion of  this  lanoruage  ;  suffice  it  to  say, 
that  it  is  capable  of  two  senses,  accord- 
ing as  you  regard  it  as  the  cause,  or  as  the 
eff&ct,  of  the  "  days"  of  "  visitation"  and 
of  "  recompense,"  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding clause  of  the  verse.  If  you  take 
it  to  describe  the  cause  of  that  visitation 
or  judgment  which  was  coming  on  the 
land,  it  will  then  mean  that  the  prophets 
and  spiritual  men,  or  men  inspired  by  the 
Spirit,  and  commissioned  to  address  the 
people  with  the  authority  of  God — that 
they  had  actually  been  accounted  fools 
and  madmen — that  they  had  been  ridi- 
culed and  scorned  as  "  vain  babblers" — 
that  their  messages  had  been  treated  with 
contempt,  and  themselves  with  indignity 
— and  that,  therefore,  Jehovah,  who  had 
thus  been  despised  and  insulted  in  the 
persons  of  his  own  prophets,  had  deter- 
mined to  punish  the  offenders  by  bring- 
ing upon  them  some  terrible  visitation. 
If  you  take  it,  in  the  second  sense,  as 
describing  the  effect  of  this  visitation,  it 
will  then  mean  that  those  who  had  long 
been  disobedient  to  the  divine  voice,  as 
addressed  to  them  by  the  commissioned 
servants  and  in  the  "  true  sayings"  of 
God,  should  at  length  be  given  up,  as  an 
appropriate  punishment,  to  the  influence 
of  strong  delusion,  that  they  might  be- 
lieve a  lie — that  men,  pretending  to  be 
prophets,  and  falsely  laying  claim  to  in- 
tercourse with  the  Spirit,  should  arise 
3U 


among  them,  and  be  permitted  to  deceiv 
them  to  their  destruction — that  these  pro- 
phets should  be  fools  and  fanatics,  though 
the  infatuated  multitude  should  confide 
in  their  counsels — and  t\\L\t  they,  however 
venerated  and  obeyed  for  their  spiritual 
pretensions,  should  only  resemble  the  ora- 
cles and  soothsayers  of  the  heathen,  of 
whom  it  is  said  by  Isaiah,  that  God  "  turn- 
eth  their  wise  men  backward,  changeth 
their  knowledge  into  folly,  and  maketh 
their  diviners  mad." 

This  last  sense  is  perhaps  the  more 
probable  of  the  two ;  but,  as  the  thing 
described  in  the  first  actually  occurred 
among  the  Hebrews,  whether  intended  in 
this  passage  or  not,  it  is  in  allusion  to 
that  that  we  shall  be  guided  in  our  ob- 
servations this  morning.  "  Theprophet  is 
a  fool,  the  spiritual  man  is  mad.''^  Such 
was  both  the  feeling  and  the  phraseology 
indulged  in  by  many  of  the  Jews,  in  rela- 
tion to  the  very  men  of  whom  they  had 
every  evidence  that  they  came  from  God, 
It  sometimes  meant  the  utter  rejection  of 
their  message,  and  was  intended  to  ex- 
press an  absolute  disbelief  of  the  matter 
of  their  testimony — and  it  sometimes 
meant  a  disapprobation  of  their  zeal,  and 
was  intended  only  to  censure  the  warmth 
and  earnestness  of  manner  with  which 
they  enforced  what  was  admitted  to  be 
true.  The  phrase  was  also  sometimes 
employed  to  stigmatize  the  penitent  and 
the  spiritual  among  the  people,  who,  in 
obedience    to    conscience   and   to   truth. 


THE  MADNESS  AND  FOLLY  OF  RELIGION. 


315 


abandoned  their  follies  and  returned  to 
God — according  to  the  representation  of 
one  of  the  prophets,  "  He  that  departeth 
from  evil  is  accounted  mad." 

Now,  something  similar  to  all  this 
takes  place  among  ourselves.  Human 
nature  is  the  same  now  in  this  country 
that  it  was  in  the  land  of  Judea  three 
thousand  years  ago.  Its  dislike  of  God 
and  of  his  servants  is  the  same.  Its  pride 
and  affectation  of  superiority  is  the  same. 
It  still  has  a  high  conceit  of  its  capaci- 
ties and  powers,  and  it  expresses  that 
conceit  by  despising,  as  unworthy  its  re- 
gard, the  discoveries  of  revelation,  or  by 
ridiculing  the  weakness  of  the  men  who 
either  enforce  them  with  earnestness  or 
who  follow  them  with  fidelity.  "  The 
preacher  is  a  fool,  and  his  disciple  is 
mad."  This  is  its  language;  and  this 
proud  and  petulant  conclusion — this  judg- 
ment pronounced  without  examination 
and  without  thought,  settles  the  matter, 
it  should  seem,  for  the  passing  moment — 
raises  the  mirth  of  the  young,  the  vola- 
tile, and  the  vain — affords  them  the  ra- 
tional and  dignified  satisfaction  of  laugh- 
ing at  the  weakness  of  the  man  who  has 
courage  to  be  virtuous — and  preserves 
them  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  very  lauda- 
ble liberty  of  making  themselves  as  con- 
temptible and  as  wicked  as  they  please  ! 

Let  us  proceed,  then,  to  examine  the 
sanity  and  the  w/sc?o»i  of  conduct  like  this 
by  examining  the  madness  and  the  folly 
with  which  it  wars.  "  The  Christian 
preacher  is  a  fool,  and  the  Christian  dis- 
ciple is  mad."  The  man  who  "  walks 
in  the  Spirit,"  and  the  man  who  "  con- 
verts him  from  the  error  of  his  way,"  are 
considered  alike  to  be  imbecile  or  insane. 
Such,  it  is  not  to  be  denied,  is  the  real 
sentiment  both  of  the  infidel,  who  rejects 
the  truth  of  Christianity  altogether,  and  of 
the  worldly  and  irreligious  among  its 
professed  recipients,  who  deride  the  ha- 
bits and  the  principles  of  the  pious.  Let 
us  examine  it. 

"  The  prophet  is  a  fuol.''''  The  Hebrew 
term,  "prophet,"  signifies,  in  Christian 
phraseology,  a  preaclier — one  who  ex- 
pounds the  Scriptures,  and  promulgates 
the  gospel :  and  in  this  sense  we  use  it 
here.     To  judge,  then,  of  the  folly  of  the 


man,  the  absurdity  of  his  office,  and  the 
mental  weakness  of  his  own  character, 
let  us  notice  what  he  is,  and  what  he  aim« 
to  accomplish. 

The  Christian  prophet  is  the  publi'- 
expositor  of  a  book  whose  claim  to  bw 
considered  a  divine  revelation  has  been 
admitted,  after  prolonged  research,  by  th« 
master-spirits  of  every  age — men  who 
have  been  distinguished  by  splendid  ge- 
nius— varied  capacity — pure  and  elevated 
intellect — profound  and  diversified  acqui- 
sitions ;  a  book  whose  pretensions  are 
supported  by  several  distinct  processes 
of  argument,  each,  separately  and  alone, 
amounting  to  moral  proof;  the  whole, 
when  combined,  approaching  to  some- 
thing like  positive  demonstration,  Thia 
book  is  the  most  singularly  constructed 
of  any  in  the  world  :  it  consists  of  a  num 
ber  of  small  tracts,  about  sixty-six,  th< 
composition  of  above  thirty  individuals- 
persons  of  all  classes,  from  kings  to  pea 
sants — of  various  education — of  everj 
kind  and  measure  of  intellectual  ability — 
and  who  lived  scattered  over  a  period  ot 
far  more  than  a  thousand  years  :  and  yet 
this  book,  thus  composed,  is  always  con- 
sistent with  itself — it  has  a  beginning,  a 
middle,  and  an  end  ;  it  is  evidently  a 
whole ;  it  is  the  realization  of  the  idea  of 
one  mind,  executed  by  a  number  of  others, 
who,  like  the  labourers  and  masons  under 
direction  of  an  architect,  could  have  had 
no  conception  of  the  completed  appear- 
ance of  the  edifice  upon  which  they  were 
employed,  but  who  laid  stone  upon  stone 
in  blind  obedience,  until  the  whole  stood 
forth  in  its  sublimity  and  perfection. 
This  book  contains  in  it  the  best  account 
of  the  origin  of  the  universe,  and  the  best 
interpretation  of  the  present  appearances 
of  the  earth  and  man.  It  teaches  the 
sublimest  theology  ;  it  reveals  a  God, 
spiritual  in  his  essence — perfect  in  all 
natural  and  moral  attributes — the  creator 
and  governor  of  the  world  ;  it  prescribes 
a  worship  suitable  to  his  high  and  holy 
character,  and  directly  tending  to  improve 
and  to  elevate  that  of  his  worshippers. 
This  book  accounts  for,  and  all  along 
proceeds  upon,  the  fact  of  the  apostasy 
and  sinfulness  of  man — a  fact  illustrated 
by  all  history,  confessed  and  lamented  bj 


316 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


moralists  of  all  ages,  and  corroborated  by 
personal  observation  and  personal  con- 
sciousness. It  proposes  a  plan  of  mercy, 
and  reveals  means  of  restoration,  pre- 
cisely adapted  to  this  condition  of  our 
nature ;  which  meets  at  once  the  fears 
and  apprehensions  prompted  by  guilt, 
and  the  weakness  and  corruption  flowing 
from  depravity.  This  book  sets  before 
the  view  of  its  disciples  the  highest  pos- 
sible standard  of  excellence  ;  it  places 
the  principles  of  morals  on  the  firmest 
basis ;  it  enforces  them  by  the  highest 
sanctions  ;  it  carries  them  to  the  farthest 
extent ;  and  encourages  obedience  by  the 
most  affecting  and  powerful  motives.  In 
the  principal  personage  whose  life  it  con- 
tains, it  exhibits  a  perfect  model  of  all 
that  is  dignifying  and  beautiful  in  charac- 
ter ;  and,  in  the  history  of  every  other 
individual,  nothing  is  recorded  but  what 
has  a  tendency  either  to  stimulate  to  obe- 
dience, or  to  deter  from  transgression. 
Finally — for  time  would  fail  me  to  enu- 
merate all  the  distinguishing  peculiari- 
ties of  the  volume  in  question — this  book 
reveals  a  future  world  in  such  a  manner 
as  carries  with  it  the  stamp  of  divinity, 
both  by  what  it  says  and  by  what  it  does 
not  say : — it  descends  to  no  minute  and 
curious  descriptions ;  the  speakers  and 
writers  seem  to  exercise  the  most  singu- 
lar control  over  the  fancy  and  imagina- 
tion, when  touching  upon  topics  the  most 
tempting  to  men  pretending  to  familiarity 
with  the  invisible  and  the  future ;  there 
is  a  soberness,  a  calmness,  and  a  grandeur 
about  their  discoveries  of  the  worlds  that 
are  not  seen,  just  fitted  to  affect  us  with 
solemn  delight  and  salutary  terror;  there 
is  nothing  to  provoke  or  to  satisfy  imper- 
tinent curiosity,  or  to  degrade  the  subject 
by  the  ridiculous  and  the  mean;  there  is 
every  thing,  however,  to  render  the  repre- 
sentation what  it  is  intended  to  be,  and 
which  falls  in  with  the  evident  design  of 
the  whole  communication — namely,  an 
instrument  for  promoting  the  greatest  im- 
provement of  which  our  nature  is  capa- 
ble, and  the  highest  happiness  for  which 
it  was  made. 

Such  is  a  description — and,  permit  me 
to  remind  you,  a  very,  very  imperfect 
description — of  that  wonderful  book,  the 


principles  of  which  it  is  the  duty  of  the 
Christian  prophet  to  illustrate  and  en- 
force. Let  us  next  observe  how  he  does 
this.  It  is  his  business  to  imbibe  a  por- 
tion of  that  exalted  spirit  which  pervades 
every  page  of  this  extraordinary  record — 
to  come  forth,  from  time  to  time,  and  ad- 
dress himself  to  his  fellows  in  the  accents 
of  love  and  with  the  eloquence  of  the 
heart ;  he  is  to  exhibit  the  great  princi- 
ples of  religious  and  moral  truth,  with 
simplicity,  seriousness,  and  affection  ;  he 
is  to  take  man  as  he  finds  him — an  un- 
happy and  guilty  intelligence — made  up 
of  contradictory  impulses — with  a  per- 
ception of  right,  and  a  bias  to  wrong — 
"  sowing  the  wind,  and  reaping  the  whirl- 
wind ;"  he  is  to  reveal  to  him  a  system 
which  precisely  meets  the  necessities  of 
his  nature,  and  he  is  to  carry  it  out,  when 
professed  to  be  received,  into  all  the  most 
exalted  forms  of  personal  character  and 
social  virtue.  He  is  to  inform  the  igno- 
rant, rouse  the  sluggish,  animate  the  de- 
sponding, encourage  the  active,  and  com- 
fort the  distressed  ;  he  is  to  warn  the 
impenitent,  rebuke  the  inconsistent,  ter- 
rify the  vicious,  expose  the  hypocritical, 
and  denounce  the  ungodly  ;  he  is  to  do 
all  this — and  more  than  this — in  a  way 
wonderfully  adapted  to  the  nature  of  man, 
and  to  the  actual  and  unavoidable  condi- 
tion of  the  great  mass  of  the  species  : — 
men  are  to  be  congregated  together,  and 
there,  while  in  a  manner  passive,  without 
any  severe  demand  upon  their  faculties, 
they  are  to  be  made  familiar  with  the 
sublimest  conceptions — to  be  interested 
and  impressed  by  the  living  voice — to  be 
urged  to  aspire  after  the  glory  and  happi- 
ness of  another  world,  while  they  are 
taught  all  that  it  becomes  them  to  be  in 
relation  to  the  present.  This  simple  and 
peculiar  mode,  by  which  the  Christian 
prophet  is  to  make  his  truths  teJl  upon  the 
condition  and  the  character  of  society,  is 
at  once  suited  to  man  as  man,  whose  na- 
ture is  made  to  be  affected  by  such  an 
instrument ;  and  it  is  suited  to  the  nu- 
merous children  of  labour  and  of  toil, 
who  must  depend  upon  strong  impres- 
sions from  without  for  vivid  and  exten- 
sive conceptions  of  religious  truth  and 
religious  duty. 


THE  MADNESS  AND  FOLLY  OF  RELIGION. 


317 


Such  is  the  Christian  prophet  in  his 
furniture,  his  office,  and  his  aims.  If 
time  permitted,  it  would  be  easy  to  show 
that  his  influence  upon  society  has  been 
always  and  immensely  beneficial — I  mean 
of  course  when  he  has  continued  to  be 
what  he  was  at  first,  and  what  he  is  in- 
tended to  be  by  ihe  system  to  which  he 
belongs — neither  degraded  to  the  condi- 
tion of  a  political  drudge,  nor  raised  and 
corrupted  into  that  of  a  prince  and  a  po- 
tentate. It  was  the  voice  of  the  preacher 
that  shook  the  gods  of  the  ancients  from 
the  heaven  they  had  usurped — that  com- 
pelled them  to  vacate  their  thrones  and 
their  temples,  and  to  relinquish  the  ty- 
ranny they  had  so  long  exercised  over 
the  heathen  world.  It  was  the  Christian 
preacher  that  introduced  a  new  stream  of 
ideas  into  the  human  mind — ideas  that 
gave  to  morals  a  higher  tone,  and  to  reli- 
gion a  positive  existence.  It  was  the 
efforts  of  the  Christian  preacher  that 
changed  the  character  of  nations  and  the 
complexion  of  literature.  Even  in  the 
dark  ages,  when  he  had  become  indolent, 
vicious,  silent,  and  corrupt,  it  was  by 
him  that  the  lamp  of  knowledge  was  pre- 
served from  being  totally  extinguished  ; 
it  was  by  him  that  it  was  trimmed  and 
fed,  and  brought  forth  to  guide  and  to 
gladden  the  nations,  when  he  aroused 
them  from  the  sleep  and  the  superstition 
of  centuries.  It  was  by  the  voice  of  the 
preacher  that  religion  was  reformed  ,•  it 
was  by  the  erudition  of  the  preacher,  and 
by  the  effect  of  his  agency  on  the  public 
mind,  that  the  revival  of  learning  was 
accelerated  and  encouraged.  In  our  own 
country  it  was  by  the  Christian  preacher 
— it  was  in  consequence  of  the  spirit  pro- 
moted by  his  religion,  and  the  influence 
exerted  by  his  office,  that  civil  liberty 
was  saved — that  the  tree  was  planted 
and  nourished,  under  whose  shade  we 
repose,  and  whose  fruit  we  gather;  and, 
in  the  present  day,  I  do  not  hesitate  to 
affirm  that  it  is  the  preacher  who  exerts 
the  greatest  influence  on  the  positive  vir- 
tue and  happiness  of  the  nation  ;  it  is  by 
him  that  every  society  is  advocated,  and 
every  agent  encouraged,  that  aims  at  the 
moral  education  of  the  children  of  the 
poor,  or  the  religious  advantage  of  the 


poor  themselves.  It  is  by  the  preacher 
that  the  purest  principles  of  conduct  are 
kept  before  the  view  of  the  mass  of  the 
people — that  they  are  impressed  upon  the 
moral  sense,  and  made  to  exert  an  influ- 
ence in  the  formation  of  character.  It  is 
by  the  preacher  that  an  element  of  conso- 
lation, contentment,  and  joy  is  made  to 
go  forth  and  to  diffuse  itself  over  the 
hearts  and  the  habitations  of  the  children 
of  toil  and  poverty,  of  sorrow  and  misfor- 
tune. It  is  by  him  that  the  guilty  are 
called  to  penitence,  the  penitent  led  to 
pardon,  and  the  pardoned  filled  "  with 
joy  and  peace  in  believing."  In  short, 
to  see  what  is  actually  effected  by  the 
preacher,  and  to  be  assisted  in  calculating 
the  amount  of  good  for  which  society  is 
indebted  to  him,  only  imagine  that  the 
whole  race  of  the  Christian  prophets 
were  extinguished — that  their  places  of 
instruction  were  closed — that  their  voices 
were  never  heard,  and  their  influence 
never  felt:  imagine  either  that  they  were 
not  succeeded  by  any  public  teachers  at 
all — that  the  whole  people  were  left 
without  any  thing  whatever  in  the  form 
of  oral  instruction ;  or  imagine  that  the 
preacher  was  universally  succeeded  by 
the  advocates  of  the  modern  coarse  and 
vulgar  infidelity;  and  then  fancy  what 
would  be  the  consequence — the  conse- 
quence of  this  change  to  the  virtue  and 
happiness  of  the  nation — and  say,  say  if 
you  can,  that  you  could  contemplate  ihat 
result  with  any  feelings  but  those  of  me- 
lancholy and  concern,  if  not,  indeed,  with 
apprehension  and  terror. 

I  now  ask  the  question,  but  I  shall  not 
stay  to  attempt  to  answer  it ;  I  shall  leave 
that  principally  to  yourselves — I  ask  the 
question,  Is  the  prophet  a  fool?  Can  you 
really  believe  if?  Can  you  preierid  to 
believe  if?  When  you  have  brought  be- 
fore you  all  that  he  professes  to  be,  and 
all  that  he  attempts  to  accomplish — when 
you  think  of  what  he  has  done,  and  of 
what  he  is  doing — can  you  seriously  unite 
either  in  the  depreciation  of  his  preten- 
sions, or  in  ridicule  of  his  office  ?  Place 
upon  one  side  all  the  evidence  in  support 
of  the  divinity  of  the  book  which  the 
preacher  is  to  expound,  and  all  the  facts 
illustrative  of  his  immense  and  beneficial 
2d2 


318 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


influence  on  society — and  place,  upon  the 
other,  the  incredible  propositions  which 
he  must  of  necessity  believe  who  rejects 
the  first,  and  the  state  of  feeling  he  must 
possess  who  could  view  the  second  with 
coldness  and  indifference ;  contrast  the 
character  of  both  minds — that  of  the 
preacher  and  that  of  his  opponent :  con- 
trast them  as  to  their  intellectual  condi- 
tion and  moral  properties  ;  and  determine 
for  yourselves  which  of  the  two  is  best 
entitled  to  the  epithet  in  the  text. 

"  The  prophet  is  a  fooW''  This  lan- 
guage might  be  further  illustrated,  not  as 
the  sentiment  of  the  infidel  objector,  but 
as  that  of  the  man  who  professes  him- 
self a  Christian,  but  who  is  offended  by 
tlie  earnestness  and  enthusiasm  with 
which  the  preacher  exhibits  his  theme, 
and  urges  its  acceptance.  On  this,  how- 
ever, we  shall  merely  remark,  that  either 
on  the  admission  of  the  truth  of  what  the 
preacher  promulgates,  or  on  the  suppo- 
sition of  its  falsehood,  but  with  the  ad- 
mission that  the  preacher  himself  believes 
it  to  be  true — in  either  case  the  charge  of 
imbecility  and  folly  must  rest  with  the 
man  who  could  make  such  admissions, 
and  yet  be  willing  to  witness,  in  the  ad- 
vocate of  this  truth,  or  this  supposed 
truth,  any  thing  but  the  most  fervid  zeal, 
and  impassioned  enthusiasm.  In  the  es- 
timation of  the  preacher,  he  is  in  posses- 
sion of  the  grand  secret  by  which  alone 
humanity  can  be  permanently  benefited — 
that  secret  which  God  himself  has  reveal- 
ed, for  the  very  purpose  of  saving  an  apos- 
tate species,  and  restoring  the  harmony  of 
the  world ;  he  believes  that  the  highest 
happiness  of  the  present  life,  and  the 
very  possibi lit y  of  happiness  in  the  next, 
depends  on  the  reception  of  the  truth 
which  he  is  concerned  to  teach ;  he  who 
considers  that  this  must  be  the  feeling  of 
the  Christian  prophet,  on  the  supposition 
of  his  moral  sincerity,  instead  of  wonder- 
ing at  the  warmth  with  which  the  duties 
of  the  office  are  occasionally  discharged, 
will  rather  wonder  at  the  tameness  and 
apathy  by  which  those  who  sustain  it  are 
too  frequently  distinguished.  Enthusi- 
asm is  a  term  employed  in  a  good  sense, 
and  is  used  to  describe  the  feeling  with 
which  men  often  devote   themselves  to 


national  interests  and  secular  professions. 
The  politician,  the  poet,  the  painter,  the 
man  of  science  and  of  literature,  or,  what 
is  more  to  the  purpose  at  present,  the 
physician  and  the  surgeon,  who  give 
themselves  to  the  science  and  the  philo- 
sophy of  their  profession — wlio  enlarge 
its  boundaries,  unravel  its  mysteries,  and 
promote  its  advancement — these  men  are 
spoken  of  with  rapture  for  the  extrava' 
gance  and  eccentricity  of  zeal  which  they 
consume  on  the  promotion  of  their  fa- 
vourite pursuits  ;  they  are  thus  spoken  of 
by  the  very  men  who,  when  a  mere  tithe 
of  such  zeal  appears  in  the  professors  of 
a  science  in  comparison  with  which  every 
other  sinks  into  insignificance,  are  ever 
ready  to  express  their  pity,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  contempt — the  prophet  is  a  fool, 
or  the  preacher  is  mad !  Now,  conduct  like 
this  is  just  any  thing  but  wisdom.  To 
use  a  familiar  comparison,  which,  with 
your  professional  predilections,  you  will 
readily  understand,  it  is  like  the  feeling 
of  a  man  who,  on  seeing  the  successful 
application  of  medicine  in  suddenly  rais- 
ing an  individual  from  the  bed  of  sick- 
ness, and  bringing  him  forth  into  society 
in  vigour  and  in  health,  should  fix  his 
admiration,  not  upon  the  skill  of  the  phy- 
sician who  had  restored  the  patient,  but 
upon  the  skill  of  the  operatives  who  se- 
lected the  fashion  of  his  coat,  or  the  figure 
of  his  shoe.  Any  extravagance,  in  fact, 
on  the  subject  of  religion  is  more  rational 
and  more  dignified  than  indifference  ;  and 
any  folly  is  tolerable  and  innocent  but 
that  which  admires  the  enthusiasm  often 
absurdly  devoted  to  present  interests  and 
temporary  claims,  and  condemns  that 
which  belongs  to  the  eternal,  the  infinite, 
and  the  future. 

It  is  time,  however,  to  advance  to  the 
illustration  of  the  second  clause,  "  the 
spiritual  man  is  mad." 

"  The  spiritual  man  is  mad!"  This 
we  take  to  be  the  language  of  the  man  of 
mere  secular  virtue,  who  indeed  may  pro- 
fess himself  a  Christian,  and  who  may 
be  distinguished  for  much  that  is  amiable 
in  manners,  and  excellent  in  character. 
This  is  his  language  in  allusion  to  the 
methodist  ,•  that  is,  to  the  consistent  disci- 
ple of  the  preacher — one  who  carries  his 


THE  MADNESS  AND  FOLLY  OF  RELIGION. 


319 


principles  into  practice,  and  who  becomes 
distinoruished  by  the  peculiarities  and 
habits  of  the  religious  life. 

In  order  to  judge  of  the  justice  of  the 
epithet,  let  us  take  the  lowest  form  of  the 
men  of  spiritual  attainment,  and  the  high- 
est form  of  the  men  of  secular  virtue,  and 
let  us  ascertain  ivhich  of  the  two  deserves 
most  to  be  admired  and  approved,  upon 
the  principles  of  enlightened  and  purified 
reason.  The  spiritual  or  religious  man 
may  be  one  of  but  little  grasp  of  intel- 
lect, with  limited  abilities,  circumscribed 
knowledge,  and  even  distinguished  by 
some  mental  weaknesses,  which  excite, 
in  those  who  know  his  worth  and  respect 
him  most,  deep  and  durable  regret ;  yet, 
with  all  this,  he  is  sincerely  and  consist- 
ently a  Christian — that  is  the  point,  he  is 
sincerely  and  consistently  a  Christian  : 
that  is,  he  is  conscious  of  sin,  and  he 
therefore  indulges  the  feelings  of  con- 
trition and  repentance :  he  desires  for- 
giveness, and  he  seeks  it  by  humble 
faith  in  the  propitiatory  sacrifice ;  he  is 
sensible  of  depravity,  and  he  there- 
fore asks  the  influence  of  that  Spirit 
which  the  Scriptures  reveal  to  purify  his 
afifections  ;  he  is  convinced  of  the  exist- 
ence of  God,  and  the  claims  which  he 
has  on  his  veneration  and  regard,  and  he 
therefore  cultivates  the  habit  of  devotion, 
and  studies  to  honour  him  by  conscien- 
tious obedience ;  he  is  ignorant,  and  he 
therefore  aims  at  enlarging  his  acquaint- 
ance with  truth,  by  the  daily  perusal  of 
the  written  word  :  he  believes  the  pro- 
mises of  Scripture,  he  therefore  pleads 
them  in  prayer,  and  confides  in  them  in 
practice ;  he  considers  himself  as  ad- 
vancing rapidly  to  eternity,  and  hence  he 
lives  in  diligent  preparation  for  the  cir- 
cumstance of  death  ;  he  reads  of  heaven, 
and  of  hell,  and  he  is  anxious  to  be  fitted 
for  the  one,  and  to  escape  the  other ;  he 
finds  himself  required  to  glorify  God,  by 
acting  under  the  influence  of  religious 
motives,  by  the  exercise  of  faith,  and  by 
benevolent  regard  to  the  interests  of 
others — and  he  attempts  all  this  in  hum- 
ble dependence  on  divine  assistance,  and 
yet  with  watchfulness  and  vigour  in  the 
voluntary  employment  of  his  faculties 
and  powers.     Such  are  a  few  of  the  cha- 


racteristics by  which  the  spiritual  man  ip 
distinguished,  and  for  which  he  is  ridi- 
culed and  stigmatized  as  deserving  the 
contemptuous  application  of  the  epithet 
in  the  text. 

Observe,  then,  in  the  next  place,  the 
conduct  and  the  character  of  the  man  by 
whom  this  epithet  is  so  freely  bestowed. 
This  man  you  may  suppose  to  be  as  ex- 
cellent and  distinguished,  in  the  moral 
and  intellectual  properties  of  his  charac- 
ter, as  it  is  possible  for  a  human  being  to 
be.  He  may  possess  genius,  talents,  and 
sensibility  ;  he  may  be  amiable,  honoura- 
ble, and  benevolent;  may  have  acquired 
the  highest  rank  in  his  profession ;  he 
may  be  loved  for  his  modesty,  and  vene- 
rated for  his  worth  :  yet,  with  all  this, 
he  may  be  chargeable  with  such  immense 
deficiencies  of  character  as  amount  to 
nothing  short  of  that  very  madness  Avhich 
he  attributes  to  others.  There  is  another 
world  as  well  as  the  present — a  world  for 
which,  though  professing  to  expect  it, 
this  man  has  made  no  preparation  ;  there 
is  a  God,  but  he  neglects  him — perhaps 
profanes  his  name,  and  dishonours  his 
sabbaths.  He  professes  to  believe  the 
Bible,  but  he  never  opens  it — to  believe 
in  Christ,  but  he  practically  rejects  him 
— to  have  committed  sin,  but  he  never 
repents  of  it — to  expect  death,  but  he 
lives  as  if  he  were  immortal.  He  says 
that  he  believes  there  is  a  heaven,  but  to 
be  fitted  for  its  enjoyments  excites  none 
of  his  solicitude — that  there  is  a  hell,  but 
he  makes  no  efforts,  in  humble  accordance 
with  the  dictates  of  revelation,  to  escape 
the  penalty  it  is  intended  to  inflict.  Now, 
let  any  person  of  common  sense  just  re- 
flect for  a  moment  on  the  characters  in 
question,  and  let  him  honestly  say  which 
of  the  two  is  to  be  "  accounted  mad  ;"— ■ 
he  who,  with  all  his  ignorance  and  weak- 
ness, is  alive  to  the  sublime  relations  he 
sustains  to  eternity  ;  or  he  who,  what- 
ever may  be  his  abilities,  is  confining 
them  to  the  concerns  and  the  advantages 
of  a  moment,  and  losing  the  distinctions 
of  that  endless  existence  which,  all  the 
time,  he  professes  to  expect ! — The  eter- 
nal God  has  determined  the  matter,  by 
telling  us  that  to  the  man  who  cares  only 
to  be  rich  in  relation  to  earth,  whether 


320 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


Jiat  consist  in  wealth  or  in  talent,  sepa- 
rate from  religion,  that  to  iJuit  man,  the 
epithet  of  '■'■fool''''  is  applied  in  the  vo- 
cabulary of  heaven  ! 

The  subject  might  be  further  illustrated 
by  taking-  an  individual  who,  after  years 
passed  in  moral  insensibility,  or  criminal 
indulgence,  should  suddenly  be  affected 
by  religious  truth,  and  should  rise  into 
the  character  of  a  religious  man.  We 
might  take  such  a  person,  and,  consider- 
ing the  scorn,  and  ridicule,  and  laughter 
with  which  he  would  be  assailed  by  his 
former  associates,  we  might  contrast  his 
conduct  with  theirs — his  who  awakes,  as 
it  were,  to  the  voice  of  reason,  and  to  the 
suggestions  and  impulses  of  his  better 
nature — and  theiis  who  continue  imbruted 
in  the  bondage  of  the  flesh,  degraded  and 
chained  by  the  slavery  of  the  senses. 
The  thing,  however,  is  too  absurd  to  be 
patiently  pursued ;  for  the  impure  and 
the  profligate  to  talk  of  the  madness  of 
the  man  who  breaks  from  their  confede- 
racy, and  to  laugh  at  him  as  if  he  had 
forsaken  a  company  of  philosophers, 
would  only  excite  one's  indignant  con- 
tempt, if  it  were  not  that  the  poor  idiots 
are  entitled  to  compassion.  The  ridicule 
or  the  hatred  of  such  characters  is  always 
to  be  considered  as  approbation  and  praise. 
To  turn  from  iniquity,  and  to  be  account- 
ed mad,  is  the  way  to  be  regarded  as 
rational  and  wise  by  the  angels  in  heaven 
— those  sages  of  eternity,  who  under- 
stand the  nature  and  the  province  of  in- 
tellect, and  who  rejoice  over  every  sinner 
that  repenteth.  For  those  who,  thus 
being  led  to  repentance,  become  "  wise 
unto  salvation,"  and  for  those  who  are 
honoured  to  be  the  instruments  of  pro- 
moting this  result — for  both  are  reserved, 
by  the  mercy  of  God,  some  of  the  high- 
est honours  which  eternity  can  confer  : — 
"They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the 
brightness  of  the  firmament;  and  they 
that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the 
stars,  for  ever  and  ever." 

In  conclusion,  I  would  urge  upon  those 
whom  I  have  the  privilege  to  address,  the 
important  lessons  which  the  present  sub- 
ject involves,  and  which  they  will  readi- 
ly detect.  If  any  of  you  have  just  left  the 
parental  roof,  and  have  arrived  here  with 


the  habits  of  a  pious  family  still  about 
you,  let  nothing  shame  you  out  of  their 
continued  cultivation  ;  if  any  (f  you  have 
begun  to  feel  the  pernicious  influence  of 
evil  communications,  break  instantly  with 
the  criminal  seducers  ;  if  any  (f  you  have 
proceeded  far  in  the  absurd  career  of 
scepticism  or  of  vice,  be  persuaded  to 
return,  in  spite  of  the  insane  ridicule  you 
may  receive  from  your  companions ;  if 
any  of  you  are  scouted  as  saints,  and  have 
to  sustain  indignity  or  contempt  for  your 
steady  attachment  to  God  and  to  truth, 
be  not  discouraged  ;  remember  that  on 
your  side  are  the  wise  and  the  virtuous 
of  all  worlds — the  excellent  of  earth,  and 
the  perfect  in  heaven  ;  if  any  of  you  are 
disposed  to  think  lightly  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures — to  neglect  the  instructions  of 
the  Christian  preacher,  and  to  associate 
religion  with  weakness  and  fanaticism — 
recollect  that  the  probability  is  that  you 
are  very  ignorant  of  the  subjects  on  which 
you  are  about  to  dare  to  dogmatize — that, 
by  doing  so,  you  will  only  betray  to  the 
intelligent  your  intellectual  poverty,  and, 
which  will  be  more  galling  perhaps,  ex- 
pose yourselves  to  the  commiseration  and 
pity  of  the  pious.  Let  me  beseech  all  of 
you  to  fortify  your  minds  against  the 
dangers  of  your  position,  by  studying 
both  the  Christian  evidences  and  the 
Christian  record  ;  make  it  a  point  of  con- 
science to  attend  regularly  on  the  ordi- 
nances of  Christian  worship;  and  ever 
cultivate  a  reverential  regard  to  that 
Being  of  whose  wisdom  and  benevolence 
you  witness  so  many  proofs  in  the  pro- 
gress of  your  studies  ;  forget  not  that  He 
knows  the  wants  of  the  mind,  and  has 
provided  for  those  wants,  just  as  he 
knows  the  wants  of  the  body,  and  has 
provided  for  them  ; — that,  with  this  view, 
he  has  addressed  to  you  the  gospel  of  his 
Son,  and  commanded  you  to  receive  it, 
because  he  knows  that  you  have  need 
both  of  the  pardon  of  sin,  and  the  renova- 
tion of  your  nature  ;  by  repentance  and 
faith  seek  the  enjoyment  of  these  in- 
comparable blessings — blessings  without 
which  you  may  certainly  be  successful 
in  the  world,  but  can  never  be  properly 
prepared  for  leaving  it ;  and  leave  it  you 
must,  whether  prepared  for  the  tiemen- 


TIIC  xMADXESS  AND  FOLLY  OF  RELIGIOX. 


321 


dous  transition  or  not.  And  now,  one 
word  in  relation  to  a  subject  on  which 
one  word  will  be  sufficient,  and  then  I 
have  done.  I  beseech  you,  then,  by  all 
the  feelings  you  possess  as  sons  and  as 
brothers — by  the  recollections  you  retain 
of  your  father's  house — by  a  mother's 
intense  and  irrepressible  anxiety,  and  by 
a  sister's  pure  and  angelic  affection — as 
you  desire  to  be  respected,  and  ought  to 
desire  to  be  worthy  of  respect — as  you 
would  wish  to  possess,  in  future  years, 
internal  serenity  in  looking  back  to  the 
habits  of  the  present  period — in  the  name 
of  God — by  the  reality  of  judgment,  of 
heaven,  and  of  hell — by  all  that  is  author- 
itative in  truth,  and  all  that  is  tender  in 
friendship,  I  beseech  you  '■'■to  jlee  youth- 
ful lusts  that  war  against  the  soul  f^ — to 
study,  in  this  respect,  to  maintain  a  con- 
science and  a  character  void  of  offence  ! — 
to  erect  yourselves  above  yourselves,  and 
to  exercise,  by  reason  and  religion,  an 
abiding  control  over  the  appetites  and 
passions ! — let  the  man  govern  the  ani- 
mal, and  let  God  govern  the  man  !  Sup- 
plicate gracious  aid  to  assist  and  to 
strengthen  ;  and,  as  humble  and  consist- 
ent disciples  of  his  Son,  aim  at  the  at- 
tainment of  elevated  excellence,  and  seek 
for  glory,  honour,  immortality,  and  eter- 
nal life ! 


REFLECTIONS    AT    TIBERIAS. 

The  composure  which  came  over  my 
feverish  spirits  at  this  honr  was  inex- 
pressibly refreshing :  I  laid  myself  down 
upon  the  ground,  and,  resting  my  head 
upon  a  stone  near  me,  dreAV  a  little  cool- 
ness from  the  soil :  while  the  simple  train 
of  reflections  which  naturally  sprung  up 
from  the  scene  around  me  added  much  to 
my  enjoyment.  At  a  great  distance  to 
the  north  was  the  mountainous  horizon, 
on  the  summit  of  which  stands  Safet, 
glistening  with  its  noble  castle  :  it  is  not 
improbably  supposed  that  our  Saviour 
had  this  spot  in  his  eye,  and  directed  the 
attention  of  his  disciples  to  it,  when  he 
said,  "A  city  that  is  set  on  a  hill  cannot 
be  hid ;"  for  it  is  in  full  view  from  the 
Mount  of  Beatitudes,  as  well  as  from  this 
place  ;  and,  indeed,  seems  to  command 
all  the  country  round  to  a  great  extent. 

Vol.  I.— 41 


Tracing,  at  a  glance,  the  margin  of  this 
simple  lake,  on  the  opposite  or  eastern 
side,  the  eye  rests  on  the  inhospitable 
country  of  the  Gadarenes — inhospitable 
to  this  day.  But  that  which  awakens 
the  tenderest  emotions  in  viewing  a  scene 
like  this,  is  the  remembrance  of  ONE 
who,  formerly,  so  often  passed  this  way ; 
and  never  passed  without  leaving,  by  his 
words  and  actions,  some  memorial  of  his 
divine  wisdom  and  love.  Here,  or  in 
this  neighbourhood,  most  of  his  mighty 
works  were  done  :  and  in  our  daily  reli- 
gious services  we  have  read,  with  the 
most  intense  interest,  those  passages  of 
the  gospel  which  refer  to  these  regions. 
However  uncertain  other  traditional  geo- 
graphical notices  may  be,  here  no  doubt 
interrupts  our  enjoyment  in  tracing  the 
Redeemer's  footsteps.  This,  and  no 
other,  is  the  sea  of  Galilee — in  its  dimen- 
sions, as  I  should  judge,  resembling  ex- 
actly the  size  of  the  isle  of  Malta,  about 
twenty  miles  in  length,  twelve  in  breadth, 
and  sixty  in  circumference.  Here  Jesus 
called  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  from  mend- 
ing their  nets,  to  become  "  fishers  of 
men."  Here  he  preached  to  the  multi- 
tudes crowding  to  the  water's  edge,  himt- 
self  putting  off  a  little  from  the  shore  in 
Simon  Peter's  boat.  But  there  is  not 
now  a  single  boat  upon  the  lake  to  re- 
mind us  of  its  former  use.  Yonder,  on 
the  right,  must  have  been  the  very  spot 
where,  in  the  middle  of  their  passage 
from  this  side  toward  Bethsaida  and 
Capernaum,  the  disciples  were  affrighted 
at  seeing  Jesus  upon  the  water — when  he 
gently  upbraided  the  sinking  faith  of 
Peter — when  he  said  to  the  winds  and 
waves,  "  Be  still !" — and  the  SAveet  sere- 
nity which  now  rests  upon  the  surface  is 
the  very  same  stillness  which  then  suc- 
ceeded. Here,  finally,  it  was  that  Jesus 
appeared,  the  third  time  after  his  resur- 
rection, to  his  disciples,  (John  xxi.)  and 
put  that  question  to  the  zealous,  back- 
slidden, but  repentant  Peter,  "  Simon, 
son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me]" — one 
question  thrice  repeated  ;  plainly  denot- 
ing what  the  Saviour  requires  of  all  who 
profess  to  be  his ;  and  followed  up  by 
that  solemn  charge,  "  Feed  my  lambs^ 
feed  my  sheep."-— /owe/^'s  Res,  in  Syria. 


SERMON  XXXV. 


GOD'S     CARE    FOR    HIS     PEOPLE. 


BY  THE  REV.  A.  E.  FARRAR. 


'He  careth  for  you." — 1  Pet.  v.  7. 


If  ever  opinion  entertained  by  any 
human  mind  was  fraught  with  more  than 
ordinary  absurdity  and  cruelty,  it  is  that 
which,  excluding  the  divine  Being  from 
the  government  of  the  world  he  has 
formed,  represents  it  as  abandoned  to  the 
sport  of  a  blind  and  uncertain  chance. 
For  were  it  possible  to  conceive  that  infi- 
nite Wisdom  knows  not  our  affairs ;  or 
that,  supremely  happy  in  himself,  the 
God  of  unbounded  love  does  not  concern 
himself  about  them  ;  could  it  be  credited, 
that  of  him  who  "  fills  all  things,"  the 
world  is  empty,  while  we  gazed  upon 
"  the  fatherless  void,"  we  might  exclaim 
as  Paul  did,  under  a  supposition  not  more 
abhorrent  to  truth,  "  We  are  of  all  men 
most  miserable." 

There  is,  however,  another  sentiment 
upon  this  subject,  which,  if  more  feasible, 
is  not  less  scripturally  incorrect.  I 
allude  to  the  theory  which  represents  the 
Almighty  as  "full  orb'd,  in  his  whole 
round  of  rays  complete,"  and  only  con- 
descending to  afford  mankind  some 
general  and  undefined  regards ;  and  his 
government  as  a  mere  mechanical  agency, 
controlled  by  certain  immutable  laws, 
which  admit  not  of  one  peculiar  or  bene- 
volent attention.  Infidels  and  semi-infi- 
dels have  attempted  to  derive  support  to 
such  views  from  the  consideration  of 
man's  comparative  insignificancy.  In 
the  flowery  numbers  and  classic  styles  of 
poetry,  we  have  been  taught 

" The  universal  cause 

Acts  not  by  partial,  but  by  general  laws, 
He  sees  with  equal  eye,  as  Lord  of  all, 
A  hero  perish,  or  a  sparrow  fall ; 
Systems  or  atoms  into  nothing  hurl'd, 
And  now  a  bubble  burst,  and  now  a  world." 

332 


This  appears  to  us  to  contain  an  awful 
reflection  upon  God.  We  deny  not,  that 
a  thinking  man,  contemplating  the  gran- 
deur of  his  Creator,  maj',  for  a  moment, 
be  tempted  to  question  the  individuality 
of  his  attentions.  Led  by  the  discoveries 
of  science,  the  imagination  may  travel 
from  world  to  world,  and  system  to  sys- 
tem, amidst  the  still  increasing  magnifi- 
cence of  the  divine  formations,  until  our 
earth  becomes  an  indiscernible  speck, 
and  appear  to  bear  no  more  proportion 
to  the  other  productions  of  creative  en- 
ergy, tlian  a  single  leaf  to  the  foliage  of 
a  widely  extended  forest.  Amid  the 
illimitable  expansion  around,  we  may 
feel  ourselves  dwindle  into  nothingness, 
and  with  somewhat  of  the  hesitancy  of 
unbelief,  may  ask,  "What  is  man,  that 
thou  art  mindful  of  himl"  But,  be  it 
remembered,  that  little  and  great  are  dis- 
tinctions of  finite  minds,  which  will  bear 
no  correct  application  to  the  divine  Being; 
and  when  we  consider,  that  he  "  filleth 
all  in  all,"  that  he  is  at  the  same  moment 
every  where,  no  object  can  be  too  minute 
for  his  attention  ;  and  while  he  "  hangs 
the  earth  over  the  empty  space,"  and 
wheels  planets  in  their  orbits,  he,  with 
no  less  regard,  superintends  "  the  flutter- 
ings  of  the  bee,"  and  directs  the  smallest 
corpuscle  of  blood  that  flits  through  the 
veins  of  the  smallest  animalcule. 

I  am  not  prepared  to  say  the  subject  of 
a  particular  providence  involves  no  difli- 
culties.  One  is,  the  apparent  disorder 
that  exists  in  many  providential  arrange- 
ments; but  of  this  we  are  incompetent  to 
judge,  because  we  cannot  embrace  the 
whole  circumference  of  the  divine  pro- 
ceeding.    The  mighty  chain  of  his  deal- 


« 


GOD'S  CARE  FOR  HIS  PEOPLE. 


323 


111^5  seems  often  intercepted  and  broken; 
but  when  we  are  enabled  to  trace  up  the 
concatenation  of  causes  and  events  to 
their  ultimate  tendencies — to  look  along 
the  line  to  its  termination,  every  thing 
will  demonstrate  the  perfection  of  a 
divine  agency.  At  present,  "  we  know" 
only  "  in  part."  The  infinite  combina- 
tions and  workings  of  the  admirable  ma- 
chinery, which,  to  the  eye  of  the  artist, 
are  simplicity  itself,  may  seem  to  us 
mere  complicated  confusion ;  but  when, 
in  the  light  of  eternity,  and  with  an  eye 
strengthened  by  the  vision  of  God,  we 
look  through  the  perplexing  movements, 
every  thing  will  appear  honourable  to  the 
wisdom  and  benevolence  of  Him  who,  in 
adoring  wonder,  we  shall  perceive,  "hath 
done  all  things  well" — "Clouds  and 
darkness  are  round  about  him  ;  but  just- 
ice and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of  his 
throne." 

Every  difficulty,  however,  with  which 
this  subject  is  perplexed,  gives  place  to 
the  authority  of  God  ;  and  it  is  sufficient 
for  us  that  the  doctrine  of  a  particular 
providence  is  pre-eminently  that  of  the 
Scriptures.  On  this  point,  no  words 
need  be  more  explicit  than  those  of  the 
text — "He,"  that  is  God,  "  careth  for 
you."  They  are  adduced  as  a  motive 
for  "  casting  all  our  care  upon  him  ;"  and 
it  is  impossible  to  conceive  a  motive 
more  obvious  and  persuasive.  But  I 
purpose  to  give  them  a  distinct  conside- 
ration as  a  truth  of  general  practical  im- 
portance. Let  us  inquire  to  whom  they 
riftr  ?  Whether  the  truth  they  stute  can  he 
established?  and  what  improvement  should 
be  made  of  the  doctrine  ?     And, 

First,  To  WHOM  DO  THESE  WORDS  RE- 
FER ?  Not  to  the  inanimate,  but  rational 
creation — to  man. 

There  is,  indeed,  a  sense  in  which  God 
cares  for  all  his  creatures,  animate  and 
inanimate.  He  "  maketh  the  outgoings 
of  the  morning  and  evening  to  rejoice." 
He  covers  the  fields  with  abundance. 
He  "  crowns  the  year  with  his  goodness." 
He  beams  forth  in  the  spring,  and  ap- 
proaches us  in  the  bounties  of  summer, 
and  loads  us  with  the  profusion  of  autumn. 
During  the  stormy  winter,  the  insignifi- 
cant sparrow    chirping    on    the   hedge, 


"  falleth  not  to  the  ground  without  his 
notice."  He  "feedeth  the  young  ra- 
vens;" he  "careth  for  oxen."  "The 
eyes  of  all  wait  upon  him,  and  he  giveth 
them  their  meat  in  due  season."  Incom- 
parably beautiful  in  this  view  is  the  lan- 
guage of  our  Lord  to  his  disciples. 
"  Take  no  thought  what  ye  shall  eat; 
consider  the  ravens;  they  have  no  barn 
nor  storehouse;  yourFather  feedeth  them. 
And  why  take  ye  thought  for  raiment  ? 
Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field  ;  they  toil 
not,  they  spin  not ;  and  yet  I  say  unto 
you,  that  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  •  Your 
Father  clotheth'-them."  But  the  arrange- 
ments of  Providence,  like  the  dispensa- 
tions of  grace,  concern  more  immediately 
man. 

Him  God  has  made  capable  of  know- 
ing and  loving  himself.  In  the  visita- 
tions that  meet  him  he  can  recognise  his 
Father;  and  through  the  channel  of  bene- 
volent communication  made  to  him,  return 
to  the  source  of  all  his  blessings.  And 
man  needs  the  most  effective  expressions 
of  divine  attention.  Immortals,  standing 
on  the  brink  of  eternity,  and  yet  ignorant 
of  the  events  of  the  next  hour ;  capable 
of  celestial  enjoyments,  but  placed  in  cir- 
cumstances inimical  to  their  attainment; 
surrounded  with  enemies,  and  incident  to 
a  thousand  unseen  calamities  ;  miserable 
indeed  were  your  lot,  my  brethren,  if  left 
to  struggle  alone  with  your  difficulties. 
I  know  we  are  unworthy  of  the  divine 
attention.  Though  "  he  careth  for  you" 
some  of  you  are  thoughtlessly  uncon- 
cerned about  A????.  Suppose  not,  however, 
that  Providence  waitelh  upon  your  sins, 
continuing  impenitent;  every  part  of  his 
word  denounceth  wrath  against  you,  and 
your  final  doom  must  be  inevitable  and 
aggravated  perdition.  Yet  Providence 
is  co-operating  with  grace  to  save  you. 
In  what  period  hath  God  left  himself 
"  without  witness,  doing  good,  sending 
rain  and  fruitful  seasons,  and  filling  men's  ■ 
hearts  with  food  and  gladness?"  To 
what  part  of  the  world  hath  he  not  gone 
forth  in  expressions  of  beneficence  and 
mercy  ;  shining  in  the  splendour  of  the 
sun,  instructing  by  the  pale  glory  of  the 
moon,    and     twinkling    in    the     stars  ? 


324 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


"  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech."  In 
every  thing,  the  Lord  is  looking  after  the 
interests  of  man. 

But  the  persons  more  immediately  con- 
cerned in  our  subject,  are  described  in  a 
preceding  part  of  the  epistle,  as  "  called 
out  from  darkness  into  marvellous  light ;" 
"which  in  times  past  were  not  a  people, 
but  are  now  the  people  of  God ;  which 
had  not  obtained  mercy,  but  now  have 
obtained  mercy."  "  Being  born  again, 
not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorrupt- 
ible, by  the  word  of  God  which  liveth 
and  abideth  for  ever."  "Elect  accord- 
ing to  the  foreknowledge  of  God  the 
Father,  through  the  sanctification  of  the 
Spirit."  This  is  designatory  phrase- 
ology, which  needs  no  explanation.  But 
if  there  be  any  circumstances  in  which 
the  consolation  of  the  subject  may  be 
peculiarly  claimed,  they  are  those  of 
suffering.  Of  the  persons  primarily  in- 
terested in  the  text,  the  apostle  says,  "  If 
need  be,  ye  are  in  heaviness  through 
manifold  temptations ;"  and  intimates, 
that  further  and  severer  trials  awaited 
them.  "  Think  it  not  strange,"  &c.  How 
soothing  must  it  have  proved  to  persons 
so  situated,  to  read,  "  Casting  all  your  care 
upon  HIM,  for  HE  careih  for  you." 

"  His  saints  are  lovely  in  his  sight, 
He  views  his  children  with  delight, 
He  sees  their  hope,  he  knows  their  fear, 
He  looks  and  loves  his  image  there." 

Secondly.  Our  next  inquiry  is,  Whe- 
ther THE  TRUTH  THESE  WORDS  STATE, 
CAN   BE  SUBSTANTIATED  ■? 

And,  happily,  on  a  point  of  so  much 
consequence,  we  are  not  left  to  mere  con- 
jectures. Had  we  no  express  declaration 
on  the  subject,  we  might,  indeed,  safely 
rest  it  upon  deduction  ;  and  an  inference, 
the  most  obvious,  drawn  from  the  most 
simple  premises,  would  immediately  offer 
itself;  an  inference  from  the  divine  in- 
terest in  us.  Shall  not  the  Maker  care 
for  his  works  ?  Does  the  potter  form  his 
vessel  that  it  may  be  instantly  dashed  in 
pieces  by  the  first  rude  hand  that  may 
touch  it^  Does  the  artist  employ  his 
pains  and  skill  in  constructing  a  curious 
piece  of  machinery,  and  then  abandon  it 
to  the  sport  of  a  blind  or  malevolent  curi- 


osity ?  But  God  has  expended  upon  be- 
lievers wonders  of  wisdom  and  goodness  : 
he  has  done  more ;  he  has  made  them  mira- 
cles of  mercy  ;  and  can  he  cease  to  feel 
interested  in  their  welfare  ]  Similar,  on 
this  topic,  was  the  reasoning  of  our  adora- 
ble Redeemer — "  Are  not  five  sparrows 
sold  for  two  farthings  ]  and  not  one  of 
them  faileth  to  the  ground  without  your 
Father.  Ye  are  of  more  value  than  many 
sparrows." 

This  is  not  a  subject  involving  the  least 
uncertainty.  It  is  revealed  in  the  most 
explicit  terms.  We  have  but  to  turn 
over  the  pages  of  the  holy  writ,  to  per- 
ceive it  shining  in  all  the  radiance  of 
divine  illumination.  Let  us  examine  a 
few  passages.  Here  is  one — "  Fear  not 
Abram ;  I  am  thy  shield,  and  thy  exceed- 
ing great  reward."  Perhaps,  you  say, 
this  concerned  Abram  only.  But  "  they 
that  are  of  faith  are  Abram's  seed,  and 
heirs  according  to  the  promise."  Well ; 
here  is  another.  "The  Lord's  portion  is 
his  people,  Jacob  is  the  lot  of  his  inherit- 
ance. He  found  him  in  a  desert  land, 
and  in  the  waste-howling  wilderness  ;  he 
led  him  about;  he  instructed  him;  he 
kept  him  as  the  apple  of  his  eye.  As  an 
eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest,  fl uttereth  ovei 
her  young,  spreadeth  abroad  her  wings, 
taketh  them,  beareth  them  on  her  wings, 
so  the  Lord  alone  did  lead  him."  This, 
you  say,  refers  to  the  Israelites ;  recol- 
lect, however,  that  "  the  things  which 
happened  unto  them  were  examples." 
We  will  turn  to  the  book  of  Psalms — 
"  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  over  the  right- 
eous, and  his  ears  are  open  to  their 
prayers." — "  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his 
children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that 
fear  him  ;  for  he  knoweth  whereof  we  are 
made,  and  remembereth  that  we  are  but 
dust."  On  this  pleasing  subject,  the 
prophet  Isaiah  is  equally  evangelical  as 
upon  every  other.  "  Fear  thou  not," 
says  he,  in  the  language  of  God ;  "  I  am 
with  thee.  When  thou  passest  through 
the  water  and  through  the  fire,  I  will  be 
with  thee ;  the  flames  shall  not  kindle 
upon  thee,  neither  shall  the  floods  drown 
thee.  Can  a  woman  forget  her  sucking 
child,  that  she  should  not  have  compas- 
sion on  the  son  of  her  womb  1     Yea,  they 


GOD'S  CARE  FOR  HIS  PEOPLE. 


329 


may :  yet  will  I  not  forget  thee.  I  have 
graven  thee  on  the  palms  of  my  hands  ; 
thy  walls  are  continually  before  me."  I 
will  make  one  quotation  more.  "  Then," 
says  Malachi  (and  they  were  bad  times 
in  which  he  prophesied,)  "Then  they 
that  feared  the  Lord  spake  often  one  to 
another,  and  the  Lord  hearkened  and 
heard  them ;  and  a  book  of  remembrance 
was  written  before  him  for  them  that 
feared  the  Lord,  and  thought  upon  his 
name.  And  they  shall  be  mine,  saith 
tlie  Lord  in  that  day  when  I  make  up  my 
jewels  ;  and  I  will  spare  them  as  a  man 
spareth  his  own  son  that  serveth  him." 
These  are  all  passages  from  the  Old  Tes- 
tament ;  in  the  New,  this  doctrine,  like 
that  of  immortality,  shines  still  more  re- 
fulgently  ;  and  it  may  be  enough  to  state, 
that  the  sermons  of  our  Lord,  and  the 
epistles  of  his  apostles,  are  in  perfect  co- 
incidence with  the  language  of  our  text, 
and  most  explicitly  prove  that  God 
"  careth  for  us." 

Is  it  asked,  do  the  divine  proceedings 
correspond  with  this  language  1  We  ap- 
peal to  facts.  The  truth  derives  the  most 
ample  illustration  and  confirmation  from 
experience.  A  few  instances  may  suffice 
for  selection.  The  first  that  presents 
itself  is  in  the  Old  Testament.  And  here 
you  anticipate  me :  it  is  the  history  of 
Joseph.  The  foolish  predilection  of  Ja- 
cob had  rendered  Joseph  obnoxious  to  his 
brethren's  hatred  ;  when  sent  to  the  fields 
of  Dothan,  where  they  fed  their  flocks,  to 
inquire  after  their  welfare,  the  unnatural 
men  seized  the  opportunity  of  revenging 
the  preference  of  their  father  upon  the 
innocent  object  of  his  affections ;  and 
"Joseph  was  sold  into  Egypt."  To 
conceal  their  crime  from  the  aged  patri- 
arch, they  dyed  Joseph's  coat  in  the  blood 
of  a  kid,  and  set  forward  towards  the 
vale  of  Hebron,  the  family  residence.  I 
seem  to  see  the  venerable  Jacob  ascend 
the  hill,  look  wistfully  toward  Dothan, 
and  then,  as  if  boding  some  ill,  retire 
thoughtfully  to  his  home.  At  length, 
the  ten  sons  make  their  appearance ;  he 
casts  over  them  his  inquiring  eye,  and 
has  scarcely  asked  for  Joseph,  when  they 
produce  the  blood-stained  robe,  and,  with 
all  the  apathy  of  guilt,  state,  "Behold, 


this  have  we  found ;  know  now  whether 
it  be  thy  son's  coat  or  not?"  "  It  is  my 
son's  coat,"  said  he.  "  Joseph  is  with- 
out doubt  rent  in  pieces ;  some  evil  beast 
hath  devoured  him ;  I  will  go  down  to 
the  grave  unto  my  son  mourning."  His 
tears  were  scarcely  wiped,  his  wounds 
were  notyet  closed,  when  his  sons  return- 
ing from  Egypt,  where  they  had  been  to 
purchase  corn  for  the  support  of  their 
families  during  a  famine,  informed  their 
father,  that  unless  their  younger  brother, 
Benjamin,  returned  with  them  into  Egypt, 
the  governor  would  sell  them  no  more 
corn.  The  prospect  of  this  second  loss 
was  more  than  Jacob  could  well  bear. 
"  How  was  it  that  ye  dealt  so  ill  with 
me,  as  to  tell  the  man  ye  had  yet  a  bro- 
ther? Joseph  is  not,  and  Simeon  is  not, 
and  now  ye  will  take  Benjamin  away. 
All  these  things  are  against  me,  and  ye 
will  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with  sor- 
row to  the  grave  !"  Stop,  Jacob  !  -God 
"  careth  for  thee."  "  Joseph  is  yet  alive, 
and  is  governor  of  Egypt."  And  when 
a  iew  weeks  after,  Jacob  had  embraced 
the  long-lost  exile  on  the  plains  of 
Goshen,  he  heard  the  same  from  his  own 
lips — "  God  hath  sent  me  before  you, 
to  save  your  lives  by  a  great  deliver- 
ance." 

An  instance  may  be  selected  from  the 
New  Testament;  the  case  of  Peter  him- 
self. His  enemies  had  put  him  in  prison, 
and  waited  but  the  lapse  of  Pentecost  to 
glut  their  malice  in  his  blood ;  but 
"  prayer  was  made  of  the  church  without 
ceasing  to  God  for  him."  And  the  very 
night  before  he  was  to  have  been  brought 
out  to  the  people,  an  angel  of  God,  spe- 
cially appointed  for  the  purpose,  roused 
him  from  his  sleep,  snapped  his  fetters, 
and  "  delivered  him  from  the  will  of 
Herod,  and  from  all  the  expectation  of 
the  people  of  the  Jews."  I  see  him  in 
the  street,  after  the  angel's  departure 
looking  this  way  and  that,  and  asking 
"Is  it  not  a  dream?  Am  I  awake?' 
At  length,  arrived  at  the  house  of  hi 
friend,  John  Mark,  just  as  the  little 
society  were  rising  from  their  knees,  &c. 
their  prayers  were  turned  into  praises,  as 
they  gazed  upon  him,  supposing  it  to 
have  been  his  anrrel,  I  hear  him  exhort- 
"2E 


326 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


ing,  "  Cast  all  your  care  upon  him,  for 
he  careth  for  you." 

Let  us  refer  to  history.  Were  the  his- 
ory  of  the  church  well  written,  (but  no- 
thing is  worse  written,)  it  would  be  so 
many  records  of  God's  kindness.  A  few 
striking  instances  of  it  have  been  pre- 
served. One  shall  serve  for  quotation.  In 
that  period  of  Christian  barbarism,  render- 
ed infamous  in  a  neighbouring  country  by 
the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantz,  when 
the  blood  of  the  saints  was  shed  without 
measure — (since  then  God  has  given  that 
nation  blood  to  drink) — some  of  those 
persons  employed  in  the  diabolic  work  of 
persecuting  to  death,  under  the  name  of 
heretics,  their  unoftending  neighbours, 
were  sent  in  pursuit  of  the  celebrated  Du 
Moulin,  a  minister  of  eminence  among 
the  Protestants.  They  had  long  sought 
for  him  in  vain,  when  at  length  they 
traced  him  to  a  house,  and  followed 
immediately  his  steps  into  it.  Every 
corner  of  this  house  they  searched,  an 
oven  excepted ;  which  he  who  can  em- 
ploy on  the  designs  of  his  mercy  an 
insect  as  well  as  an  angel,  had  rendered, 
by  means  of  a  despicable  spider,  the  se- 
cure asylum  of  his  servant.  A  web  just 
thrown  over  its  mouth  prevented  scrutiny, 
and  thus  Du  Moulin  was  preserved  !  God 
"  cared  for  him." 

You  say  these  instances  are  extraordi- 
nary. True ;  what  then  may  we  not 
expect  when  his  care  can  be  evinced  by 
ordinary  means  ]  But  why  do  I  appeal 
to  Scripture,  and  to  history  ?  Are  none 
of  you  instances  of  this  care  ?  What  say 
you  ■?  Methinks,  if  the  decorum  of  this 
service  admitted,  one  would  rise  and  say, 
"  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd — he  maketh 
me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures,  he 
leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters." 
Another  would  add,  "  He  hath  led  me 
by  a  way  that  I  knew  not ;  he  hath  made 
crooked  things  straight,  and  rough  places 
plain  before  me."  And  a  third  would 
state,  referring  to  some  particular  deliver- 
ance, "  Li  that  day  the  light  was  neither 
clear  nor  dark,  but  it  was  a  day  known  to 
the  Lord,  not  day  nor  night ;  but  it  came 
to  pass,  that  at  evening  time  it  was  light." 
"  He  careth  for  you."         ■■' ■ 

We  may  carry  the  subjecJ(i5St||,her,  and 


though  the  point  has  been  established 
generally,  enter  a  little  more  at  large  into 
particulars.     His  care  extends  to 

Your  ■property.  This  may,  indeed,  be 
but  little,  and  for  the  reason  I  am  assign- 
ing, because  God  "  careth  for  you  ;"  for 
"  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills  are  his," 
and  so  are  "  the  wool  and  the  flax,  the 
silver  and  the  gold,"  and  he  has  promised 
to  "  withhold  no  good  thing  from  them 
that  walk  uprightly."  But  little  as  it 
may  be,  without  him  flames  shall  not 
consume  it,  thieves  shall  not  steal  it,  nor 
bankruptcies  waste  it.  In  proof  of  all  this, 
I  need  only  refer  to  the  well  known 
history  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  book  of 
Job.  "  There  was  a  day,"  says  the  his- 
torian, "when  the  sons  of  God  came  to 
present  themselves  before  the  Lord,  and 
Satan  came  also  among  them.  And  the 
Lord  said  unto  Satan,  Whence  comest 
thou  ]  Then  Satan  answered  the  Lord, 
and  said.  From  going  to  and  fro  in  the 
earth,  and  from  walking  up  and  down 
in  it.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Satan, 
Hast  thou  considered  my  servant  Job?" 
He  needed  not  information,  but  he  would 
have  the  avowal  from  Satan's  own  lips. 
"Then  Satan  answered  the  Lord,  and 
said.  Doth  Job  serve  God  for  nought? 
Hast  thou  not  set  a  hedge  about  him,  and 
about  his  house,  and  about  all  that  he 
hath  on  every  side  ?"  Observe  these 
words,  "  a  hedge'''' — impenetrable  even  by 
the  devil ;  and  before  Satan  could  touch 
one  of  Job's  camels,  or  even  a  single  ewe 
lamb,  God  must  make  a  breach  in  this 
hedge  !  And  is  he  not  a  hedge  round 
his  people  now?  He  is  ^^  a  wall  of  fire 
round  about  them,  and  the  glory  in  the 
midst  of  them."     "  He  careth  for" 

Your  families.  Is  it  necessary  to  prove 
this?  I  appeal  to  the  ark,  where  a 
shameless  Ham  is  floating  among  the 
wrecks  of  the  deluged  world,  preserved 
for  the  father's  sake.  I  refer  to  the  his- 
tory of  Lot.  "  Hast  thou  here,"  said  the 
angel  who  was  about  to  inflict  righteous 
judgment  upon  Sodom,  "  Hast  thou  here 
any  besides,  sons  in  law  or  daughters  ? 
Get  them  out  of  this  place ;  for  I  can  do 
nothing  till  ye  be  come  yonder."  I  refer 
;  but  there  is  no  need  to  multiply 


evidence.     "  The  mercy  of  the  Lord  is 


GOD'S  CARE  FOR  HIS  PEOPLE. 


327 


upon  tliem  that  fear  him  from  one  gene- 
ration to  another."  To  trace  descent  from 
a  religious  ancestry  is  a  greater  honour, 
a  greater  happiness  than  to  be  able  to 
look  up  through  a  long  genealogical  line 
of  nobles  and  heroes,  to  loins  enthroned. 
Children  of  religious  parents  !  why  are 
you  spared  and  blessed  1  Why  are  not 
some  of  you  in  hell  ]  You  had  praying, 
holy,  exemplary  parents,  and  God  "cared 
for"  them ;  and  as  he  loved  the  tree,  he 
has  extended  mercy  towards  the  branches. 
And  though  those  branches  have  been 
long  barren,  when  justice  has  threatened 
their  excision,  he  has  interposed,  and 
said,  "Destroy  it  not;  a  blessing  is  in  it; 
for  my  servant's  sake,  I  will  not  destroy 
them  all."  Dare  you  repeat  the  question. 
Why  is  the  fruitless  branch  spared  1  A 
father's  prayers,  a  mother's  tears  are  in 
it.  Parents  !  you  have  perhaps  wept, 
prayed,  and  waited,  until  you  at  length 
despond.  After  most  consistently  dis- 
charging your  duty,  you  appear  to  have 
laboured  in  vain.  But  "though  your 
house  be  not  so  with  God,  yet  hath  he  made 
with  you  an  everlasting  covenant,  ordered 
in  all  things  and  sure."  What,  if  the 
principles  you  early  implanted  be  effaced, 
and  your  children  having  plunged  head- 
long into  crime,  seem  callous  to  reproof; 
is  tlieir  case  therefore,  hopeless  ?  Be- 
hold Manasseh,  immured  in  prison  in 
Babylon,  the  iron  entering  into  his  soul ! 
He  is  reflecting  on  the  sins  of  his  life, 
and  the  "  guide  of  his  youth  ;"  he  prays, 
"  O  God  of  my  father !"  and  the  Lord  is 
entreated  of  him. 

He  "  careth  for"  your  bodies.  "  The 
very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered." 
Pain  may  invade,  sickness  waste  the  pale 
frame,  but  "in  all  your  afflictions  he  is 
afflicted."  If  the  sun  of  your  prosperity 
be  darkened  by  the  thickening  tempest, 
and  during  the  storm  your  friends  desert 
you  ;  here  is  "  a  friend  born  for  adver- 
sity ;"  a  friend  that  "  sticketh  closer  than 
a  brother ;"  a  friend  whose  language  to 
you  is,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  I  will 
never  forsake  thee."  But,  "  dust  thou 
art,  and  unto  dust  thou  shalt  return." 
And  what  is  so  humbling  as  a  dying 
scene  ]  There  the  strength  is  prostrated, 
and  the  flesh  wasted  ;  the  bones  "  stare 


upon  you  ;"  the  eyes  are  sunken  in  their 
sockets ;  the  faded  visage  is  hectic  and 
wan.  The  children,  the  wife  stand 
around  weeping;  but  I  open  the  Bible, 
and  read,  "  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord  is  the  deafh  of  his  saints."  Here 
the  care  of  the  most  tender  friend  becomes 
unavailing.  Even  Abraham  is  heard  to 
say,  "  Give  me  a  place  that  I  may  bury 
my  dead  out  of  my  sight."  But  God 
"  careth"  even  for  their  dust.  We  may 
cherish  an  affectionate  remembrance ;  the 
little  tokens  of  their  esteem  we  may 
fondly  review  ;  the  books  they  scanned 
we  may  read  with  fresh  interest ;  we  may 
even  go  to  the  grave,  and  weep  there, 

"Whilst  busy  meddling  memory, 
In  barbarous  succession,  musters  up 
The  past  endearments  of  our  softer  hours, 
Tenacious  of  its  theme." 

But  they  "  are  dead  ;  we  shall  go  to  them 
— they  shall  not  return  to  us."  They 
are  dead  ;  "  we  cannot  bring  them  back." 
IVe  cannot;  but  God  can,  and  he  will  do 
it ;  for  "  he  that  raised  up  .Jesus  from  the 
dead,  shall  raise  us  up  also  by  Jesus ;"  and 
not  a  particle  necessary  to  our  identity 
shall  be  forgotten  or  lost. 

Our  souls  are  his  chief  care ;  and  no- 
thing so  much  requires  it.  Its  high  des- 
tination stamps  the  soul  with  incalculable 
worth  ;  and  its  moral  condition  designates 
it  an  object  of  pity.  A  few  years  only 
have  elapsed  since  our  souls  were  lit  into 
being ;  but  they  are  destined  to  burn  on 
for  ever ;  and  through  eternity  blaze 
among  cherubim  and  seraphim,  or  darkly 
twinkle  amid  the  gloom  of  infernal  night. 

"  The  sun  is  but  a  spark  of  fire, 
A  transient  meteor  in  the  sky  ; 
The  soul,  immortal  as  its  sire, 
Shall  never  die." 

But  every  human  soul  is  darkened  by 
ignorance,  polluted  by  sin,  and  enslaved 
by  Satan  ;  "  shapen  in  iniquity."  "  And 
wilt  thou  turn  thine  eyes  to  look  upon 
such  a  one  ?"  Brethren,  he  has  done  it. 
Already  have  you  felt  "the  bright  shin- 
ing of  his  countenance"  upon  you.  He 
will  do  it.  All  his  other  care  is  subser- 
vient to  this.  Cares  he  for  your  property, 
for  your  bodies,  for  your  families  ?  Their 
connexion  with  your  soul  raises  them  to 


328 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


that  pre-eminence.  Want  you  more  evi- 
dence ■?  Behold  the  price  at  which  he 
has  redeemed  your  souls;  "  not  corrupt- 
ible things,  but  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ."  Recollect  the  pains  he  has 
taken  to  make  them  his  own.  Advert  to 
the  precious  promises  on  which  he  has 
caused  them  to  ground  their  trust.  Look 
forward  to  that  "  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory"  which  he  has  prepared 
for  their  enjoyment;  and  then  read  the 
text,  "  he  carethfor  you.^^  Yes  !  he  will 
purify  them  fully  to  himself,  and  pre- 
serve them  from  falling.  He  will  "  keep 
that  wliich  we  have  committed  to  him," 
and,  finally,  "present  us  faultless  before 
the  throne  of  his  glory."     And, 

Thirdly,  What  is  the  improvement 

THAT  SHOULD  BE  MADE  OF  THIS  DOCTRINE  ? 

I  cannot  enter  into  this  inquiry  at  any 
length. 

It  is  highly  important  that  we  ascertain 
whether  or  not  we  are  interested  in  this  doc- 
trine. We  have  said,  many  are  careless 
about  God  ;  we  have  restricted  the  text 
to  those  who  have  attached  themselves 
to  his  interests ;  who  "  know  God,  or 
rather  are  known  of  God."  And  should 
not  your  first  improvement  of  this  sub- 
ject be  a  serious  inquiry  into  the  concern 
you  have  in  if?  Are  you  illuminated? 
Born  again  1  Have  you  "obtained  mer- 
cy ■?"  Are  you  sanctified  by  the  Spirit 
through  belief  of  the  truth  *?  To  such 
who  can  satisfactorily  reply  to  such  ques- 
tions, I  would  say,  "  Hail !  ye  highly 
favoured  of  the  Lord."  "He  carethfor 
you,"  who  is  infinitely  wise,  knowing  the 
end  from  the  beginning,  and  what,  among 
all  possibilities  of  occurrence,  is  best  for 
you:  who  is  infinitely  ^oMJer/u/,-  doing 
"  according  to  his  own  will  among  the 
armies  of  heaven,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
earth  ;"  making  "  the  wrath  of  man  to 
praise  him,  and  restraining  the  remain- 
der," and  who,  therefore,  cannot  be 
thwarted  in  his  attempts  to  serve  you  ; 
who  has  already  manifested  his  beneficence 
in  a  thousand  actsof  kindness,  and  embol- 
dens the  expectation  of  future  mercy,  by 
the  recollection  of  past.  Your  circum- 
stances may  be  afflictive  ;  your  comforts 
may  have  been  shed  around  you  like  the 
leaves  by  the  winter's  frost ;  one  trouble 


may  succeed  another,  as  wave  impels 
wave.  In  the  misconduct  of  relatives, 
in  personal  sufferings,  in  secular  embar- 
rassments, you  have  continual  cause  of 
solicitude.  You  sometimes  look  trem- 
blingly along  the  vale  of  death  ;  but  amid 
all,  bear  this  upon  your  mind,  "  He 
CARETH  FOR  YOU." — "  Happy  are  the  peo- 
ple that  are  in  such  a  case  ;  yea,  happy  is 
that  people  whose  God  is  the  Lord." 

This  doctrine  has  a  moral  hearing,  and 
we  may  deduce  from  it  our  duly.  I  sel- 
dom think  of  the  text,  without  associat- 
ing it  in  my  mind  with  a  passage  in  the 
Old  Testament,  and  which  forms  part  of 
a  history  which  is  soon  told.  The  pro- 
phet Elisha,  in  his  itinerating  labours, 
visited  Shunem.  Here  he  was  heard  by 
"  a  great  woman,"  whose  heart  became 
penetrated  with  the  truth ;  and  nothing 
could  more  naturally  follow,  than  the  de- 
sire to  entertain  the  honoured  messenger  of 
salvation.  In  concurrence  with  her  hus- 
band, she  immediately  prepared  a  little 
chamber  for  the  prophet's  accommodation. 
One  day,  when  he  visited  there,  he  said 
to  his  servant,  "  Go  call  the  Shunemite," 
who  presenting  herself  at  the  prophet's 
door,  he  addressed — "  Seeing  thou  hast 
cared  for  us  with  all  this  care,  what  shall 
be  done  for  thee  V  She  had  looked  for 
no  remuneration,  nor  would  she  accept 
any.  I  admire  this ;  but  I  also  admire 
the  prophet's  gratitude — "  Seeing  thou 
hast  cared  for  us  with  all  this  care,  what 
shall  be  done  for  thee  *?"  Who  is  not 
applying,  in  this  language,  to  God  ? 
Come,  my  brethren,  shall  I  humbly,  in 
your  name,  propose  the  question,  "  See- 
ing thou  hast  cared  for  us  with  all  this 
care,  xvhat  shall  be  done  fur  thee  ?"  He 
replies,  "  My  son,  give  me  thine  heart.''^ 
You  say  he  has  it.  What,  every  corner 
of  it  ■?  Let  us  put  the  question  again — 
"  Seeing  thou  hast  cared  for  us  with  all 
this  care,  what  shall  be  done  for  thee  V 
He  answers  from  the  excellent  glory, 
"  Cast  all  your  care  upon  me" — "  Cast  thy 
burden  upon  the  Lord  ;  he  will  sustain 
thee."  Ask  you  again,  what  shall  be 
done  ■?  He  has  "  left  us  an  example  that 
we  should  do  as  he  has  done."  He  hath 
"  cared  for  you" — cared  for  your  fellow 
creatures ;  he  has  cared  for  your  bodies^ 


GOD'S  CARE  FOR  HIS  PEOPLE. 


329 


and  "  the  poor  ye  have  always  with  you, 
and  when  ye  will,  ye  may  do  them  good." 
Here  is  the  orphan, 

"  For  whom  no  mother's  bosom 
Throbs  to  soft  sympathy,  and  fond  alarm." 

And  yonder, 

*  The  wretched  widow  forc'd  in  age,  for  bread. 
To  strip  the  brooli  wiili  mantling  cresses  spread  ; 
To  pick  her  wintry  fagot  from  the  thorn. 
Then  seek  some  nightly  shed,  and  weep  till 
morn," 

"  Make  to  yourselves  friends  of  the  mam- 
mon of  unrighteousness."  And  "  when 
the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of 
his  glory,  the  King  shall  say  unto  you. 
Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  to  the  least  of 
these  my  brethren,  ye  did  it  unto  me." 
He  has  cared  for  your  souls,  and  by  the 
character  of  that  care,  presented  this  as 
the  noblest,  best  charity.  Away  with 
your  sickly  sentimentality,  your  "  phi- 
lanthropy born  in  a  dream,  bred  in  a 
novel,  and  living  only  in  profession." 
Brethren,  souls  are  perishing,  and  we 
must  endeavour  to  save  them.  We  have 
"  freely  received,"  we  must  "  freely 
give."  We  must  sigh  and  weep,  but  we 
must  also  pray  and  act.  The  gospel  must 
be  preached,  and  we  must  aid  its  promul- 
gation. We  must  "join  hands  with  God" 
to  make  a  miserable  world  live.  And, 
let  it  be  known,  that  "  he  which  convert- 
eth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  way, 
shall  save  a  soul  from  death,  and  shall 
hide  a  multitude  of  sins." 

Before  we  part,  may  I  speak  a  word  to 
you  who  are  not  fully  interested  in  this 
subject  ?  How  great  your  loss  !  how  dan- 
gerous your  condition !  But  there  is  yet 
hope.  God  has  watched  over  your  in- 
fancy, and  brought  you  to  manhood.  He 
has  raised  you  out  of  afflictions,  and  daily 
supplies  your  wants  :  and  shall  not  "  his 
goodness  lead  you  to  repentance  ?"  "  As 
I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  I  have  no  pleasure 
in  the  death  of  him  that  dieth."  He  has 
done  more  than  swear  it.  "  God  so  loved 
the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life."     O  that  this  love  might  constrain 

Vol.  I.— 42 


you  to  drop  your  opposition,  and  apply 
to  him  for  mercy  !  And  why  not  now  ? 
For  now  is  the  accepted  time,  now  is  the 
day  of  salvation]     Trifle,  and  you  are 

undone But   I  must  conclude 

May  God  add  his  blessing ! 


THE   MATTER,   MANNER,    AND    SPIRIT    OF   A 
SERMON. 

Let  the  matter  be  weighty  and  grave, 
the  method  plain  and  clear,  the  expres- 
sion neither  soaring  on  the  one  hand,  nor 
too  familiar  on  the  other.  Some  men  are 
not  aware  what  contempt  they  draw  on 
religion  by  their  coarse  and  homely  allu- 
sions, and  the  silly  and  trivial  proverbs 
they  make  use  of.  Nor  should  our 
expressions  be  too  soft  or  effeminate,  nor 
our  pronunciation  affected  or  childish. 
Religion  is  a  rational  and  manly  thing ; 
and  we  should  strive  to  recommend  it 
with  the  greatest  advantage.  But,  above 
all,  let  us  study  a  zeal  and  fervour,  as, 
flowing  from  the  deep  sense  of  the  thing 
we  speak,  and  being  regulated  with  pru- 
dence and  decency,  may  be  fittest  to  reach 
the  hearts  of  the  hearers.  "The  vulgar, 
that  commonly  sit  under  the  pulpit,  (as 
the  excellent  Herbert  speaks,)  are  gene- 
rally as  hard  and  dead  as  the  seats  they 
sit  on,  and  need  a  mountain  of  fire  to  kin- 
dle them."  The  best  way  is,  to  preach 
the  things  first  to  ourselves,  and  then  fre- 
quently to  recollect  in  whose  presence 
we  are,  and  whose  business  we  are 
doing. — ScougaL 


ASCRIBE    ALL  SUCCESS   TO    GOD. 

Though  we  had  the  tongues  of  angels  ; 
though  we  had  strength  of  intellect  to 
grapple  the  most  sublime  and  mysterious 
topics  ;  though  on  the  wings  of  medita- 
tion we  could  spring  from  the  boundaries 
of  this  world,  and  hold  converse  with  the 
skies  ;  though  with  the  most  command- 
ing eloquence,  we  could  roll  like  the 
thunder,  or  be  soft  and  sweet  as  the 
music  of  the  spheres  ;  still  we  must  dis- 
claim all  praise ; — still  we  must  say, 
"  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but 
unto  thy  name  give  glory." — Parsons. 
2e  2 


SERMON  XXXVI 

MINISTERS,    AMBASSADORS    FOR   CHRIST. 

PREACHED  AT  ST.  BRIDe's  CHURCH,  LONDON,  FOR  THE  CHURCH  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

BY  THE  REV.  H.  BUDD,  M.A. 


"Now  then  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ,  as  though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us:  we  pray  you  tn 
Christ's  stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God." — 2  Cor.  v.  20. 


Six  thousand  years  of  anguish  and  of 
groans  are  rapidly  rolling  away,  and 
every  Missionary  Anniversary  becomes 
more  interesting.  The  world  is  rising 
from  a  state  of  torpid  neutrality  as  to  the 
effect  of  Missions.  The  Bible  is  produc- 
ing a  decided  and  universal  impression. 
The  three  great  divisions  of  the  Christian 
church,  the  Greek,  the  Latin,  and  the  Pro- 
testant; the  Jews,  yet  beloved  for  the 
Father's  sake ;  the  Mohammedans,  Otto- 
man, and  Persian ;  and  the  immense  po- 
pulation of  the  pagan  world  ; — all  these 
fields  of  spiritual  culture  prove  that  the 
share  has  not  been  applied  in  vain.  The 
produce,  indeed,  has  not  been  in  all  cases 
alike  encouraging;  but  all  demands  a  de- 
cided advance,  and  a  fearless  and  perse- 
vering application  of  the  remedy  which 
God  has  so  eminently  placed  at  your 
disposal,  for  the  restoration  of  a  lost 
world.  But  "  is  not  the  Lord  gone  out 
before  us  ]"  What,  then,  has  the  minis- 
ter to  do  but  to  stimulate  your  energies  to 
corresponding  exertions ;  and  to  urge  you 
by  a  more  ardent  faith,  and  a  more  active 
charity,  to  the  application  of  the  great 
remedy  God  has  provided  for  the  healing 
of  the  nations  1  May  He  by  his  Spirit 
reveal  its  power  to  us  I  May  we  have  a 
revelation  of  "the  righteousness  of  God 
from  faith  to  faith  !"  May  it  be  a  word 
of  life  to  our  own  souls,  and  to  those  who 
dwell  in  the  remotest  regions  of  the 
earth  !  In  the  text  are  contained, 
330 


L  The  Christian  minister's  designa- 
tion. 

H.  The  dignity  of  his  character. 

HL  The  subject  of  his  embassy. 

IV.  The  application  of  the  subject  to 
our  present  purpose. 

And  now,  "  Be  thou  exalted,  O  Lord, 
in  thy  strength  !  so  will  we  sing  and 
praise  thy  power."     Here  is 

First,  The  Christian  minister's  de- 
signation. 

He  is  an  ambassador  of  mercy  ;  "  we 
are  ambassadors  for  Christ."  An  ambas- 
sador is  the  representative  of  his  prince, 
sent  to  negotiate  his  affairs.  He  has 
chiefly  to  consider  two  things. 

I.  The  Christian  minister  has  to  con- 
sider the  character  cf  those  to  whom  he  is 
sent.  He  is  not  sent  to  kings  or  princes  ; 
to  the  noble  and  rich,  the  refined  or  pru- 
dent ;  neither  is  he  sent  to  the  poor,  the 
labourer,  or  the  slave.  He  is  sent  to 
them  all,  as  the  general  subjects  of  his 
charge ;  but  he  says  with  Paul,  "  We 
know  no  man  after  the  flesh."  It  is  the 
soul,  the  immortal  soul,  that  is  the  sub- 
ject of  his  charge;  and  whether  it  be 
found  in  the  palace  or  the  mansion,  the 
streets  or  the  highways,  the  night  cellar 
or  the  peasant's  cot,  all  need  to  be  alike 
told — You  have  a  soul  to  be  saved  I 
Neither  is  he  sent  to  men  as  exhibiting 
the  nicer  distinctions  of  character.  One 
man  is  civilized,  another  is  learned  ;  one 
is  respectable,  another  is  less  so  ;  one  is 


MINISTERS.  AMBASSADORS  FOR  CHRIST. 


331 


amiable,  another  is  repulsive:  these  may 
all  be  alike  destitute  of  Clirist.  If  the 
man  be  decidedly  "  in  Christ,"  he  is  "  a 
new  creature  ;"  and  now  his  distinction 
is,  "  Old  things  are  passed  away  ;  behold, 
all  things  are  become  new  !"  Nor  yet  is 
he  sent  to  men  as  exhibiting  the  broader 
distinctions  of  character  :  whether  civil- 
ized or  savage,  learned  or  illiterate,  in 
this  state  of  society  or  the  other,  in  this 
climate  or  the  other;  not  to  the  elder  son, 
proud  in  comparative  innocence ;  or  the 
younger  son,  lost  in  profligacy  and 
misery:  the  natural  disposition  of  both 
is  alike  enmity  to  God ;  there  is  no  inhe- 
rent spirituality  in  either.  "  All  things" 
that  tend  to  spiritual  life  "are  of  God," 
who  by  a  method  of  his  own,  suited  to 
every  variety  of  human  character,  "  hath 
reconciled  us  to  himself  by  Jesus  Christ." 
If,  then,  he  be  sent  to  no  particular 
condition  of  men,  to  no  peculiar  distinc- 
tions of  character ;  under  what  character 
is  he  to  address  mankind  ]  simply  as  sin- 
ners. This  is  the  universal  character  of 
man.  "  God  hath  concluded,"  shut  up 
together,  "  all  under  sin."  "  All  have 
sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
God."  All  are  rebels,  guilty  of  foul 
revolt,  found  in  open  warfare  against 
their  God.  "  There  is  none  that  doeth 
good  ;  no,  not  one."  Neither  natural, 
nor  moral,  nor  artificial  distinctions  make 
any  difTerence  here  :  man,  everywhere,  at 
all  times,  under  all  circumstances,  is 
found  a  sinner  against  God.  You  may 
collect  specimens  of  earth  from  different 
countries;  you  may  decompose  them; 
but  though  they  may  differ  in  certain 
properties,  they  all  agree  in  one, — they 
are  material  and  perishing.  In  an  army 
ef  rebels  there  may  be  every  variety  of 
character,  but  they  are  all  rebels.  Find 
man  where  you  will ;  shape  him  as  you 
may,  by  the  line  and  plummet  of  civiliza- 
tion ;  yet  no  perfection  of  art,  or  attain- 
ment of  science,  can  make  him  less  than 
a  sinner — a  rebel  against  his  God  !  It  is 
to  sinful  man,  then,  "  dead  in  trespasses," 
corrupt  and  impotent;  to  man,  -'without 
God  in  the  world  ;"  to  man,  the  Atheist; 
that  this  ambassador  is  sent ;  and  if  he 
address  man  in  any  character  short  of 
this,  he  fails  of  his  purpose,  and  makes 


his  embassy  vain.  He  has  mistaken  the 
disease,  and  what  wonder  if  the  remedy 
fail  1  He  is  ignorant  of  the  character  he 
is  sent  to  benefit,  and  what  wonder  if  his 
embassy  be  unavailing  1  Here,  then,  is 
the  firm  foundation  of  all  useful  efforts  on 
the  part  of  the  gospel  minister;  a  deep 
conviction  that  man  is  a  sinner  against 
God.  History,  experience,  the  word  of 
God,  the  character  of  Christ,  and  the  feel- 
ing of  the  plague  of  his  own  heart,  all  go 
to  prove  to  him  that  he  is  a  perishing  sin- 
ner, and  that  he  is  sent  to  perishing  sin- 
ners with  this  embassy — "  Be  ye  recon- 
ciled to  God!" 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  such  a  minister 
cannot  be  the  ambassador  of  the  law. 
The  law  demands  strength,  and  the  sin- 
ner is  weak  ;  the  law  demands  unceasing 
obedience,  but  the  sinner  disobeys  in  all ; 
the  law  never  did,  nor  can,  make  the  im- 
perfect perfect.  In  paradise,  it  proved 
that  man  could  not  stand  in  his  own 
strength  ;  and  it  was  not  given  on  Sinai 
because  man  was  holy,  but  to  restrain 
unholiness  :  its  numerous  precepts  multi- 
plied sin  and  aggravated  the  offence. 
"  By  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin," 
for  "  sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law." 
Apply  the  rule  of  the  law  to  a  rebel  in 
arms,  and  it  is  the  exhibition  of  his  of- 
fence, and  the  occasion  of  its  repetition  ; 
or  if  he  be  conscious  of  the  majesty  of  the 
authority  he  has  violated,  and  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  law  he  has  broken,  this  con- 
sciousness, without  any  idea  of  mercy, 
will  only  plunge  him  into  despair,  and 
terrify  him  with  the  justice  of  his  punish- 
ment. Let  the  law  act  as  a  pioneer  to 
prepare  the  way  ;  but  let  the  minister  re- 
member that  he  is  not  the  ambassador  of 
the  law,  but  of  Christ ;  to  restore  the  love 
of  the  law,  and  to  make  its  service  "  per- 
fect freedom."  He  is  not  the  magistrate, 
with  his  politic  rule ;  he  is  not  the  states- 
man, with  cabinet  devices  ;  he  is  not  the 
legislator,  with  his  civil  code  ;  he  is  not 
the  prudent  man,  with  his  subtle  schemes ; 
he  is  not  the  orator,  with  his  powers  of 
suasion ;  he  is  not  the  poet,  with  sublime 
imagination  ;  he  is  not  the  man  of  feeling, 
with  his  tenderness  and  melting  sympa- 
thy; he  is  not  Moses  himself,  fresh  from 
communion  with  God,  his  countenance 


332 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


shining,  and  the  tables  yet  warm  with  the 
finger  of  GJod  :  not  one  of  these,  not  all  of 
these  combined  in  one,  will  suit  the  cha- 
racter to  whom  he  is  sent.  It  is  to  man, 
the  SINNER,  that  he  is  sent ;  not  the  partial, 
but  the  total  sinner — not  the  impoverished, 
but  the  ruined — not  to  man  hurt  by  sin, 
but  to  man  dead  in  sin — not  man  to  be 
mended,  but  new  made — not  to  be  recti- 
fied, but  to  be  created.  A  principle  not 
known  to  the  world  must  be  applied  ;  a 
message  never  thought  of  by  man  must 
be  brought — a  message  suited  to  him  as 
a  miserable  sinner — a  message  of  mercy 
from  his  offended  God,  which  can  cleanse 
the  guilt  of  sin  from  his  conscience,  and 
subdue  the  power  of  sin  in  his  heart. 

"  Behold,"  then,  in  the  sublime  lan- 
guage of  Isaiah,  "  behold  !"  not  a  prince, 
a  statesman,  a  legislator,  the  wise,  the 
moralist,  the  orator,  the  poet,  the  man  of 
feeling — no,  not  Moses  himself,  but  the 
Saviour  adapted  to  the  sinner — "my  ser- 
vant"— my  Son,  made  flesh,  "  whom  I 
uphold"  in  his  character  of  Mediator — 
"mine  elect,  in  whom  my  soul  deJight- 
eth" — my  chosen  Redeemer,  in  whom 
my  soul  looks  on  man  with  complacency. 
"  I  have  put  my  Spirit  upon  him" — the 
power  to  restore  the  souls  of  men  to  my 
image.  "He  shall  bring  forth  judgment" 
— righteousness,  "  to  the  Gentiles."  I 
have  just  suited  his  character  to  their 
wants.  His  meekness  shall  condescend 
to  their  frowardness,  and  cause  him  to 
adapt  himself  to  their  greatest  weakness. 
"  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break,  and 
the  smoking  flax  shall  he  not  quench  ;" 
the  perfection  of  man  shall  be  in  him. 
"  He  shall  bring  forth  judgment  unto 
truth ;"  a  righteousness  which  supplies 
every  defect  shall  be  in  him.  And  as  his 
meekness  suits  the  infirmities  of  men,  his 
perseverance  suits  their  unwillingness, 
their  contempt,  and  rejection  of  him. 
"  He  shall  not  fail,  or  be  discouraged," 
but  go  on  till  men  are  fully  justified  ;  and 
"  the  isles,"  the  heathen,  "  shall  wait  for 
his  law" — a  law  of  pity  and  of  grace.  It 
is  a  Saviour  man  wants  ;  not  a  legislator, 
or  philosopher,  but  "  the  Prince  nf  Peace. ''^ 
It  is  mercy  meeting  correlative  misery  ; 
pardon  pronouncing  peace.  God  meets 
man  as  a  miserable  sinner,  and   meets 


him  with  an  unmeasured  proclamation  of 
mercy  —  "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
cleanseth  from  all  sin."  Let  the  worst 
sinner  but  accept  this,  and  he  has  at  once 
a  new  nature.  "  Thy  sins  are  forgiven 
thee  ;  thy  faith  hath  saved  thee ;  go  in 
peace."  Let  this  message  be  effectually 
delivered  to  the  soul  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  the  work  is  done.  The  soul  is  in- 
clined to  its  own  best  interests,  and  to 
those  of  man ;  and  it  has  power  for  the 
due  exercise  of  all  its  obligations.  This 
is  the  Christian  minister's  designation: 
he  is  an  ambassador  of  mercy — he  is  a 
herald  of  grace.  "  We  are  ambassadors 
for  Christ.''''  This  is  just  the  character 
that  our  church  expects  in  us,  who  are 
her  ministers.  When  she  sends  us  forth, 
her  words  are  these ;  "  Consider  with 
yourselves  the  end  of  your  ministry  to- 
wards the  children  of  God,  the  spouse  and 
body  of  Christ."  It  is  not  philosophy, 
or  morality,  or  refinement,  that  she  ex- 
pects of  us  as  the  result  of  our  ministra- 
tions, but  that  the  people  should  be 
brought  to  "  ripeness  and  perfectness  in 
Christ."  And  do  our  attainments  equal 
her  requisitions  1  The  habits  of  life,  our 
own  hearts,  the  bias  of  education,  the 
very  moral  atmosphere  by  which  we  are 
surrounded,  are  all  against  us.  All  these 
claim  to  be  substitutes  for  Christ;  they 
are  the  false  Christs,  which  exclude  the 
genuine  Christ  from  our  own  hearts  and 
those  of  the  people.  And  shall  we  retire 
from  such  a  world  as  hermits  !  or  rather, 
shall  we  not  retire,  with  Paul,  into  Christ, 
and  seek  to  be  found  only  in  him  ]  As 
surely  as  we,  who  are  the  clergy,  are 
filled  with  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  so  surely 
shall  we  be  efficient  ambassadors  and 
faithful  missionaries.  Let  us  be  but  mis- 
sionaries for  Christ  at  home,  and  missiona- 
ries for  Christ  abroad  will  not  long  be 
wanting. 

And  never  let  the  missionary  abroad 
forget  his  designation.  He  is  an  "  am- 
bassador for  Christ."  Here  is  his  au- 
thority, his  comfort,  his  support,  his 
security,  his  reward.  And  as  his  title  is 
an  "  ambassador  for  Christ,"  so  let  his 
voice  be,  "  I  will  go  in  the  strength  of  the 
Lord  ;  I  will  make  mention  of  thy  right- 
eousness, even  of  thine  only."    Consider 


MINISTERS,  AMBASSADORS  FOR  CHRIST. 


333 


Secondly,  The  dignitv  of  his  charac- 
ter. 

His  voice  is  that  of  his  Master — his 
entreaty  is  that  of  his  Saviour.  "  As 
though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us,  we 
pray  you  in  Chrisfs  slcnd.^^  The  dignity 
of  his  otfice  is  such,  that  we  cannot  mag- 
nify it  beyond  due  bonds.  His  subjects 
are  not  those  of  nature  or  of  providence : 
these  are  the  business  of  men  who  are 
occupied  in  the  affairs  of  time  and  sense. 
True,  he  is  in  the  flesh,  but  he  must  live 
"  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God."  His 
affairs  are  spiritual,  and  connected  with 
eternity.  His  voice  may  be  feeble,  but 
it  is  as  the  voice  of  God — the  voice  of 
God  in  its  most  winning  form  ;  for  it  is 
the  voice  of  God  incarnate — of  Christ 
himself — of  Christ  still  incarnate  in  the 
person  of  his  minister — as  Christ  still  in 
the  flesh,  inviting  men  to  be  reconciled  to 
God.  And  the  feeblest  minister  who  is 
faithful  to  his  charge,  is  entitled  to  say, 
"As  though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us, 
we  pray  you  in  Chrisfs  stead.'''' 

How,  then,  is  it  possible  to  magnify 
our  office  too  highly  ]  We  are  commis- 
sioned by  God  and  by  Christ.  "  Let  a 
man  so  account  of  us,  as  of  the  ministers 
of  Christ,  and  stewards  of  the  mysteries 
of  God ;"  as  instruments  of  spirituality ; 
as  "  workers  together  with  God."  Who 
are  the  four  beasts,  or  living  creatures, 
before  the  mystical  throne  of  Christ,  but 
the  ministers  of  the  church,  by  whose 
vigilance,  activity,  and  piety,  the  church's 
interests  are  to  be  promoted  1  Are  they 
not  stars  in  his  right  hand  ?  are  they  not 
the  jewels  of  his  crown  ?  for  "  the  mes- 
sengers of  the  churches"  are  "  the  glory 
of  Christ." 

But  the  minister  is  elevated  as  the  man 
is  depressed ;  as  the  man  sinks,  the  mi- 
nister rises.  His  excellency  is  seen  as 
he  is  viewed  distinct  from  talents  and 
acquirements.  The  most  distinguished 
minister  on  record  was  the  most  jealous 
of  human  attractions.  "  And  I,  brethren, 
when  I  came  to  you,  came  not  with  ex- 
cellency of  speech  or  of  wisdom,  declar- 
ing unto  you  the  testimony  of  God  :  for  I 
determined  not  to  know  any  thino-  amontr 
you,  but  .Jesus  Christ,  and  him  crucified. 
And  my  speech  and  my  preaching  was 


not  with  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom 
but  in  the  demonstration  of  the  Spirit;" 
and  why  ?  "  that  your  faith  should  nol 
stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men,  but  in  the 
power  of  God."  Brethren,  where  is  thp 
fastidiousness,  and  refinement,  and  ex- 
quisiteness  of  our  modern  pulpit  hereT 
He  debases  the  man,  that  he  may  raise 
the  minister  ;  he  exalts  Christ  on  the  de- 
pression of  self;  he  elevates  the  Spirit 
upon  the  ruins  of  the  flesh.  Oh,  the 
meanness  of  man,  that  would  borrow  a 
spark  from  nature,  to  light  up  the  horizon 
of  grace!  Oh,  where  is  the  man  who  can 
take  the  crown  from  his  own  head — the 
crown  of  reputation,  of  talent,  of  power, 
of  excellence — and  lay  it  at  the  feet  of 
Christ,  and  say,  "O  Jesus!  thou  alone 
art  worthy  V  O  may  Christ  be  elevated 
this  day,  and  self  destroyed  !  and  may 
this  prayer  proceed  from  every  heart — 
"  Be  thou  exalted,  O  Lord,  in  thine  own 
strength !" 

Let  the  man  be  thus  merged  in  the  mi- 
nister, -and  he  rises  to  the  highest  dignity 
of  his  office.  For  "  we  preach  not  our- 
selves, but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord;  and 
ourselves  your  servants,  for  Jesus'  sake." 
The  highest  dignity  of  the  minister  of 
Christ  is  to  be  the  servant  of  all :  then  he 
adapts  himself  to  the  case  of  all  whom  he 
beseeches  in  Christ's  stead.  The  dun- 
geon of  the  malefactor — the  weakness  of 
childhood — the  fatuity  of  age — the  obsti- 
nacy of  ignorance — the  repulse  of  savage 
ferocity — the  opposition  of  malignant  bar- 
barism— and  the  cutting  sneer  of  the  no- 
minal professor — he  is  prepared  to  meet 
and  to  conciliate.  He  becomes  "  all 
things  to  all  men  ;"  he  beseeches,  he  so- 
licits, he  prays.  His  aim  is  to  save  the 
immortal  soul ;  for  this  he  cannot  suffer 
too  much,  or  stoop  too  low.  The  deepest 
humiliation  of  the  Saviour  was  when  he 
endured  the  death  of  the  cross;  and  this 
was  also  his  highest,  his  richest  exalta- 
tion. The  minister  resembles  his  Lord, 
and  his  richest  dignity  is  humility.  "  If 
any  will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be 
your  minister."  "  And  he  took  a  child, 
and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them."  There 
is  the  minister  of  Christ !  the  feeling  of  a 
child  is  his  proper  feeling.  If  such  be 
the  designation,  and  such  the  dignity  of 


334 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


the  minister  of  Christ,  we  are  prepared  to 
consider, 

Thirdly,  The  subject  of  his  embassy. 

This  is,  the  reconciliation  of  a  sinner  to 
God : — "  Be  ye  reconciled  to  God."  His 
subject  is  suited  to  the  state  of  men  : 
"  Repent  ye,  and  believe  the  gospel." 
You  are  a  sinner,  but  God  is  reconciled 
to  you.  Ours  is  a  message  of  mercy ;  we 
do  not  ask  you  to  reconcile  God  to  you, 
either  by  your  repentance  or  your  faith, 
else  Ave  should  drive  you  to  despair.  He 
has  prepared  all  this  for  j^ou,  and  we  invite 
you  to  ask  for  it.  We  do  not  ask  you  to 
reconcile  him  to  you :  that  he  has  done 
already,  by  a  way  in  which  he  is  at  once 
"just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  that  be- 
lieveth  in  Jesus."  All  we  ask  is  this  : 
receive  the  boon — "be  ye  reconciled  to 
God" — believe,  and  live. 

The  guilty  sinner  will  reply,  "  But 
what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  My  sins 
are  numerous  !  How  deep  is  their  dye  ! 
how  long  have  they  been  persisted  in  ! 
What  satisfaction  must  I  make  1  "  What 
good  thing  shall  I  do,  that  I  may  have 
eternal  life  V  To  these  efforts,  which 
contain  an  opposition  in  terms,  God  in 
mercy  says,  "  Come  now,  and  let  us  rea- 
son together."  And  this  reasoning  shall 
consist  of  one  argument  only,  which  shall 
meet  all  you  can  urge  in  opposition — a 
free  pardon :  a  pardon  for  all  your  sins, 
however  many,  great,  or  long  persisted 
in.  "  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet," 
plain  and  glaring  as  scarlet  under  the 
noontide  sun,  "they  shall  be  white  as 
snow;  though  they  he  red  like  crimson," 
of  a  deep  and  blood-red  dye,  habitual  and 
inveterate,  "  they  shall  be  as  wool." 
Boundless  mercy  !  unfathomable  grace  ! 
inconceivable  love !  Free  pardon,  and 
complete  reconciliation  !  This,  then,  is 
our  message — "  Be  ye  reconciled  to  God." 
All  things  are  ready,  and  wait  your  ac- 
ceptance. Be  ye  reconciled  to  God  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Spirit. 

1.  Emhrace  the  love  of  the  Father.  Re- 
conciliation originates  here.  All  are  sin- 
ners ;  and  it  signally  illustrates  the  rich- 
ness of  his  mercy,  that  he  loved  us  "  when 
we  were  dead  in  sins."  There  is  some- 
thing plausible,  something  that  we  can 
comprehend,   in   a  man   dying    for    his 


friend  ;  this  we  can  conceive  of  as  pos' 
sible.  "But  God  commendeth  his  love 
to  us,  in  that  while  we  were  yet  sinners 
Christ  died  for  us."  While  we  were  j'et 
rebels,  with  the  weapons  in  our  hands, 
God  said,  even  at  such  a  m^oment,  "  It  is 
peace."  But  mark  the  mode  in  which 
this  love  is  displayed  ! — a  mode  which 
shows  the  strictest  regard  to  justice,  in 
connexion  with  love  the  most  attractive. 
A  Mediator  is  appointed  ;  a  Mediator  who 
has  the  rich  expression  of  all  the  perfec- 
tions of  the  Godhead.  rYostract  excel- 
lence and  perfection,  essential  wisdom, 
power,  holiness,  infinity,  no  creature  can 
conceive  of.  But  in  the  second  person  in 
the  Godhead,  we  have  a  revelation  of  the 
perfections  of  Godhead,  which  we  can 
comprehend  sufficiently  for  his  glory  and 
our  own  good.  Christ  is  "  the  word," 
who  expresses  the  Divine  mind — the  Son, 
who  represents  the  Father — the  Image 
which  portrays  his  resemblance — the 
impression  of  his  excellence,  the  bright- 
ness of  his  glory.  Here,  then,  we  see 
him  as  disposable  grace.  The  Father 
contemplates  man  in  him ;  in  him  he 
chooses  man  before  time ;  and  in  him,  in 
lime,  he  orders  his  election,  conversion, 
justification,  sanctification  ;  and  at  length, 
by  glory,  crowning  this  tissue  of  grace. 
Thus  "  God  was  iri  Christ,  reconciling 
the  world  unto  himself,  not  imputing 
their  trespasses  unto  them.  For  he  hath 
made  him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no 
sin,  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteous- 
ness of  God  in  him."  Here  is  the  "  great 
mystery  of  godliness  ;  God  was  manifest 
in  the  flesh  !"  Embrace,  then,  the  love 
of  the  Father! 

2.  Embrace  the  grace  of  the  Son.  1st. 
The  grace  of  his  person.  In  no  other  way 
can  the  sinner  of  himself  approach  God. 
The  sword  of  flame  turns  every  way  to 
keep  him  back  from  the  tree  of  life,  and 
the  blaze  of  Sinai  fills  him  with  terror. 
Man  cannot  approach  to  God  ;  God  there- 
fore approaches  to  man  in  his  Son.  Jesus 
comes,  and  in  his  person  unites  the  hu- 
man and  divine  nature  :  he  dwells  at  Na- 
zareth, and  has  "a  local  habitation  and  a 
name."  He  lives,  acts,  thinks,  as  we  do, 
yet  without  sin  :  he  faints,  weeps,  ago- 
nizes,  groans,  dies  I      And   is   this   the 


MINISTERS,  AMBASSADORS  FOR  CHRIST. 


335 


Infinite?  It  is  he,  my  Saviour  and  my 
God!  2d.  Embrace  the  grace  of  his 
work.  United  to  his  person  by  faith, 
you  are  also  united  to  his  work.  Faith 
identifies  you  with  Christ,  from  the  stable 
at  Bethlehem,  up  to  his  throne  on  high. 
You  are  quickened  in  him — suffer  in  him 
— are  crucified  with  him — die  in  him — 
rise  in  him,  and  ascend  together  "  in  hea- 
venly places  in  Christ."  3d.  Embrace 
the  Son  in  his  ofiices.  All  grace  is  in 
him  for  the  supply  of  all  your  wants.  Do 
your  souls  droop  under  a  sense  of  sin  ] 
Go  and  spread  it  before  him  who  is  at 
once  the  victim  of  the  priest  on  the  cross 
of  Calvary.  Are  you  weak  and  languid 
in  prayer  before  God  1  Go  to  him  who  is 
your  glorious  intercessor.  Do  you  want 
wisdom  and  knowledge  ?  In  Christ  are 
"  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge  ;"  and  he  will  teach  you.  It 
is  the  book  of  grace  which  reveals 
the  meaning  of  the  books  of  nature,  of 
providence,  of  glory.  Do  you  want  re- 
pentance, the  conquest  of  lust,  power  over 
every  temptation  ■?  Christ  is  "  a  Prince 
and  a  Saviour,"  exalted  for  this  purpose. 
His  sceptre  can  sway  every  sin,  and  beat 
down  every  enemy  under  your  feet.  To 
live  by  faith  on  the  oflEices  of  Christ,  is 
tlie  richest  experience — to  live  by  faith  by 
Christ  and  on  Christ,  is  to  receive  "out 
of  his  fulness  grace  for  grace." 

3.  Embrace  f  he  fellowship  of  the  Spirit. 
The  wSpirit  dispenses  the  grace  of  the  Son. 
"  He  shall  glorify  me,"  says  Christ ;  "  for 
he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  show 
it  unto  you  :  all  things  that  the  Father 
hath  are  mine."  The  excellencies  of  the 
Father  are  deposited  in  Christ,  to  be  be- 
stowed by  the  Spirit.  The  Father  is  the 
source  of  grace — the  Son  is  the  depository 
of  grace — the  Spirit  is  the  actuary  of 
grace.  It  is  his  to  enlighten,  to  quicken, 
to  restore,  to  exalt,  to  comfort,  to  purify, 
to  uphold,  and  to  seal  you  with  the  earn- 
est of  heavenly  glory. 

"  Be  ye  reconciled,  then,  to  God." 
What  a  reconciliation  is  here!  How 
simple,  full,  free,  and  complete  I  In 
Christ,  Jehovah  is  yours — yours  in  all 
his  fulness,  and  in  all  his  power  to  salva- 
tion !  To  know  this,  is  the  very  life  and 
joy  of  the  soul.     You  have  "  received  the 


reconciliation,"  and  you  can  say,  "My 
beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am  his."  I  close 
here  by  gathering  up  all  in  one  expression 
— "  The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
the  love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  be  with  us  all ,-  and  with  every 
soul  in  the  remotest  corner  of  the  world, 
now  and  for  evermore  !    Amen.''^ 

If  such  is  the  Christian  minister's  de- 
signation, dignity,  and  work — if  his  aim 
be  to  make  known  the  blessings  of  the 
gospel  of  reconciliation  ;  it  seems  obvioua 
to  ask,  since  there  is  so  much  "  balm  in 
Gilead,"  and  so  able  a  "  physician  there, 
why  then  is  not  the  health  of  the  daughter 
of  my  people  recovered  ?"  Why,  in  this 
nineteenth  century  of  Christianity,  why 
has  the  gospel  of  reconciliation  produced 
such  feeble,  such  contracted  effects  1  We 
need  not  go  far  to  solve  this  question. 
The  world  is  not  reconciled  to  its  God, 
because  so  little  of  this  reconciliation  is  fell 
in  Christendom  itself;  and  so  little  is  felt, 
it  is  to  be  feared,  not  because  it  has  not 
been  received,  but  because  it  has  not  been 
preached !  The  history  of  the  church 
abounds  with  unchristian  errors  ;  and 
where  we  find  the  gospel  of  reconciliation 
preached,  it  is  rather  mentioned  as  an  ex- 
ception to  the  surrounding  error.  But 
where  is  the  gospel  1  Is  it  at  the  great 
marts  of  commerce  and  population  %  I3 
it  at  Rome — at  Constantinople — at  Alex- 
andria 1  Doubtless,  each  had  its  Clement 
— its  Chrysostom — its  Athanasius  ;  but 
the  candlesticks  are  removed,  and  the 
gospel  is  not  preached.  And  if  the  ques- 
tion be  asked,  why  is  Christendom  sunk 
into  Socinian  and  Infidel  corruption  ?  I 
can  only  answer,  because  the  gospel  of  re- 
conciliaiion  is  not  preached ! 

But  let  us  ask  also,  does  the  gospel  of 
reconciliation  produce  what  it  ought  in 
England?  Does  the  sauvity  of  this  gos- 
pel prevail  in  our  manners,  or  the  severity 
of  the  law  1  Is  there  the  kindness,  the 
meekness,  the  conciliation,  the  reconcil- 
ing spirit,  the  holy  courtesy,  of  a  people 
in  whom  self  is  dethroned,  and  Christ  ia 
exalted  T  is  there  the  forbearance,  and  ten- 
derness, and  clemency,  of  a  people  recon- 
ciled to  God,  and  saved  by  mercy  1  or  is 
there  not  rather  the  excessive  claim  and 
rigorous  exaction  of  duty,  which  speaks 


336 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


the  severity  of  the  law?  Are  our  chil- 
dren trained,  not  as  the  children  of  pro- 
mise, but  of  nature]  At  the  baptismal 
font,  are  not  children  required  to  fulfil 
promises  made  for  them,  without  the  ap- 
plication of  the  promises  made  io  them  ] 
Is  education  th^  demand  of  duty,  or  the 
encouragement  of  privilege  1  Are  we 
aiming  to  make  men  better  by  clemency  ? 
or  is  it  not  rather  by  the  application  of 
law  and  punishment]  Are  the  acts  of 
our  legislature  mild  and  clement,  or  aw- 
ful and  terrific  %  Are  the  resolutions  of 
our  Cabinets  mere  temporary  expedients, 
or  wise  and  liberal  treatments  \ — are  they 
not  rather  suited  to  punish  for  offence, 
than  to  allure  to  obedience  ?  If,  then, 
this  be  the  complexion  of  things  among 
t/s,  in  this  nineteenth  century  of  a  perfect 
gospel,  it  is  the  most  important  question 
we  can  ask  to  ourselves — to  the  world — 
to  the  glory  of  God — to  the  empire  of 
Christ — to  the  honour  of  the  Spirit — to 
the  success  of  the  Missionary  cause — 
what  is  the  reason  that  society  in  Eng- 
land has  not  made  a  greater  practical  ad- 
vance in  gospel  reconciliation  1  Shall  I 
answer  this  question?  I  will  do  it  by 
asking  another; — Is  the  pulpit  of  the 
Church  of  England  a  pulpit  of  the  law  or 
the  gospel,  of  reconciliation  or  of  terror  1 
Which  is  its  character  1  "  O  Lord,  revive 
thy  work  in  the  midst  of  the  years — in 
the  midst  of  the  years  make  known  ;  in 
wrath  remember  mercy  !"  We  have 
arrived  at. 

Lastly,  The  application  of  the  sub- 
ject TO  OUR  PRESENT  PURPOSE. 

"  Now  then."  Will  my  reverend  bre- 
thren in  the  mirtistry  allow  me,  first,  to 
address  them  T  Christ  has  suflfered,  and 
has  entered  into  his  glory.  He  has  been 
lifted  up  on  the  cross;  he  is  lifted  up  to 
glory  ;  and  he  now  waits  to  be  lifted  up 
in  every  heart.  For  this  purpose  he  has 
appointed  us  his  ambassadors,  and  re- 
quires us  to  lift  up  his  person,  his  work, 
his  offices,  as  the  one  unceasing  sub- 
ject of  our  ministry.  We  are  to  be  Mis- 
sionaries to  those  around  us,  on  the  vast 
important  concerns  of  their  souls.  We 
are  to  address  all  ranks,  from  the  king  to 
the  peasant,  and  all  characters,  whether 
moral  or  profane,  and  to  say  to  them  all. 


"  Be  ye  reconciled  to  God."  The  high 
est  is  not  above  our  care  ;  the  lowest  ia 
not  below  it.  It  is  not  enough  that  they 
are  moral,  that  they  attend  our  ministry : 
it  is  not  enough  that  being  solicited  and 
warned,  they  decline  and  reject:  we  act 
for  souls,  and  for  eternity.  It  is  not  for 
us  to  be  angry,  to  be  baffled,  to  retire  dis- 
gusted, fainting,  despairing  :  we  want  a 
mind  like  Christ — a  benevolent  boldness 
— a  spirit  undaunted,  that  will  go  on 
hearing  of  no  refusal,  and  not  resting  till 
they  are  saved.  We  want  to  be  filled  with 
Christ :  to  have  Christ  in  our  studies,  in 
our  pulpits,  in  our  hearts,  in  our  whole 
intercourse ;  in  short,  we  want  the  mis- 
sionary zeal,  that  we  may  accomplish  the 
missiomry  purpose.  England  stands  in 
need  of  missionaries  herself  at  this  very 
hour,  as  well  as  any  part  of  the  heathen 
world.  And  it  has  been  long  my  firm 
conviction,  that  it  is  in  vain  to  expect  an 
efficient  supply  of  Missionaries  for  foreign 
service,  till  we  who  are  ministers  of  the 
church  become  Missionaries  at  home.  As 
ministers  of  the  Church  of  England,  we 
stand  on  no  common  ground.  The  world 
may  refuse  the  decisions  of  our  Cabinets, 
but  she  asks  the  communication  of  our 
grace.  She  requests — what]  "Christ 
crucified,''''  As  we  feel  Christ — preach 
Christ — live  by  Christ — and  recommend 
Christ,  so  are  we  a  benefit  to  the  whole 
race  of  mankind.  Yes  ;  the  ministers  of 
England  stand  on  high  ground  !  They 
are,  at  this  very  hour,  the  ministers  of  i/ie 
tcorld.  Do  I  need  an  apology,  my  reve- 
rend friends  ]  If  so,  I  find  it  in  my  text. 
I  am  an  "  ambassador  for  Christ ;"  and 
beseech  you   "  in  Christ's  stead." 

2.  I  would  address  myself  to  my  Mis- 
sionary brethren.  I  am  not  disposed  to 
consider  your  work  as  different  from  our 
own.  You  leave,  as  Abraham  did,  your 
home,  and  go  out,  not  knowing  whither 
you  go.  Herein  we  differ ;  but,  in  ad- 
dressing a  Christless  world,  we  differ  but 
little.  Gross  superstition — false  deities 
— senseless  idolatry — ignorant  sensuality 
— savage  brutality — you  may  have  to  en- 
counter: but  we  have  the  lust  of  the  eye 
— false  refinements — idolatrous  devotion 
to  what  is  wrong — and  over-civilization 
— to  encounter  at  home.     If  you  have 


ministp:rs,  ambassadors  for  ciirist. 


337 


barbarous  idolaters  to  address,  we  have 
the  devotees  of  a  more  dangerous  idolatry. 
Self  and  Christ  are  every  where  opposed. 
If  Satan  reigns  by  means  of  an  ignorant 
idolatry,  he  reigns  also  by  means  of  a 
corrupted  refinement.  An  "  ambassador 
for  Christ"  is  alike  needed  :  the  qualifica- 
tion is  the  same  both  for  ministers  at 
home,  and  for  missionaries  abroad  ; — they 
must  "  put  on  the  Lord  Christ." 

3.  I  address  parents.  If  we  have  a 
Missionary  College,  we  want  a  Missionary 
nurseri/  also.  If  you  are  Christian  pa- 
rents, you  have  already  devoted  your 
children  to  God  ;  "  to  fight  under  the  ban- 
ner of  Christ,  against  sin,  the  world,  and 
the  devil ;  and  to  continue  Christ's  faith- 
ful soldiers  and  servants  unto  their  lives' 
end."  In  the  teeth  of  this  engagement, 
are  you  seeking  for  them  wealth,  honour, 
distinction'?  Are  you  seeking  the  grati- 
fication of  what  you  have  vowed  to  re- 
nounce, or  coveting  what  you  have  pro- 
mised to  suppress?  or  are  you  withholding 
them  from  God,  to  whom  you  professed 
to  devote  them  1  We  want  not  examples 
of  such  resignation.  "  Oh,  man  !"  said 
the  dying  Haliburton  to  his  son,  "  if  I  had 
as  many  sons  as  there  are  hairs  in  your 
head,  I  would  bestow  them  all  to  God.  I 
would  rather  have  you  a  Missionary  and 
a  martyr  than  a  monarch  !"  And  said  the 
mother  of  the  Wesleys,  "  Had  I  twenty 
sons,  I  should  be  glad  to  see  them  going 
as  Missionaries,  and  should  rejoice  that 
they  were  so  employed,  though  I  should 
never  see  them  more  !"  And  what  is  said 
in  commendation  of  Abraham  1  "  Now  I 
know  that  thou  fearest  God,  seeing  thou 
hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son, 
from  me."  And  what  are  we  who  are 
now  here  but  the  fruits  of  that  very  act  of 
faithful  obedience  ;  for  we  are  part  of  his 
spiritual  seed,  and  blessed  in  him.  Or 
shall  we  carry  the  example  still  higher  1 
"  God  so  loved  the  world,  that" — what  1 
he  made  if?  maintained  it?  blessed  it? 
No ;  neither  •  f  these,  nor  all  of  these, 
were  the  "  so,"  the  intenseness  of  his 
love.  He  "  so  loved  it,  that  he  gave  his 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believ- 
eth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life."  And  if  He  "  spared  not 
his  only  Son,"  what  can  his  love  now  I 

Vol.  I.— 43 


withhold  ?  "  Shall  he  not  with  him,  also, 
freely  give  us  all-things  ?"  O  Christian 
parents  !  if  you  have  never  felt  that  bless- 
ing as  yet,  may  He,  who  has  given  his  own 
Son  for  us,  give  you  that  faith  to-night, 
which,  in  surrendering  your  children  to 
God,  divests  you  of  all  painful  anxiety  for 
them,  and  makes  your  happiness  secure. 

4.  I  must  address //^e?/oun^.  We  look 
chicjly  to  you  for  our  supply  of  Mission- 
aries. Christ  has  conferred  this  chief 
honour  upon  you.  How  infinitely  is  this 
beyond  all  the  other  objects  that  can 
stimulate  your  ambition  !  In  all  the  others, 
you  are  useful  for  time :  in  this  you  la- 
bour for  eternity.  Is  holiness  the  truest 
happiness  ?  is  usefulness  the  brighest 
honour  ?  is  the  work  of  saving  souls  from 
sin,  and  guilt,  and  wrath,  the  most  wor- 
thy zeal  and  energy  ?  Then  is  this  work 
of  a  Missionary  superior  to  all  others. 
How  poor  are  the  achievements  of  Greek 
and  Roman  youths,  recorded  on  the  page 
of  history,  and  celebrated  by  poets,  com- 
pared with  the  labours  of  Paul !  and  may 
we  not  say  of  Brainerd,  of  Martyn,  and  of 
Heber  also,  who  sought,  above  all  besides, 
the  good  of  others  and  the  glory  of  their 
God? 

5.  I  address  the  great  congregation. 
Remember  how  you  are  encouraged  to 
support  this  great  work.  I  speak  not  of 
Bible  Societies — or  translations — or  Mis- 
sionary colleges — or  of  agents  sent  out  to 
Mahommedans  and  Jews ;  I  speak  not 
particularly  of  any  institutions  established 
to  benefit  the  bodies  or  the  souls  of  men, 
and  to  spread  the  name  of  Christ  through- 
out the  world  :  but  I  speak  of  the  union  of 
all  these  at  the  present  moment,  as  augur- 
ing better  and  more  glorious  days  at  hand. 
The  prophecies  are  accomplishing — the 
prayers  of  the  church  for  six  thousand 
years  are  receiving  their  answer — prayer 
is  still  presenting,  that  Jerusalem  may  be 
made  the  praise  of  the  whole  earth — evan- 
gelical principles  are  spreading — amidst 
the  pressure  of  the  times,  funds  are  not 
withheld — missionaries  are  offering  them 
selves  for  the  work — reconciliation  to 
God  is  proclaimed,  and  the  world  listens 
to  it ;  and  success  is  by  no  means  want- 
ing. The  heathen  are  crying  out  for  help  ; 
and,  remembering  that  "  the  weapons  of 

2F 


338 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


our  warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty 
through  God,"  let  us  take  courage,  for 
surely  "  the  Lord  is  gone  out  before  us." 

Let  us  remember  also  our  obli gations. 
"  Freely  we  have  received,  freely  let  us 
give."  Remember  what  you  were  ; 
among  the  darkest  of  the  nations :  re- 
member what  you  are  ;  perhaps  the  most 
enlightened  in  the  world.  Six  hundred 
millions  of  liuman  beings  are  still  sunk  in 
darkness,  and  cry,  "  Come  over,  and  help 
us  !"  Among  these  are  more  than  a  hun- 
dred millions  of  your  fellow-subjects. 
Remember  the  value  of  but  erne  soul,  pos- 
sessed of  an  eternal  duration,  and  deprived 
of  the  glories  of  salvation  during  that 
eternity  !  Remember  how  little  has  been 
done,  and  how  much  remains  to  he  done  ! 
Remember  where  you  live,  and  when  you 
live  ! — in  England,  and  in  the  middle  of 
the  nineteenth  century  of  Christianity  : 
remember,  too,  why  you  live ;  and  aim  to 
honour  Christ,  and  glorify  God.  Remem- 
ber that  "  the  whole  creation  groaneth 
and  travaileth  in  pain  together  until  now, 
waiting  for  the  manifestation  of  the  sons 
of  God."  And  remember  that,  with 
abundant  promises  of  the  Spirit's  influ- 
ence, God  has  eminently  committed  io 
you  the  gospel  of  reconciliation  to  a  lost 
world. 

But  are  loe  prepared  for  this  holy  work  ? 
Allow  me  here  to  speak  plainly  and  une- 
quivocally. We  want  a  bolder  avowal  in 
our  personal  religion — in  the  family — the 
social  circle — the  magistracy — the  legis- 
lature— the  cabinet — but,  above  all,  in  the 
pulpit, — "I  am  for  Christ!"  We  want 
that  zeal,  that  boldness,  for  the  glory  of 
Christ  crucified,  which  shone  in  Cranmer, 
and  Ridley,  and  Latimer,  and  Bradford, 
and  Philpot,  and  others,  the  martyrs  of 
the  Reformation.  Let  us  live  and  preach 
as  they,  and  their  success  shall  be  ours. 

We  want  unity  also ;  both  in  the  Esta- 
blished Church,  and  in  the  church  of  God 
at  large.  I  should  hail  the  union  of  all 
the  efforts  of  the  people  of  God,  as  a  proof 
that  God  was  indeed  at  work.  The  love 
of  Christ  can  alone  effect  this.  Let  the 
love  of  Christ  be  paramount  to  human 
selfishness,  and  all  seeming  differences 
would  appear  "  trifles,  light  as  air,"  com- 


pared with  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  hi» 
glory  in  the  earth. 

But  is  this  all  1  Do  we  not  want  a 
greater  manifestation  of  faith — of  Chris- 
tian holiness — of  humility — of  love — of 
deadness  to  the  world — of  less  display  in 
person,  in  furniture,  in  habits,  in  dress  1 
Is  all,  in  these  respects,  as  it  should  be 
in  men  of  God  ■?  Let  the  consciences  of 
all  reply ! 

We  want  a  Christian  education  also. 
Here  is  the  root  of  all  our  mischief!  We 
have  virtually  forsaken  the  Bible,  "  the 
fountain  of  living  waters;  and  have  hewn 
out  for  ourselves  cisterns,  broken  cisterns 
that  can  hold  no  water."  We  give  six 
days  to  Mythology,  and  scarcely  one  to 
the  Bible  ;  and  then  wonder-  that  things 
are  as  they  are.  At  the  baptismal  font 
we  vow  regard  to  the  souls  of  our  chil- 
dren, and  then  devote  the  whole  of  our 
attention  to  their  temporal  interests  !  And 
then,  of  course. 

We  want  Missionaries.  W'hy  1  Only 
consider  the  wants  we  have  already 
named — a  bolder  avowal  of  the  gospel — 
unity  among  the  people  of  Christ — a 
Christian  conversation — a  Christian  edu- 
cation. If  we  had  these,  we  should  have 
Missionaries,  and  the  Avorld  might  soon 
rejoice  in  the  salvation  of  God. 

In  one  word,  brethren,  are  you  ^^recon- 
ciled to  God .?"  If  so,  you  have  given  your 
hearts  to  God ;  and  if  he  has  your  hearts, 
he  has  your  all;  your  affections,  your 
children,  your  money,  your  talents,  your 
faculties  of  body  and  soul,  are  all  His. 
Your  prayers,  your  praises,  your  aspira- 
tions— all  in  nature,  all  in  grace— are  His. 
Do  you  love  mankind,  your  friends,  your 
children,  yourselves?  Love  Christ,  and 
you  show  the  best  love  to  them — serve 
Christ,  and  you  serve  them — advance  the 
cause  of  Christ,  and  you  advance  their  in- 
terests also.  Christ,  and  all  connected 
with  Him,  are  alone  immortal.  Your 
money  must  pass  away — your  friends — 
your  children — your  estates — yourselves 
must  pass  away — "  the  world  passeth 
away,  and  the  lust  thereof:" 

"  But  fix'd  his  word,  his  saving  power  remains; 
Thy  realm  for  ever  lasts,  thy  own  Messiah 
reigns." 


SERMON  XXXVII. 

THE    RESURRECTION    OF    THE    DEAD. 
BY  THE  REV.  C.  BENSON, 

AT   TEMPLE    CHURCH. 


''Bui  some  men  will  say,  How  are  the  dead  raised?  and  with  what  body  do  they  come  ?" — 

1  Cor.  XV.  35. 


Of  all  the  doctrines  which  the  gospel 
has  brought  to  light,  when  making  known 
to  us  that  life  and  immortality  which  is 
purchased  by  the  merits  of  the  sacrifice 
of  Jesus'Christ,  the  most  inexplicable  to 
human  reason  is  that  of  the  resurrection 
from  the  dead,  the  reunion  of  the  body 
and  soul  in  another  and  a  better  world, 
where  there  will  be  no  disease  to  weaken, 
and  no  death  again  to  dissolve  the  con- 
nexion which  will  then  be  once  more 
formed.  The  Grecian  and  Roman  philo- 
sophers might  have  some  faint  notion  of 
a  future  state,  in  which  the  soul  would 
either  be  happy  or  miserable  for  ever, 
according  to  the  merits  of  the  being  in 
whose  vile  tabernacle  it  dwelt  on  earth. 
But  that  future  state  was  to  consist,  in 
their  view,  not  of  another  union  to  the 
body,  but  in  a  complete  and  permanent 
separation  from  the  bondage  of  the  flesh, 
from  pain,  and  suffering,  and  decay. 
They  looked  upon  the  body  as  the  prison 
and  the  degradation  of  the  soul ;  and  con- 
ceived its  only  hope  of  felicity  to  be 
placed  in  an  emancipation  from  its  dun- 
geon of  earthliness.  Nor  have  the  deists, 
in  the  latter  days,  ever  conceived  a  doc- 
trine of  a  different  kind  :  they  have  deem- 
ed it  necessary  to  disembody  the  spiritual 
part  of  man  in  order  that  it  might  be 
happy  for  ever. 

But  the  doctrine  of  Christianity  is  of  a 
different  character;  it  promises  to  man  a 
perfection  and  an  eternity  of  happiness 
both  in  body  and  soul:  it  tells  the  disci- 
ple of  the  gospel  that  as  he  is  now  so  he 


will  be  hereafter — a  compound  of  matter 
and  spirit ;  and  that  the  same  being  who 
on  earth  is  faithful  to  his  Saviour  will, 
in  heaven,  be  glorified  by  that  Saviour; 
that  he  who  disbelieves  or  disobeys  his 
Lord's  will,  in  the  same  form  in  which 
he  sinned  in  this  state  of  pilgrimage,  be 
condemned  to  everlasting  and  unavailing 
anguish  in  the  appointed  state  of  retribu- 
tion. This  was  the  promise  of  Jesus  to 
his  followers  ;  and  to  illustrate  and  con- 
firm that  promise,  he  himself  burst  the 
bands  of  death,  and  showed  himself  alive 
after  his  passion  to  his  various  disciples, 
and  after  forty  days  ascended  visibly 
with  his  body  into  the  heavenly  regions. 
He  had  declared  to  them.,  not  only  that 
where  he  was  they  should  be  also,  but 
as  he  was  they  also  should  become. 
Now,  they  had  beheld  him  mounting  up 
into  heaven  ;  into  heaven,  therefore,  they 
themselves,  also,  were  to  obtain  an  en- 
trance. They  had  beheld  him  carrying 
up  thither  the  body  in  which  he  had 
walked  with  them,  and  talked  with  them, 
during  the  course  of  his  earthly  ministry : 
with  the  same  body  therefore  with  which 
they  had  accompanied  him — with  the 
same  eyes  which  had  looked  on  him — 
with  the  same  ears  that  had  heard  him 
— and  with  the  same  hands  that  had 
handled  him,  they  themselves  were  to 
follow  him  into  the  heavenly  places,  and 
become  the  companions  of  angels,  princi- 
palities„and  powers.  It  was  a  glorious 
doctrine;  and,  convinced  of  its  truth  by 
every  necessary  testimony  to  their  senses, 
339 


340 


TJIE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


and  every  reasonable  reliance  upon  the 
Saviour's  words,  they  went  forth  and 
preached  Jesus  and  the  resurrection,  as 
the  two  fundamental  principles  of  the 
religion  of  the  gospel.  But  it  was  one 
of  the  most  wonderful  and  unexpected 
doctrines,  and  many  who  embraced  the 
faith  of  Christ  were  yet  often  dwelling 
on  its  singularity ;  and,  with  a  vain  and 
useless  effort  to  clear  up  the  whole  mighty 
mystery,  were  often  asking  the  questions 
of  the  text,  and  confounding  both  them- 
selves and  their  teachers,  by  demanding 
how  the  dead  shall  be  raised  up,  and 
with  what  body  shall  they  come. 

It  is  not  to  presume  to  answer  these 
inscrutable  questions  in  the  fullest  extent 
that  I  have  chosen  these  words  for  the 
subject  of  our  present  consideration.  The 
event  alone  can  tell  us  the  means  and  the 
mode  by  which  God  will  operate  this 
astonishing  renovation  of  the  whole  hu- 
man race  :  and,  in  a  question  so  confess- 
edly beyond  the  reach  of  man's  present 
faculties,  it  is  far  better  to  leave  the  solu- 
tion of  the  wonder  to  the  appointed  time. 

But  there  is  one  sense  in  which  every 
Christian  may  be  allowed  to  adopt  the 
questions  of  the  text;  and  that  is  in  the 
scriptural  sense.  Every  one  may,  and, 
if  he  duly  esteem  and  make  it  his  study 
and  delight,  he  will  and  ought  naturally 
to  inquire  what  the  Scriptures  themselves 
have  taught  us  concerning  the  manner 
and  the  order  in  which  the  dead  shall  be 
raised  up,  and  the  nature  of  that  body 
with  which  they  will  come  out  from 
their  graves.  This  is  the  information 
which  we  may  legitimately  seek  ;  and  I 
will,  therefore,  in  the  remainder  of  this 
discourse,  endeavour  to  lay  before  you  a 
few  of  the  leading  and  undoubted  cir- 
cumstances which  may  be  gleaned  from 
the  different  portions  of  the  apostolic 
writings  concerning  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead. 

The  first  point  which  is  most  forcibly 
laid  down  is,  The  universality  of  this  re- 
union of  the  body  and  soul.  It  is  not  a 
favour  reserved  only  for  the  redeemed 
who  will  be  called  out  from  the  cham- 
bers of  the  dead  to  enjoy,  in  body  and 
spirit,  the  reward  of  that  obedience  which 
they  have  paid  to  God  both  in  body  and 


spirit ;  while  the  faithless  and  impeni- 
tent, the  extortioner  and  adulterer,  the 
worldly-minded  and  the  lover  of  pleasure 
and  folly,  will  be  left  to  slumber  on  for 
ever  in  the  unconsciousness  of  the  grave. 
The  wicked  sometimes  hope  that,  but 
they  cannot  hope  with  any  foundation 
in  the  Scriptures.  Jill  that  are  in  their 
graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of 
man,  and  shall  awake;  some,  indeed,  to 
everlasting  glory,  but  some  to  everlasting 
shame  and  contempt.  "  There  will  be  a 
resurrection,"  says  the  apostle,  "  both 
of  the  just  and  of  the  unjust."  And 
while  the  bodies  of  the  saints  shall  in- 
herit the  kingdom  prepared  for  them  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world  ;  the  flesh  of 
the  ungodly  shall  rise  to  live  for  ever 
likewise,  and  living  to  find  for  ever  the 
worm  that  dieth  not,  and  burn  for  ever  in 
the  lake  of  fire  prepared  for  the  devil  and 
his  angels. 

Whatever  be  the  meaning  of  these  si- 
militudes, doubtless  they  are  similitudes 
of  an  anguish  of  a  most  fearful  nature ; 
and  doubtless  it  is  an  anguish  which  will 
fall  at  the  resurrection  both  upon  the 
bodies  and  upon  the  souls  of  the  ungodly. 
Remember  the  recompense  due  for  the 
misdeeds  of  the  body  when  united  to  the 
spirit.  It  is  well  that  we  should  ever 
bear  engraven  on  our  memories  this 
thought :  because  the  Bible,  when  it 
speaks  of  the  resurrection,  speaks  so 
constantly,  and  so  much  more  copiously, 
of  what  will  be  the  fate  of  those  who  are 
saved  through  Christ,  than  of  those  who 
are  lost  and  condemned,  that  we  may  be 
liable  to  lose  the  awakening  recollection 
of  what  horrid  sufferings  will  then  fall 
upon  the  wicked. 

The  second  assurance  which  we  derive 
from  the  word  of  God  concerning  the 
manner  of  the  resurrection  is  this — that  it 
u'ill  be  iJistantaneous  as  loell  as  universal. 
At  one  time — at  one  sound — by  one  act  of 
almighty  power,  the  whole  mass  and  mul- 
titude of  sleepers  shall  awake.  Death 
does  his  work  of  desolation  by  successive 
changes :  his  conquests  are  slow  and 
gradual ;  and  generation  after  generation, 
and  man  after  man,  are  bowed  down  at 
his  unwelcome  bidding.  But  the  Lord 
of  life  will  declare  his  superior  and  irre- 


THE  RESURRECTION  OF  THE  DEAD. 


341 


sistible  might,  by  breaking  at  once  the 
bonds  of  all  who  have  been  the  conquer- 
or's captives.  It  is  not  because  the  first 
parents  of  the  human  race  were  the  earli- 
est who  tasted  the  bitterness  of  dying, 
that  they  will  therefore  be  the  earliest  to 
taste  the  sweetness  of  reviving.  It  is 
not  because  Abraham  and  Isaac,  and  the 
prophets,  are  dead,  and  have  mouldered 
some  thousands  of  years  ago,  that  they 
will  therefore  spring  up  from  the  dust 
with  a  proportionable  priority  of  time, 
before  all  their  children  who  have  since 
fallen  victims  to  the  same  law  of  mortal- 
ity. There  is  one — and  but  one — hour 
appointed  for  the  sea  to  give  up  the  dead 
that  are  in  it,  and  death  and  hell  to  give 
up  the  dead  that  are  in  them,  and  the 
forest  and  the  wilderness,  and  the  sepul- 
chre to  restore  the  bones  of  the  bodies 
which  were  intrusted  to  their  keeping. 
In  that  hour  the  patriarchs  and  prophets 
of  the  world,  before  and  after  the  flood — 
the  kings  and  the  subjects  of  Babylon 
and  Rome — the  disciples  of  Moses  and 
of  Christ,  however  separated  from  each 
other  by  the  difference  of  time  and  place, 
by  the  first  birth,  will  spring  up  in  this 
second  generation  the  sons  of  the  same 
day,  contemporary  children  of  the  gene- 
ral resurrection.  "For the  trumpet  shall 
sound,"  says  the  apostle,  "  and  the  dead 
shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  in  a  moment, 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last 
trump."  In  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump,  the  whole 
vallej' of  dry  bones  will  be  revived;  bone 
will  come  to  his  bone,  and  sinews  bind 
them,  and  flesh  cover  them,  and  spirit 
be  breathed  into  them;  and  they  shall  all 
become,  what  they  once  were,  living, 
moving  things — all  at  the  last  trump,  and 
not  one  shall  be  wanting. 

But  "  behold,"  says  the  apostle,  to 
whom  we  are  indebted  for  almost  all  our 
dim  conceptions  of  the  future  world, 
"behold,  I  show  you  a  mystery,"  a  cir- 
cumstance which  reason  could  not  have 
attained,  and  for  which  we  are  wholly 
indebted  to  the  revelation  of  the  Spirit  of 
God.  That  mystery  is  this : — All  will 
not  sleep ;  all  who  are  dead  will  rise  at 
once,  but  all  will  not  die,  and,  therefore, 
all  will  not  be  placed  under  the  necessity 


of  rising  again.  Those  who  are  alive 
and  remain  on  the  earth  as  its  inhabitants 
— and  it  is  clear  that  some  must  so  live 
and  remain  when  the  general  resurrection 
takts  place — shall  none  of  them  sleep,  as 
other  men  have  done,  in  the  dumb  forget- 
fulness  of  the  grave ;  but  they  shall  all  be 
changed;  a  change  will  pass  over  them 
equivalent  to  death  and  the  resurrection, 
but  death  and  the  resurrection  they  will 
not  literally  know.  Nor  will  even  this 
wondrous  and  momentary  change  hap- 
pen to  them  until  all  the  rest  of  mankind 
have  been  revived  into  everlasting  exist- 
ence. 

The  whole  process  of  this  singular 
operation  is  distinctly  recorded  in  the  last 
verses  of  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  first 
Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians.  "  This  we 
say  unto  you  by  the  word  of  the  Lord" — 
mark  how  solemnly  he  brings  forward 
this  statement — "  This  we  say  unto  you 
by  the  word  of  the  Lord,  that  we  which 
are  alive  and  remain  unto  the  coming  of 
the  Lord  shall  not  prevent,"  or  go  before, 
"  them  which  are  asleep.  For  the  Lord 
himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with 
a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel, 
and  with  the  trump  of  God  :  and  the  dead 
in  Christ  shall  rise  first :  then  we  which 
are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up 
together,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air: 
and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord. 
Wherefore  comfort  one  another  with  these 
words."  It  is  a  wonderful  scene  which 
those  men  will  behold — it  is  a  wonderful 
thing  to  which  the)'  will  be  subject.  And 
an  imagination,  even  of  the  dullest  cast, 
can  scarcely  help  forming  unto  itself  some 
picture  of  the  strangeness  of  the  event, 
and  the  awfulness  of  the  feelings  with 
which  it  will  be  contemplated. 

We  are  in  search  of  truth  and  profit, 
not  of  ideal  representations  :  and  having, 
therefore,  seen  in  some  measure  how  the 
dead  are  raised — having  seen  that  there 
will  be  a  contemporaneous  resurrection 
of  the  bodies  of  all  the  dead,  both  of  the 
just  and  of  the  unjust,  in  one  appointed 
day  ;  and  that,  after  all  the  dead  have 
been  raised,  there  will  next  pass  a  change 
on  the  bodies  of  the  living;  let  us  pro- 
ceed to  examine  with  what  bodies  the 
dead  Mall  rise,  and  with  what  bodies  the 
2  f2 


342 


TIIE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


living  will  be  caught  up  into  the  air  to 
meet  the  Lord. 

First  of  all,  then,  we  are  taught  that 
at  the  resurrection  there  will  be  a  modifi- 
cation in  the  bodies,  or  rather  in  the  attri- 
butes of  the  bodies  which  we  bear  with 
us  on  the  earth :  for,  as  all  flesh  is  not 
the  same  flesh,  but  there  is  one  kind  of 
flesh  of  men,  another  flesh  of  beasts,  ano- 
ther of  fishes,  and  another  of  birds ;  so 
also,  says  the  apostle,  is  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead.  As  the  nature  of  the  living 
body  of  one  class  of  created  beings  differs 
from  the  living  body  of  another  class  of 
created  beings,  so  also  does  our  present 
body  of  clay  differ  from  that  with  which 
we  shall  be  clothed  when  brought  forth 
from  the  grave  to  an  eternal  existence. 
The  nature  of  this  change  in  general  the 
apostle  thus  describes  : — "  The  Saviour, 
when  he  shall  appear,  will  not  only  call 
up  our  vile  bodies  from  the  grave,  but  so 
change  them  that  they  shall  be  no  longer 
vile,  but  become  like  unto  his  own  glo- 
rious body,  according  to  the  mighty  work- 
ing whereby  he  is  able  to  subdue  all 
things  to  himself."  Nor  is  the  apostle 
content  with  this  single  and  general  inti- 
mation on  the  subject;  he  has  pursued  it 
into  a  variety  of  the  most  interesting  par- 
ticulars ;  he  has  given  us  every  degree 
of  information  which  it  is  necessary  to 
possess. 

Our  body,  when  it  dies,  he  tells  us,  in 
the  first  place,  "  is  sown  in  corruption  :" 
it  is  the  heir  of  death,  the  daughter  of  the 
earth,  and  the  sister  of  the  world  ;  a  ves- 
sel of  clay,  with  the  principle  of  dissolu- 
tion bound  up  in  its  very  essence,  and 
the  sentence  of  mortality  written  on  its 
brow.  It  is  to  be  raised  in  incorruption, 
without  the  possibility  of  being  either 
crushed  by  violence,  or  worn  away  by 
suffering,  with  the  germ  of  life  planted 
in  its  centre,  and  springing  up  into  a  con- 
tinual renewal  of  its  vital  powers,  free 
from  the  decay  of  death,  unchanging  and 
unchangeable. 

Our  body  will,  it  is  added,  be  sown  "  in 
dishonour."  It  is  a  body  which  hath  its 
shameful  and  less  honourable  parts,  as 
well  as  its  more  noble  and  dignified  mem- 
bers. It  is  subject  to  deformities  which 
make  it  hideous — to  losses  and  defects 


which  make  it  useless — and  it  fs  a  state 
of  wounds  and  bruises,  and  putrifying 
sores.  In  its  most  beautiful  state  the 
body  has  some  uncomeliness,  and  its  best 
honours  fade  and  depart  with  youth,  and 
turn  into  the  wrinkles  of  wretchedness 
and  age.  But  it  will  be  raised  in  glory — 
the  glory  of  unblemished  righteousness, 
and  the  unspotted  loveliness  of  a  perpe- 
tual spring;  and  also  in  the  ethereal  and 
eternal  charm  of  an  angelic  purity.  It 
will  be  without  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any 
such  thing,  a  delight  to  every  eye  that 
looks  upon  it;  walking  like  our  first 
parents  in  the  paradise  of  God,  naked, 
but  not  ashamed  ;  without  one  dishonour- 
able member,  without  one  dishonourable 
infirmity. 

Our  body,  when  it  dies,  is  sown  as  it 
had  lived,  in  weakness,  in  utter  inability 
to  labour  without  weariness  in  any  work, 
however  good  or  great.  The  body  is  in 
its  power  unable  to  fulfil  the  grand  and 
lofty  desires  of  the  understanding;  weak 
it  is  to  obey  the  holier  aspirations  of 
the  soul.  The  mind  museth  upon  many 
things  in  its  activity  and  strength — the 
body  weigheth  down  in  its  musings. 
The  spirit  searcheth  even  the  deep  things 
of  God  ;  but  the  languid  incapacity  of 
the  sluggish  flesh  is  unable  to  sustain  the 
weight  of  its  desires.  The  mind  can  do 
many  things ;  but  the  weakness  of  the 
body  hindereth.  It  circumscribrs  my 
longings  after  wisdom — checks  me  in 
my  pursuits  after  truth.  I  would  go  and 
find  wisdom  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth — my  body  is  weak  in  motion.  I 
would  search  for  hidden  treasures  day 
and  night — my  body  is  weak  in  watch- 
ing. 1  would  penetrate  the  deepest  mys- 
teries by  the  energy  of  unbroken  medita- 
tion— my  body  is  feeble,  and  its  feeble- 
ness must  be  renovated.  It  is  the  same 
also  in  my  pursuits  of  holiness.  Sup- 
pose the  mind  forms  the  image  of  a  great 
and  godly  enterprise  for  God's  glory  and 
man's  welfare ;  then  the  living  portion 
of  strength  fails,  and  the  heart  faints,  ere 
half  the  task  of  holiness  has  been  ac- 
complished. It  is  a  feeble  and  unready 
instrument  of  the  will,  ever  disappoint- 
ing our  best  wishes,  and  leaving  our  best 
ideas  unfulfilled.     But  it  Avill  not  ever 


THE  RESURRECTION  OF  THE  DEAD. 


343 


be  thus.  It  is  sown  in  weakness — it  will 
be  raised  in  power  :  its  capacities  of  ac- 
tivity and  endurance  of  motion  will  fly 
from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other  at  the 
bidding  of  our  good  intentions,  and  feel  no 
decay  of  strength,  never  be  weary  in  well- 
doing, and  never  sink  under  the  bur- 
den. 

Lastly,  says  St.  Paul,  the  body  that 
dies  is  "  sown  a  natural  body,"  the  source 
of  all  fleshly  natural  lusts,  and  the  seat 
of  all  earthly  natural  passions.  But  the 
body  of  the  natural  man  is  not  subject  to 
the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be ; 
for  the  flesh  of  the  natural  man  lusteth 
always  against  the  Spirit,  and  mindeth 
earthly  things.  But  it  will  be  raised  a 
spiritual  body — spiritual,  and  therefore 
holy  in  all  its  feelings,  desires,  and  wants : 
the  ever  living,  never  failing  instrument 
of  obedience  to  the  will  of  the  spirit. 

There  is  but  one  other  particular  to  be 
mentioned,  and  that  is,  that  though  the 
body  of  every  redeemed  Christian  will  at 
the   resurrection  be  risen  up,  the  glory 
will  not  be  equal  in  all.     The  stars  in  the 
firmament  on  high  shine  not  all  with  an 
equal  lustre,  or  with  an  equal  force:  the 
beams  of  some  are  faint  and  feeble — the 
glow  of  others  powerful  and  bright ;  yet 
the  shining  of  them   all,  however  pure 
and  powerful  in  the  darkness  of  night,  is 
lost  before  the  coming  splendour  of  the 
great  luminary  of  day.     When  the  sun 
rises   on   the  earth,  the  stars  get  them 
away  together,  and  their  beautiful  bright- 
ness is  perceived  no  more.      And   thus 
also  will  it  be,  as  we  are  taught  by  the 
apostle,   with   the  bodies  of  the   saints 
when  called  from  the  grave  to  walk  their 
everlasting  rounds  upon  the  face  of  God's 
heavenly  firmament.     Some  will  have  a 
higher  and  better  glory,  and  some  Avill 
have  an  humbler  bliss.     The  glory  of  the 
most  glorious  of  all  the  stars  will  dwin- 
dle, decay,  and  fall  disregarded  in  the 
presence  of  the  superior  excellency  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  the  sun  of  righteousness,  the 
ruler  of  the  heavens  and  everlasting  day. 
So  are  we  taught  by  the   apostle  Paul 
when  he  says,  "that as  there  is  one  glory 
of  the  sun,  and  another  glory  of  the  moon, 
and  another  glory  of  the  stars ;  and  as 
one  star  differeth  from  another  star  in 


glory — so  also  shall  be  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead." 

Blessed   be  the   Lord   Jesus,  that  he 
hath  inspired  the  apostle  to  make  known 
to  man  these  circumstances ;  for  had  we 
not  known  them,  had   we   been  left  to 
imagine  that  any  single   portion  of  the 
folly  and   infirmities  of  this   life  would 
have   clung   to   us    in    another   life,   we 
should  have  looked  on  the  one  doctrine 
of  the  gospel  with  dread  rather  than  joy. 
It  would  have  been  a  melancholy  pros- 
pect to  have  thought  that  in  eternity  we 
should  have  borne  about  with  us  a  body 
subject  in  the  slightest  degree  to  our  pre- 
sent wants   and   weariness.       Yet    that 
may,  perhaps,  be  a  portion  of  the  punish- 
ment  of  the  wicked  in  a  future  life.     And 
be  it  well  remembered  that  in  all  that 
Scripture  saith  concerning  the  changes 
of  the  resurrection,  it  speaks  only  of  the 
bodies  of  the  redeemed :  it  passes  over 
what  will  happen  to  those  who  will  then 
stand  at  the  left  hand  of  the  Lord  with  a 
carelessness,  a  sort  of  contemptuous  si- 
lence for  them.     Therefore  we  are  still 
left  to  apprehend  that  there  will  be  no 
ameliorating  change  wrought  upon  their 
bodies    by    the    resurrection,    save    the 
change  from  mortal  to  immortal.     They 
will  then,  if  that  be  the  case,  still  be  the 
victims  of  all  the  sufferings,  sorrows,  and 
wretchedness  of  this  earthly  state  ;  and 
they  will  carry  with  them,  as  their  ever- 
lasting curse,  an  incorruptible  corruption 
— a  weakness  too  strong  to  sink  into  dis- 
solution— perpetual  dishonour — lusts  that 
cannot  find  exercise — diseases  that  have 
no  hope  of  death.     This  will   be   their 
portion,  to  drink  for  ever  the  miseries  of 
earth  with  the  eternity  of  hell.     Sad  con- 
trast of  their  own  thorns  in  the  fiesh  and 
the  glorified  and  sanctified  bodies  of  the 
redeemed. 

Such  are  the  answers  that  Scripture 
enables  us  to  give  to  the  questions  of  the 
text ;  such  the  manner  and  order  in  which 
we  are  taught  the  dead  will  be  raised  ; 
such  the  bodies  with  which  we  may  ex- 
pect they  will  rise.  What,  then,  is  the 
lesson  of  profit  we  may  derive  from  this 
consideration  ■? 

The  first  is  that  of  a  warning  to  pre- 
pare for  this  awful  change.    If  there  will 


344 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


be  indeed  a  rising  again  both  of  the  just 
and  of  the  unjust — and  if  even  after  death 
the  body  as  well  as  the  soul  will  be  made 
to  inherit  the  reward  of  its  deeds,  how 
holy  should  we  become  in  all  manner  of 
conversation  and  godliness.  For  it  is  no 
half  measure  of  retribution  which  we 
shall  receive  ;  the  same  man  that  sinneth, 
the  same  being  in  flesh  and  spirit  shall 
be  in  eternal  misery  or  joy.  We  have 
here,  therefore,  a  rule  and  a  line  by  which 
to  calculate  the  amount  of  our  punish- 
ment or  our  recompense.  We  know  well 
■what  it  is  to  rejoice  in  the  days  of  our 
youth,  in  the  sunshine  of  the  heart,  and 
the  energy  of  the  bodily  powers.  We 
know  equally  well  what  it  is  in  sickness 
and  sorrow  to  endure,  though  it  be  but 
for  a  single  night,  the  anguish  of  a  wound- 
ed spirit  united  to  the  pains  of  a  diseased 
body.  We  have  only  to  extend  the  du- 
ration of  these  enjoyments  or  sufferings 
from  time  to  eternity  ;  and,  behold,  we 
have  before  us  a  picture  of  Christian 
retribution  such  as  will,  and  such  as  is 
most  of  all  adapted  to  work  upon  our 
minds  and  hearts ;  intelligible  in  its  na- 
ture, and  therefore  powerful  as  a  motive ; 
not  vague  nor  imaginative,  and  therefore 
neither  visionary  nor  curious. 

But  there  is  another  peculiar  class  of 
duties  to  which  this  doctrine  more  parti- 
cularly persuades ;  and  there  is  one  pe- 
culiar class  of  sins  from  which  it  more 
especially  guards  us  :  I  mean  the  sins 
and  duties  of  our  fleshly  members.  "  I 
beseech  you,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that 
ye  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice, 
holy,  acceptable  to  the  Lord."  So  speaks 
the  apostle,  alluding  more  particularly  to 
that  great  mercy  of  having  our  vile  body 
changed,  that  it  should  be  like  to  the 
glorious  body  of  Christ,  which  he  calls, 
especially,  the  redemption  of  the  body. 
There  is,  truly,  no  other  doctrine  which 
can  so  forcibly  exhort  to  the  mortification 
of  our  members  which  are  on  the  earth. 
And  you  find  St.  Paul  continually  using 
it :  "  Mortify  therefore  your  members" — 
he  has  just  been  speaking  of  our  being 
raised  from  the  dead — "  mortify  therefore 
your  rnembers  which  are  upon  the  earth  ; 
fornication,  uncleanness,  inordinate  affec- 
tion, evil  concupiscence,  idolatry" — and 


all  other  fleshly  lusts  of  the  eye,  the 
tongue,  and  the  body.  Why,  what  is  the 
hope  of  the  resurrection  Avhich  I  shall 
see  1  What  is  the  nature  of  the  change 
for  which  I  am  to  prepare  ]  It  is  that 
this  poor  pitiful  frame,  this  tabernacle  of 
clay  which  I  bear  about  with  me  here  on 
earth,  the  source  of  my  pains,  the  foun- 
tain of  my  sorrows,  the  seat  of  disease, 
and  the  heir  of  death — it  is  that  even  this 
wretched  frame  shall  spring  up  from  its 
dust,  thrown  aside  its  dishonour,  forget  its 
weakness,  be  purified  from  all  the  dregs 
of  its  earthly  corruption,  rise  from  the 
dead,  ascend  up  into  heaven  with  Christ, 
who  is  gone  before;  and  there  stand,  the 
fellow  of  angels,  before  the  throne  of  God. 
Glorious  hope  !  mysterious  exaltation  ! 

What  rev/ard,  then,  shall  I  give  to  the 
Lord  for  his  mighty  marvellous  loving- 
kindness  to  this  earthly  body  1  These 
eyes,  if  they  be  admitted  into  heaven, 
will  look  upon  the  holiness  of  the  Lamb 
— will  see  the  brightness  of  his  glory- 
marvel  at  the  majesty  of  his  Deity — and 
almost  be  blinded  in  the  excessive  glories 
of  the  heavenly  host.  Shall  I,  then,  fix 
these  eyes  upon  the  vain  and  unholy  ob- 
jects of-  the  earth  1  And  shall  I  fill  them 
with  intemperance,  cruelty,  lust,  and  so 
unfit  them  for  the  contemplation  of  the 
spiritual  splendour  of  God's  unblemished 
purity  1  These  ears — they  are  hereafter 
to  listen  to  the  harps  of  the  angels,  to 
hear  the  unceasing  songs  of  gratitude  of 
the  redeemed  ;  shall  I  turn  them  away, 
then,  from  this  their  holiest  and  most 
honourable  occupation,  and  bid  them 
drink  in  with  greedy  readiness  the  tempt- 
ing accents  of  the  charmer  who  would 
charm  me  from  the  ways  of  righteous- 
ness 1  Or  shall  I  let  them  unhallow  my 
soul  by  being  open  to  the  deceitfulness 
of  that  philosophy  which  would  take 
away  my  heart,  and  destroy  its  delicacy 
by  listening  to  the  voice  of  wit  and  jest- 
ing, and  licentious  thoughts  1  Shall  I 
take  the  members  which  are  predestined 
to  the  holy  office  of  serving  before  God's 
unblemished  throne,  and  make  them  the 
members  of  a  harlot,  the  instruments  of 
uncleanness,  and  the  slaves  of  vice  and 
licentiousness  ]  Shall  this  tongue  which 
is  hereafter  to  cry  out  with  all  the  saints. 


THE  RESURRECTION  OF  THE  DEAD. 


345 


"  Glory  and  blessing,  honour,  and  praise 
be  for  ever  and  ever  to  the  Lamb  that 
sitteth  on  the  throne" — shall  I  degrade 
ray  tongue  by  lying,  by  deceit,  by  licen- 
tious conversation  ]  Shall  that  which  is 
intended  for  a  blessing  in  heaven,  be  made 
on  earth  the  instrument  of  cursing?  Shall 
these  hands,  which  are  to  be  lifted  up  to 
God  in  his  holy  place,  be  taught  the 
ways  of  wickedness,  of  theft,  and  mur- 
der, and  cruelty,  and  revenge  on  earth  1 
Shall  these  organs  of  life,  which  are  to 
eat  and  drink  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
be  corrupted  with  gluttony  and  drunken- 
ness 1  Shall  any  one  part  of  that  body 
which  shall  hereafter  converse  with  an- 
gels, which  hath  been  honoured  with  the 
indwelling  of  the  Divinity^which  now 
rules  in  heaven — shall  that  body  be  con- 
verted into  a  temple  of  God's  worst 
enemy,  and  of  man's  worst  enemy,  and 
the  worst  enemy  of  all  that  is  happy  and 
good — the  prince  of  darkness,  the  author 
of  misery,  and  of  all  that  is  miserable, 
and  vile,  and  guilty,  and  to  be  despised  1 
God  forbid.  The  body  is  to  be  the 
Lord's;  and,  as  the  body  is  to  be  the 
Lord's,  let  it  glorify  the  Lord.  Let  me 
be  doing  while  I  can,  and  as  long  as  I 
can.  Fasting  is  hard  ;  yet,  if  meat  offend 
my  God,  I  will  eat  no  meat  as  long  as  I 
live.  If  he  require  chastity,  I  will  give 
it.  If  he  ask  temperance,  I  will  check 
my  appetites  :  if  purity,  why  I  will  even 
close  my  eyes,  lest  they  should  look  on 
the  cause  of  temptation.  In  all  things, 
since  God  has  given  us  such  a  glorious 
hope,  I  will  endeavour  to  sanctify  myself, 
through  grace,  for  the  great  end  of  my 
calling,  the  entire  devotedness  both  of 
my  body  and  soul,  that  both  my  body 
and  soul  may  be  fitted  to  stand  up  in  his 
holy  presence,  being  justified,  washed, 
and  glorified  by  the  blood  of  my  Saviour, 
Jesus  Christ. 


CHRISTIAN   MISSIONARY. 

A  MISSIONARY  arises  amongst  his  fel- 
lows almost  like  the  denizen  of  another 
sphere  :  home,  and  country,  and  kindred, 

Vol.  I.— 44 


all  are  comj)aratively  forgotten.  He 
hath  heard  tidings  of  distant  provinces 
over  which  superstition  rolls  her  chariot 
wheels,  red  with  the  blood  of  human 
sacrifice — he  hath  listened  to  the  recital 
which  speaks  of  tribes  and  multitudes 
passing  into  eternity,  darkly  and  cheer- 
lessly as  the  beasts  that  perish — he  hath 
spread  before  him  the  map  of  the  world, 
and  he  hath  dissected  it  into  moral  parti- 
tions, and  he  hath  wondered  and  he  hath 
wept,  when  taught  that  Christ,  who  died 
for  the  sins  of  the  dwellers  in  every  land, 
is  known  and  believed  on  only  in  scanty 
and  scattered  districts,  and  all  this  hath 
agitated  and  convulsed  his  spirit — all  this 
hath  conspired  to  annihilate  the  ties  of 
former  citizenship,  to  link  him  in  brother- 
hood with  the  benighted  and  degraded  of 
his  race — and  he  snatches  up  a  banner, 
and  emblazoning  thereon  simply  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  leaps  upon  the  waters, 
and  hastens  to  erect  the  standard  amid 
polar  snows  or  arid  sands,  in  the  valleys 
and  on  the  mountains  of  secluded  and 
scarce  accessible  domains. 

Jin  unregeneraie  minister  ! — there  may 
be  such  a  thing.  An  unregenerate  mis- 
sionary !  I  dare  not,  (knowing  that  the 
heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and 
desperately  wicked,)  I  dare  not  say  there 
cannot  be  such  a  thing ;  but  certainly  it 
would  be  in  no  slight  degree  difficult  to 
determine  the  motives  which  actuate  an 
unregenerate  missionary — to  developethe 
secret  springs  of  a  conduct  so  opposed  to 
all  the  dictates  and  desires  of  a  carnal 
spirit — and  if  it  be  a  positive  case  that  a 
man,  not  converted  himself,  should  en- 
gage, by  the  surrender  of  whatsoever  is 
dearest  to  the  natural  heart,  in  the  work 
of  converting  others,  we  have  a  new  case 
to  add  to  the  catalogue  of  anomalies  and 
phenomena  whose  solution  must  be  left 
amid  the  hopeless  desiderata  of  moral 
science.  I  can  suppose  no  other  princi- 
ple actuating  a  missionary,  save  zeal  for 
the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  he 
is  not  a  missionary  unless  this  principle 
arouse  him  and  nerve  him. — Melville. 


SERMON  XXXVIII. 

THE    GLORY    OF   THE    LATTER   HOUSE. 
BY  THE  REV.  J.  GRANT. 


The  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  he  greater  than  of  the  former,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts  ;  and 
in  this  place  shall  I  give  peace,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." — Hag.  ii.  9. 


God  having  called  Moses  to  a  confer- 
ence with  him  on  Mount  Sinai,  imparted 
to  him  specific  and  minute  instructions 
for  the  building  of  a  tabernacle,  or  pavi- 
lion in  the  wilderness,  as   the  peculiar 
habitation  of  the  divine  glory.     By  this 
glory  is  here  meant  the  Schechinah,  or 
bright  cloud,   emblematic  of  his  imme- 
diate   presence    and    protection,    which 
hovered  over  the  Holy  of  holies.     When 
it  was  appointed  by  God  that  the  army, 
or  host  of  the  Israelites,  should  march 
from  one  station  in  the  wilderness  to  an- 
other, this   luminous    column   or   glory, 
slowly  rose  into  the  air,  and  moved  be- 
fore them  in  silent  and  mysterious  ma- 
jesty, till  it  arrived  at  the  stage  where 
the   camp  was  to  be   pitched,   when   it 
stooped  again  upon  the  mercy-seat,  and 
thus  gave  the  signal  to  halt.     When  the 
fiery   pillar    rose,   the  whole    multitude  ■ 
bearing   the   ark,  amidst  the   announce-  { 
ments   of  trumpets,  and  the  waving   of, 
emblematic  banners,  set  forward  singing 
and  shouting,  in  the  first  words  of  the  ; 
sixty-eighth    Psalm — "  Let   God    arise,  ! 
let  his  enemies  be  scattered :    let  them  j 
also  that  hate  him  flee  before  him."     And 
when   the    mist-robed    intellio'ence — the  ! 
divine  presence  stopped — the  army  obeyed: 
y.  the  notice,  and  welcomed  the  descending  , 
Jehovah,  as  they  deposited  their  burthens, 
with  the  words,  "•  Return,  0  God,  to  the  | 
many  thousands  of  Israel."     Hence  God 
is  said  to  be  the  leader  of  his  people : 
hence  in  the  promises  which  Isaiah  makes 
to  Israel,  if  they  will  turn  unto  God  with 
a  fast  of  sincerity  and  charity,  it  is  said, 
"Thy  righteousness  shall  go  before  thee, 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord" — the  divine 
346 


presence — "  shall  be  thy  rereward."  In- 
numerable passages  might  be  adduced, 
containing  the  same  allusion  to  the  trans- 
lacent  column,  the  internally  illuminated 
cloud,  the  glory,  the  presence  of  Jehovah. 
This  portable  tent  accompanied  the  peo- 
ple in  all  their  journeyings;  and  after 
their  arrival  in  the  promised  land,  it  was 
pitched  in  Shiloh,  a  city  situated  on  a 
hill,  in  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  and  the 
name  of  which  was  prophetic  and  typical. 
Here  it  remained  for  many  years,  till  in 
consequence  of  the  vileness  of  the  sons 
of  Eli,  the  ark  of  the  covenant  was  taken 
in  battle,  and  carried  into  the  cities  of  the 
Philistines.  As  this  ark  was  the  encase- 
ment of  the  gem,  the  chief  article  of  fur- 
niture in  the  moveable  temple,  being  that 
on  which  the  divine  presence  rested,  the 
disconsolate  widow  of  Phineas  gave  to 
her  posthumous  child  the  name  of  Icha- 
bod,  signifying,  that  "  the  glory,"  or 
divine  presence,  "  was  departed  from 
Israel."  On  the  restoration  of  the  ark, 
and  on  the  taking  of  Jebus,  David  erected 
a  tabernacle,  not  like  the  former,  made 
of  pillars  and  boards  of  acacia  wood,  set 
in  sockets  of  silver,  but  rather  resembling 
a  tent,  in  which  the  recovered  ark,  the 
pedestal  and  vehicle  of  the  "  glory,"  was 
deposited  on  Mount  Zion  ;  with  the  songs 
and  dances  of  religious  exultation.  A 
procession  typically  representing  the  as- 
cent of  the  Messiah,  the  King  of  glory, 
into  heaven,  after  the  conquest  over  his 
spiritual  enemies. 

Having  thus  introduced  the  subject,  I 
shall  now  in  the  First  place,  consider  and 
compare  the  two  permanent  buildings 

WHICH  SUCCEEDED.      And 


THE  GLORY  OF  THE  LATTER  HOUSE. 


347 


Secondly,  The  prophecy  relative  to 

THE  LATTER. 

Uavid,  in  his  zeal  for  the  honour  of 
God,  was  grieved,  that  he  himself  was 
accommodated  in  a  palace  of  cedar,  while 
the  divine  presence  dwelt  within  curtains  ; 
and  he  accordingly  made  preparations 
for  a  magnificent  and  durable  temple. 
God,  however,  would  not  permit  him,  a 
man  of  war  and  of  bloodshed,  to  accom- 
plish the  undertaking  in  person,  but  it 
was  completed  with  his  costly  materials 
in  the  subsequent  reign  of  his  son,  Solo- 
mon, the  peaceful  and  the  magnificent. 
By  the  building  of  this  stately  edifice, 
consisting  of  stones  hewn  from  the  quar- 
ries, and  cedar  from  the  forests  of  Leba- 
non, 

"  For  here  fair  science  nursed  her  infant  fire, 
Fann'd  by  the  artist  aid  of  friendly  Tyre ; 
Then  tower'd  the  palace,  then  in  awful  state 
The  temple  rear'd  its  everlasting  gate ; 
No  workman's  steel,  no  ponderous  axes  rung, 
Like    some  tall    palm    the   noiseless  fabric 

sprung — 
Majestic  silence !" 

By  the  building  of  this  permanent 
structure,  I  say,  an  important  promise 
was  faithfully  and  fully  performed.  It 
was  then  that  the  Israelites  were  con- 
firmed in  the  rest  which  they  enjoyed 
after  all  their  toils  and  journeyings  ;  and 
a  type  was  thereby  afforded  of  the  Sab- 
bath and  repose  of  heaven,  to  be  enjoyed 
by  the  soul  after  its  tabernacle,  the  bodily 
frame,  shall  have  finished  its  wanderings 
through  the  dreary  wilderness  of  life. 
"  For  we  know,"  says  the  apostle  Paul 
to  the  Corinthians,  "that  if  our  earthly 
house  of  this  tabernacle,"  that  is,  our 
body,  a  perishable  tabernacle  of  the  im- 
mortal spirit;  if  this,  I  say,  were  dis- 
solved by  death,  "  we  have  a  building  of 
God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eter- 
nal in  the  heavens  ;"  that  is,  our  souls 
shall  be  clothed  with  an  incorruptible 
and  permanent  body,  fashioned  after  the 
likeness  of  Christ's  glorious  body. 

When  Solomon  dedicated  unto  God 
this  gorgeous  edifice,  rich  with  gold,  sil- 
ver, brass,  precious  stones,  and  olive 
wood  ;  when  he  had  finished  all  its  courts, 
and  porticoes,  and  altar,  and  molten  sea, 
when  he  had  assembled  many  priests  to 


celebrate  the  holy  ceremony  with  vocal 
and  instrumental  music ; 

"  When  the  harp  awoke. 
The  cymbal  clang'd,  the  deep-tongued  trum> 
pet  spoke." 

When  he  had  offered  a  sublime  prayer, 
and  immolated  a  prodigious  number  of 
victims. 

"  Then  Salem  spread  her  suppliant  arras  abroad, 
View'd  the  descending  flame  and  bless'd  the 
present  God." 

The  personal  Jehovah  descended  his 
radiant  cloud,  which  filled  all  the  house, 
as  an  emblem  of  his  taking  possession  of 
it;  and  he  likewise  appeared  in  a  vision 
of  the  night  to  Solomon,  whom  he  assured 
that  he  had  chosen  that  place  for  a  house 
of  sacrifice,  and  a  home  where  his  honour 
— his  glory,  should  dwell.  Accordingly 
St.  Paul,  in  speaking  of  the  Israelites, 
distinguishes  them  to  those  "  to  whom 
pertaineth  the  adoption,  and  the  glory, 
and  the  covenants,  and  the  giving  of  the 
law,  and  the  service  of  God,  and  the  pro- 
mises." And  in  his  epistle  to  the 
Hebrews,  he  describes  the  first  or  legal 
covenant,  as  having  a  tabernacle,  and 
candlestick,  and  table,  and  show-bread 
in  the  sanctuary,  or  holy  place  ;  and  with- 
in the  second  veil,  the  holiest  of  all,  hav- 
ing the  ark  of  the  covenant,  and  over  it, 
the  cherubim  of  "  glory"  covering  the 
mercy-seat.  This  edifice  was  erected 
nearly  five  hundred  years  after  the  first 
pitching  of  the  tabernacle  in  the  wilder- 
ness. It  subsisted  upwards  of  four 
hundred  years,  when  it  was  utterly  de- 
molished by  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of 
Babylon,  who  carried  the  .Tews  into  his 
own  country  ;  and  where  they  remained 
in  captivity  during  seventy  years,  fifty- 
eight  years  only  from  the  destruction  of 
the  temple.  At  the  end  of  that  period, 
Cyrus,  king  of  Persia,  who  had  recently 
made  himself  master  of  Babylon,  permit- 
ted the  Jew-s  to  return  to  their  own  coun- 
try, (agreeably  to  the  prophecy  which  had 
announced  him  by  name,)  and  restored  to 
them  the  sacred  vessels  and  utensils  of 
divine  service,  which  Nebuchadnezzar 
had  carried  away  as  spoils.  In  the 
second  year,  subsequent  to  the  return  of 
the  first  great  detachment  of  Jews  into 


348 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


Judea,  they  began  to  clear  away  the  ruins 
of  Mount  Moriah,  and  to  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  a  new  temple,  which  the  Scrip- 
tures call  '•  the  latter  house."  The  young 
men  on  this  occasion  rejoiced  at  the  idea 
of  worshipping,  in  a  fane  of  their  own, 
the  God  of  their  fathers,  whose  praises 
they  had  heard  in  their  captivity,  but 
whose  grandeur  they  never  witnessed. 
But  the  old  men,  who  fifty-eight  years 
before,  remembered  the  temple  of  Solo- 
mon standing  in  its  venerable  magnifi- 
cence, like  an  ancient  oak,  whose  trunk 
is  enveloped  with  moss,  and  who  foresaw 
that  poor  captives  had  neither  funds  nor 
materials  in  evil  days,  and  after  a  long 
period  of  misfortune,  to  build  a  structure 
that  would  at  all  vie  with  the  splendour 
and  extent  of  Solomon's  architecture  and 
decorations,  instead  of  rejoicing,  wept 
aloud  ;  so  that,  as  we  learn  in  the  book 
of  Ezra,  the  people  could  not  discern  the 
noise  of  the  shout  of  joy,  from  the  noise 
of  the  weeping  uttered  by  the  ancient 
priests  and  Levites,  and  chiefs  of  the 
fathers  of  Israel.  To  cheer  on  the  eman- 
cipated captives  to  the  work,  in  this  state 
of  mingled  exultation  and  despondence, 
God  sent  the  word  of  a  glorious  prophec)'. 
"  Who  is  left  among  you,"  exclaimed  the 
venerable  Haggai,  "  that  saw  this  house 
in  her  first  glory  ]  how  do  ye  see  it  now  1 
is  it  not  in  your  eyes  in  comparison  of  it 
as  nothing  1  yet  now  be  strong,  O  Zerub- 
babel,  saith  the  Lord  ;  and  be  strong,  O 
Joshua,  son  of  Josedeck,  the  high-priest; 
and  be  strong  all  ye  people  of  the  land, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  work  ;  for  I  am  with 
you."  "The  glory  of  this  latter  house 
shall  be  greater  than  of  the  former,"  and 
I  will  fill  this  house  with  glory,  "  and  in 
this  place  will  I  give  peace,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts." 

Now  what  were   the  circumstances 

WHICH  FULFILLED  THIS  PREDICTION.       Let 

this  be  our  second  point  of  consideration. 
Disputes  have  arisen  among  divines, 
whether,  the  temple  built  by  Herod  the 
great,  about  forty  years  before  the  birth 
of  Christ,  was  an  entirely  new  erection; 
or  a  restoration  of  the  temple  of  Zerubba- 
*  bel,  retaining  the  foundations  of  that  edi- 
fice, and  even  a  porch  which  yet  remained 
of  the  former  temple  of  Solomon.    The 


sly  antagonists  of  Christianity,  assailing 
it  under  the  mask  of  liberal  friendship 
and  rational  support,  have  contended  for 
the  entire  re-construction  of  the  temple 
of  Herod ;  thinking  that  they  might  there- 
by obtain  a  sidelong  hit  at  the  veracity 
of  prophecy,  which,  as  we  shall  imme- 
diately see,  declared  that  the  Messiah 
should  come  to  that  second  temple  of 
Zerubbabel.  But  in  this  attempt  they 
have  entirely  failed,  it  being  clearly 
proved  by  their  opponents  that  Herod 
reared  his  temple  on  the  yet  standing 
foundations  of  the  temple  of  Zerubbabel, 
though  crumbling  in  the  decay  of  nearly 
six  hundred  years.  But  were  it  other- 
wise we  cannot  suppose,  that  so  grand  a 
prediction  as  that  announcing  a  glory  of 
the  latter  house  which  should  be  greater 
than  the  glory  of  the  former,  had  no  fur- 
ther reference  than  merely  to  the  superior 
architecture  of  Herod's  temple,  though  it 
had  pinnacles  glittering  like  stars,  and 
massive  marble  stones,  and  a  vine  of  gold 
and  jewels,  and  a  sculptured  porch,  de- 
scribed by  Josephus,  as  when  touched  by 
the  sun,  resembling  a  hill  of  snow.  Its 
superior  glory,  notwithstanding  these 
splendours,  must  have  rested  on  some- 
thing spiritual. 

Now,  in  certain  spiritual  respects,  the 
mere  splendour  of  the  second  temple  was, 
so  far  from  being  greater,  very  much  in- 
ferior to  that  of  the  temple  of  Solomon. 
We  have  it  upon  the  authority  of  Jewish 
tradition,  that  the  second  temple  when 
finished  was  deficient  in  five  particulars, 
which  had  all  conspicuously  added  to  the 
grandeur  of  the  first.  One  of  these  was 
the  original  ark  of  the  covenant  and  the 
mercy-seat,  with  the  two  tables  of  the 
law,  and  the  pot  of  manna,  and  Aaron's 
rod  that  budded,  and  which  had  all  been 
conveyed  into  Solomon's  temple  from  the 
primitive  tabernacle  of  the  wilderness, 
and  were  the  most  sacred  of  Jewish  anti- 
quities. These  were  lost  in  Babylon, 
and  never  restored.  It  is  usually  sup- 
posed, indeed,  that  an  ark  or  chest  was 
made  for  the  temple  of  Zerubbabel  after 
the  fashion  of  the  first  ark  of  the  cove 
nant,  and  that  Ezra's  corrected  copy  of 
the  Pentateuch  was  therein  deposited  :  a 
circumstance  rendered  probable  by  what 


THE  GLORY  OF  THE  LATTER  HOUSE. 


349 


we  see  in  modern  synagogues  which  have 
all  a  little  coffer,  wherein  some  valuable 
manuscript  of  the  law  is  laid  up.  But 
whether  the  cherubim,  whose  wings 
formed  the  mercy-seat,  were  absent  from 
the  second  temple  or  not,  that  which 
brooded  therein — the  Schcchinah,  the 
emblem  and  envelopment  of  the  present 
Jehovah,  was  certainly  nowhere  to  be 
found.  Again,  the  urim  and  the  thum- 
mim,  the  twelve  gems  on  the  high-priest's 
breastplate,  which  in  some  way  gave  out 
oracular  responses,  was  either  no  longer 
in  the  second  temple,  or  no  longer  pos- 
sessed its  oracular  virtues. 

A  fourth  particular  in  which  the  second 
temple  yielded  in  glory  to  the  first,  was 
that  of  the  fire  on  the  altar,  which  had 
come  down  from  heaven  to  consume  the 
first  sacrifices  both  of  Moses  and  Solo- 
mon, and  was  preserved  without  being 
ever  extinguished  even  down  to  the  pe- 
riod of  the  burning  of  the  temple  of 
Nebuchadnezzar. 

And  the  last  point  of  inferiority  con- 
sisted in  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  which, 
though  it  remained  in  the  three  prophets, 
Haggai,  Zachariah,  and  Malachi,  while 
the  second  temple  was  building,  yet  for 
ever  afterwards  ceased  during  five  hun- 
dred years,  until  Anna,  Zacharias,  and 
John  the  Baptist,  announced,  like  morn- 
ing stars  melting  into  a  dawn,  the  actual 
arrival  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness. 

What  circumstances,  then,  we  return 
to  ask,  verified  the  prophecy  of  Haggai — 
that  the  glory  of  the  latter  house  should 
be  greater  than  that  of  the  former,  seeing 
that  it  was  comparatively  so  mean  a  build- 
ing, and  inferior  in  these  five  important 
respects.  Let  Haggai  himself  reply — 
"  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts  ;  yet 
once,  it  is  a  little  while,  and  I  will  shake 
the  heavens,  and  the  earth,  and  the  sea, 
and  the  dry  land ;  and  I  will  shake  all 
nations,  and  the  desire  of  all  nations" — 
He  who  should  be  desired  and  expected 
by  all  nations,  both  Jews  and  Gentiles — 
"  shall  come  ;  and  I  will  fill  this  house 
with  glory,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 
Let  Zachariah  reply — "  The  man  whose 
name  is  the  Branch  (the  branch  out  of  the 
root  of  Jesse)  shall  bear  the  gh>ri/  ,-  and 
shall  sit  and  rule  upon  his  throne  ;  and  the 


Messiah,  the  King  of  Zion,  meek  and 
bringing  salvation,  cometh,  riding  upon 
a  colt,  the  foal  of  an  ass ;  and  there  shall 
be  a  fountain  opened  in  Jerusalem  for 
sins,  and  for  uncleanness — and  the  shep- 
herd shall  be  smitten,  and  the  sheep  shall 
be  scattered ;  and  they  shall  look  on  him 
whom  they  pierced ;  and  he  shall  be  sold 
for  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  and  given  to 
the  potter."  Let  Malachi  reply,  "  Be- 
hold I  will  send  my  messenger,  and  ht- 
shall  prepare  the  way  before  me  :  and  tht 
Lord  whom  ye  seek  shall  suddenly  comt 
to  his  temple,  even  the  messenger  of  the 
covenant,  whom  ye  delight  in  ;  behold 
he  shall  come,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.' 
In  fact,  four  years  after  the  superstructure 
of  Herod  was  fully  built  upon  the  foun- 
dations of  the  temple  of  Zerubbabel,  the 
infant  Jesus  was  introduced  into  that 
temple ;  and  again,  in  his  twelfth  year, 
when  he  reasoned  with  the  doctors;  and 
afterwards  twice,  when  he  expelled  the 
buyers  and  sellers  from  his  Father's 
house  as  desecrating  that  house  of 
prayer. 

It  is  clear,  then,  that  the  presence  of 
Christ  is  the  grand  circumstance  which 
verified  the  prediction  of  Haggai — that 
the  glory  of  the  latter  house  should  be 
greater  than  the  glory  of  the  former.  )l^ 

Another  point  in  which  the  glory  of  the 
latter  house  was  greater  than  the  glory 
of  the  former  was  the  court  of  the  Gen- 
tiles. The  temple  of  Solomon  had  only 
two  courts — that  of  the  priests  and  that 
of  the  Israelites.  The  Gentiles  were 
considered  as  profane,  and  unless  con- 
verted, as  wholly  adopting  the  Jewish 
religion,  disregarded  and  despised.  It  is 
not  precisely  known  at  what  time  after 
the  captivity  the  court  of  the  Gentiles 
was  enclosed  :  but,  when  built,  probably 
after  the  translation  of  the  Septuagint, 
two  hundred  and  ninety  years  before 
Christ  (which  with  the  dispersion  of  the 
Jews  spread  abroad  an  acquaintance  with 
the  sublimities  of  the  tiue  religion)  this 
outer  court  admitted  all  men  to  a  certain 
consideration  among  the  chosen  people. 
The  publican,  the  Ethiopian  eunuch, 
Cornelius,  and  others,  were  what  is  called 
proselytes  of  the  gate ;  admitted  within 
the  golden  gate  of  Susa,  and  worshipping 
3G 


S50 


THE  BRITISH  PULPlT. 


the  one  God  in  the  court  of  the  Gentiles 
at  Jerusalem.  This  was  a  step  towards 
the  further  admission  of  the  nations  into 
the  entire  covenant  of  peace,  through  the 
blood  of  him  who  entered  within  the 
great  or  inner  veil,  threw  down  the  chel, 
the  middle  wall  of  partition  between  the 
first  and  second  courts,  beyond  which  it 
had  formerly  been  death  for  the  Gentiles 
to  pass,  and  brought  them  near  which 
were  before  time  afar  off,  and  made  both 
one.  This  was  also  foretold  by  the  pro- 
phets, both  before  and  after  the  captivity, 
and  recognised  by  the  aged  Simeon.  "  I 
will  give  thee,"  saith  Isaiah,  "  for  a  light 
to  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my 
salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth," 
"And  from  the  rising  of  the  sun,"  said 
IMalachi,  "to  the  going  down  of  the 
same",  "my" — that  is,  Christ's  name 
"  shall  be  great  among  the  Gentiles." 
And  Christ  came,  as  a  light  to  lighten 
the  Gentiles,  not  less  than  as  a  glory  unto 
the  people  of  Israel. 

Now  as  this  admission  of  the  Gentiles 
into  the  privileges  of  the  new  covenant, 
tended  to  liberalize  the  minds  of  the  Jews, 
so  on  a  more  contracted  scale,  ought  it 
not  less  to  teach  the  different  persuasions 
of  Christians  to  regard  each  other  with 
due  toleration  and  indulgence;  and  mak- 
ing a  prudent  reservation  of  their  own 
views  and  principles,  to  unite  in  senti- 
ments and  deeds  of  charity. 

Thus  we  see  that  it  was  altogether  in 
a  spiritual  sense,  that  the  glory  of  the 
latter  house  was  greater  than  the  glory 
of  the  former. 

Jerusalem,  the  sacred  city,  is  once 
more  ruined,  the  temple  has  been  again 
buried.  It  was  rased  to  the  ground,  and 
even  salt  was  sown  where  the  plough 
had  been  dragged  over  the  site  of  its 
foundations.  One  stone  has  not  been 
left  upon  another — even  as  our  Saviour 
predicted.  The  arch  of  Titus  at  Rome 
bears  memorials  of  its  plundered  trea- 
sures— its  seven-branched  and  golden 
candelabrum,  its  sacred  ark,  its  silver 
trumpets,  which  were  all  deposited  in 
the  heathen  temple  of  peace,  and  ulti- 
mately lost  in  the  destruction  of  the  west- 
ern empire. 

Yet  there  are  still  two  senses  in  which 


we  may,  with  strict  propriety,  apply  the 
moral  of  this  whole  dissertation  to  our 
own  minds.  We  have  now,  after  a  con- 
siderable interruption,  returned  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  to  offer  our  united 
prayers  and  praises  in  a  temple,  never 
aspiring,  but  alwa}'s  decent ;  not  osten- 
tatiously splendid,  but  not  grudgingly 
mean  ;  and  at  this  time  restored  from  its 
decay,  and  beautified  in  the  glory  of  its 
simplicity.  We  are  not  assembled,  how- 
ever, to  admire  it,  or  to  boast  of  it  out- 
wardly ;  but  we  are  to  remember  that 
protestantism,  though  duly  regardful  of 
decent  externals  and  modest  decorations— ■ 
though  mindful  that  man  is  a  being  whose 
senses  are  the  windows  of  his  soul,  has 
lopped  off  the  gaudy  trappings  of  popish 
superstition.  We  are  to  remember  thai 
Christianity  is  not  like  Judaism,  a  reli- 
gion of  pomp  and  ceremony,  and  multi- 
plied festivals ;  not  like  paganism,  a 
religion  wherein  the  fine  arts,  and  the 
powers  of  genius,  the  chisel  of  the  sculp- 
tor, the  ode  of  the  poet,  the  combinations 
of  instrumental  music,  the  trillings  of 
various  voices,  the  stated  procession,  the 
scattered  flowers,  the  blaze  of  many 
lights,  or  the  costly  frankincense  of  Ara- 
bia, are  directed  to  excite  the  fancy  and 
the  passions  to  a  pitch,  which  lulls  the 
conscience,  and  draws  away  attention 
from  the  conduct;  but  a  religion  of  chaste 
design,  and  like  the  yet  uncorrupted  mo- 
ther of  mankind — 

"  When  unadorn'd,  adorn'd  the  most." 

A  religion  of  the  mind  and  of  the  heart — 
a  religion  of  convinced  reason,  and  con- 
fiding faith  and  sober  feelings — a  religion 
of  simplicity  and  sincerity — a  religion 
which  teaches  that  God  is  a  Spirit,  and 
that  they  who  worship  Him  are  to  wor- 
ship Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  In  this 
view,  then,  the  grand  point  to  be  ac- 
knowledged by  us  is  this  :  that  however 
humble  the  edifice — here  God  dwelleth, 
that  the  light  of  his  countenance  is  espe- 
cially in  ibis  place.  The  grand  duty  to 
be  attended  to,  and  object  to  be  devoutly 
wished  is,  that  in  this  temple  God  may, 
week  after  week,  be  more  fervently  and 
frequently  worshipped,  that  Christ  may 
be  more  and  more  in  our  thoughts,  that 


THE  GLORY  OF  THE  LATTER  HOUSE. 


851 


we  may  draw  near  to  the  Father  in  his 
nouse  and  to  the  Son  at  his  altar;  and 
thus  by  a  new  nativity  or  presentation  of 
Jesus,  in  this  our  comely  building,  more 
than  by  any  outward  adornment,  may  the 
glory  of  this  second  house  be  greater  than 
that  of  the  former. 

This  leads  me  to  consider  the  second 
and  chief,  and  last  sense  in  which  the 
subject  may  be  applied  figuratively  to 
ourselves.  It  was  not  a  thing  unnatural 
among  the  Jews  to  consider  their  persons, 
the  bodily  frame  illumined  by  the  soul, 
under  the  figure  of  a  temple,  as  being, 
both  of  them,  the  residence  of  Jehovah. 

Yet  their  gross  understandings,  taking 
every  expression  literally,  accused  our 
Lord  as  a  blasphemer  against  their  holy 
place,  when,  predicting  his  own  death 
and  resurrection,  he  said  unto  them — 
"  Destroy  this  temple,  and  I  will  raise  it 
up  in  three  days.  Howbeit  he  spake  of 
the  temple  of  his  body."  This  figurative 
idea  is  more  fully  developed  by  St.  Paul, 
and  applied  to  the  disciples  of  Christ — 
"  Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple  of 
God,  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth 
in  you.  If  any  man  defile  the  temple  of 
God,  him  shall  God  destroy  ;  for  the  tem- 
ple of  God  is  holy,  which  temple  ye  are." 
And,  again,  "  What,  know  ye  not  that 
your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  is  in  you,  which  ye  have 
of  God,  and  ye  are  not  your  own  1  For 
ye  are  bought  with  a  price :  therefore 
glorify  God  in  your  body,  and  in  your 
spirit,  which  are  God's."  And,  once 
more,  "  And  what  agreement  hath  the 
temple  of  God  with  idols  1  for  ye  are  the 
temple  of  the  living  God  ;  as  God  hath 
said,  I  will  dwell  in  them  and  walk  in 
them;  and  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they 
shall  be  my  people."  This  temple  of 
the  human  heart,  as  it  stood  originally  in 
Eden,  was  built,  not  only  after  the  plan 
dictated  by  the  will  of  God,  but  by  God 
himself,  after  the  conception  of  his  own 
wisdom,  after  the  model  of  his  own  image. 
Fair  was  it  in  its  proportions,  and  goodly 
in  its  structure.  Every  column  (every 
principle)  was  strength ;  every  capital 
(every  disposition)  was  moral  beauty — 
every  ornament  (every  feeling  and  every 
thought  beincf  accordant  to  the  will  of 


God)  was  symmetry  and  grace.  Its 
purity  was  whiter  than  the  Parian  marble, 
and  its  elements  of  durability  surpassed 
the  cedar  wood  of  Lebanon.  In  all  that 
edifice  there  was  no  imperfection,  it  was 
the  finishing  and  climax,  and  master- 
work  of  creation.  The  mighty  Architect 
himself  approved  of  it,  and  saw  and  de- 
clared that  it  was  good.  He  then  ceased 
from  his  labour  of  six  days.  He  hal- 
lowed a  Sabbath,  that  that  temple  of  his 
own,  the  human  soul,  might  be  conse- 
crated. He  entered  into  it,  and  dwelt 
there,  and  filled  it  with  his  presence  and 
his  influence  ;  and  even  daily  descending 
from  on  high,  he  favoured  it  with  his 
communications  and  his  oracles. 

"  Blessed ! — thrice  blessed  days, 
But,  ah!  how  short, — 
Bless'd  as  the  pleasing  dreams  of  holy  men, 
But  fugitive  like  these,  and  quickly  gone." 

The  fiend,  the  author  of  evil,  crept  into 
this  holy  temple,  and  undermined  its 
strength,  and  tainted  its  beauty,  and 
spoiled  its  ornaments,  and  made  it  a  prey 
to  its  banded  enemies.  A  smiling  allure- 
ment, and  a  glowing  persuasion,  the  foe 
without  and  the  foe  within,  completed 
the  downfall  of  this  beautiful  building. 
Its  columns  became  frail,  the  worm  con- 
sumed its  cedar  beams,  the  mouldering 
walls  admitted  rain  at  every  fissure  ;  it 
was  condemned  to  destruction,  and  sin — 
sin  was  the  conquering  Nebuchadnezzar 
who  left  it  in  desolation  and  decay.  But 
an  edict  went  forth  for  a  restoration  of 
the  edifice.  The  rubbish  was  cleared 
away,  the  walls  arose,  the  beams  were 
braced,  the  pillars  were  strengthened,  a 
cement  was  applied  to  the  chinks,  which 
might  in  some  measure  keep  out  the  as- 
sailing elements  ;  and  such  adorning  was 
aflforded,  as  though  inferior  to  what  had 
been,  yet  left  some  traces  of  pristine 
beauty,  and  resemblances  of  original 
excellence. 

Here  too,  however,  under  all  these  dis- 
advantages, a  visitant  makes  his  appear- 
ance, who  renders  it  true,  as  of  the  second 
temple  at  Jerusalem,  that  "  the  glory  of 
this  latter  house  shall  be  greater  than  that 
of  the  former."  "  Lift  up  your  heads,  O 
ye  gate§,"  ye  valves  of  the  human  heart, 


352 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


"  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 
Who  is  the  King  of  glory  T  The  Lord, 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  he  is  the  King  of 
glory  "  The  same  divine  presence,  that 
veiled  in  a  golden  cloud,  filled  of  old  the 
temple  of  Solomon — the  same  which  in 
the  likeness  of  flesh  entered  the  temple 
of  Zerubbabel  and  of  Herod.  He,  vi^ho 
now  in  his  influences,  by  his  Spirit,  is 
with  his  disciples  always,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world. 

Receive  these  influences,  brethren,  in 
the  temple  of  your  souls.  Behold  he, 
the  Messiah,  stands  at  the  door  of  his 
living  temple,  the  heart  of  man,  and 
knocks.  He  might  force  his  way,  but 
he  does  not ;  he  treats  you  as  willing  be- 
ings— he  knocks.  Open  unto  him,  and 
though  in  even  the  humblest  mansions, 
in  the  breast  of  the  poorest  disciple,  with 
reference  to  outward  splendours,  he  will 
condescend  to  come  in  unto  you ;  and  the 
church,  the  spiritual  temple  of  the  living 
God,  and  each  integral  part  of  that  church, 
as  a  wing,  a  chamber,  one  of  the  many 
mansions  of  that  temple,  will  be  like  the 
spouse  of  the  King  of  glory,  all  glorious 
within.  Prepare  to  sanctify  the  Lord 
God  in  your  hearts,  let  the  Spirit  of  God 
dwell  in  you,  and  this  self-dedication, 
this  spiritual  worship,  will  be  a  far  better 
consecration,  than  wealth,  and  pride,  and 
pagan  magnificence,  could  furnish  forth 
with  the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills,  yea, 
with  rivers  of  wine  and  oil. 


INTERCOURSE  WITH  THE  PEOPLE. 

Methinks  I  would  willingly  exchange 
all  the  other  knowledge  I  have,  for  one 
glimpse  more  of  God  and  the  life  to  come. 
Now,  by  frequent  serious  conversation 
about  everlasting  things,  by  diligently 
instructing  and  catechising  your  people, 
you  will  gain  more  of  this  kind  of  know- 
ledge, than  can  be  gained  by  other  means ; 
and  thus  you  will  really  grow  wiser  than 
those  who  spend  their  time  in  any  other 
way.     As  theology  is  a  practical  science, 


the  knowledge  of  it  thrives  best  in  a  prac- 
tical course.  Laying  out  here  is  a  means 
of  gathering  in ;  an  hearty  endeavour  to 
do  good,  and  to  communicate,  is  one  ot 
the  greatest  helps  to  our  proficiency.  So 
that  by  this  means  you  are  likely  to  be- 
come more  able  pastors  of  the  church, 
than  private  studies  alone  can  make  you. 
Particularly  it  will  be  an  excellent  means 
to  help  you  in  preaching  ;  for  when  you 
are  well  acquainted  with  your  people's 
cases,  you  will  know  what  to  preach 
upon.  An  hour's  conversation  will  fur- 
nish you  with  as  much  matter  as  an  hour's 
study.  As  he  will  be  the  best  physician 
and  lawyer,  so  he  will  be  the  best  divine, 
who  adds  practice  and  experience  propor- 
tionable to  his  studies  ;  whereas  that  man 
will  prove  an  useless  drone,  who  refuses 
God's  service  all  his  life,  under  a  pre- 
tence of  preparing  for  it ;  and  let  men's 
souls  pass  on  to  perdition,  while  he  pre- 
tends to  be  studying  how  to  recover  them, 
or  getting  more  ability  to  help  and  save 
them. — Baxter. 


PERSONAL   PIETY. 


Let  not  my  sermons  be  the  children 
of  my  brain,  but  the  travail  of  my  soul, 
that  I  may  serve  my  God  with  my  spirit  in 
the  gospel  of  his  Son  ,•  and  as  a  true  vessel 
of  the  sanctuary,  have  within  me  a  savour 
of  that  water  of  life  which  I  pour  out  to 
others.  It  is  a  doleful  thing  to  fall  into 
hell  from  under  the  pulpit.  But,  oh ! 
how  dreadful  is  it  to  drop  thither  out  of  it ! 
Doth  not  my  heart  tremble  to  think,  that 
it  is  possible  for  me,  like  the  unbelieving 
spies,  to  coast  the  heavenly  Canaan,  to 
commend  it  to  others,  and  yet  never  to 
possess  it  myself!  that  whilst  I  preach 
to  others,  /  myself  may  be  a  cast-away  ! 
Lord,  let  me  exalt  thee  in  my  heart,  as 
my  chiefest  good ;  in  my  life,  as  mine 
utmost  end  ;  and  preach  so  eflfectually  to 
my  own  soul,  and  to  others,  that  I  may 
both  save  myself,  and  them  that  hear  me. — 
Swinnoch. 


SERMON  XXXIX. 

THE    CHRISTIAN'S    DUTY. 
BY  THE  REV.  JOSEPH   E.  BEAUMONT. 


■  Seek  those  thins;s  that  are  above." — Col.  iii.  1. 


While  irrational  creatures,  by  the  con- 
stitution of  their  nature,  are  concerned 
only  for  the  present  moment,  it  is  incum- 
bent on  man  to  consider  his  relationship 
to  a  future  world,  and  to  prepare  for  and 
anticipate  its  enjoyments,  as  being  those 
only  which  are  adapted  to  his  wide-rang- 
ing capacity  and  interminable  existence. 

The  reality  of  a  future  and  superior 
state  has  been  clearly  revealed  to  us — not 
to  supply  matter  and  occasion  of  curious 
and  idle  speculation — but  to  influence  our 
conduct  and  affections,  our  life  and  con- 
versation ;  to  throw  a  sacred  and  immor- 
tal radiance  over  this  present  scene  of  our 
being,  through  which  men  too  generally 
pass  without  thought,  and  from  which 
they  retire  without  hope. 

It  is  recorded  of  Socrates,  that  he 
brought  men  down  from  heaven  to  earth ; 
that  is,  he  drew  the  attention  of  men  from 
the  stud^  and  contemplation  of  the  hea- 
venly bodies,  to  the  consideration  of  the 
nature  and  end  of  man,  the  duties  and  re- 
lations of  men  in  this  life.  Socrates, 
therefore,  was  said  to  have  brought  down 
philosophy  from  heaven  to  earth.  But  of 
Jesus  Christ  it  may  be  said,  that  he 
brings  us  from  earth  to  heaven ;  he  teaches 
us  a  divine  philosophy ;  raises  man  from 
things  seen,  and  temporal,  and  earthly,  to 
things  spiritual,  heavenly,  and  eternal. 
He  hath  entered  the  heavenly  places,  and 
we  are  invited  and  entreated  to  follow. 
There  is  no  subject  to  which  the  Scrip- 
tures more  frequently  solicit  our  attention 
than  this.     They  constantly  stamp  this 

Vgb.  L— 45 


life  with  importance,  by  calling  us  to  con- 
sider its  relationship  to  that  state  of  rest 
and  blessedness  in  heaven,  which  is  the 
ultimate  design  of  the  Almighty  concern- 
ing his  rational  offspring;  a  state  in 
which  the  human  mind  will  be  carried  to 
the  highest  pitch  of  improvement,  and  in 
which  all  the  might  of  the  human  facul- 
ties, thus  improved,  will  find  appropriate 
and  delightful  exercise.  How  fitted  is 
the  revelation  of  such  a  state  to  awaken 
the  attention  and  enkindle  the  desire  of 
every  living  thing  that  is  heir  to  immor- 
tality !  And  how  effectually  were  the 
first  Christians  encouraged  by  it,  to  en- 
dure all  that  trial  of  cruel  mocking  and 
scourging,  bonds  and  imprisonment,  tor- 
tures and  death,  to  which  they  were  call- 
ed for  righteousness'  sake !  And  what 
will  so  detach  our  hearts  from  the  low  and 
sordid  vanities  of  earth  ;  what  will  so 
guard  us  from  its  intoxicating  and  pollut- 
ing pleasures ;  what  will  so  sustain  and 
exhilarate  us,  amidst  its  keen  and  varied 
sorrows ;  and,  in  short,  what  will  so  ena- 
ble us  to  possess  our  souls  in  patience 
under  all  that  we  have  to  do,  and  all  that 
we  have  to  suffer,  in  this  the  house  of  our 
pilgrimage,  as  the  continual  thought,  the 
bright  prospect,  the  well-assured  hope  of 
the  glories  that  are  at  God's  right  hand  1 
Hence  the  inspired  writers  are  constantly 
directing  our  thoughts  to  heaven  ;  instruct- 
ing and  exhorting  us  to  elevate  our  affec- 
tions to  the  things  that  are  above.  Listen 
to  the  entreaty  of  the  apostle  in  the  words 
of  the  text:  "Seek," — with  impressive 
2  o  2  353 


354 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


and  affectionate  solemnity  and  earnestness 
he  calls  upon  us  to  "seek  those  things 
that  are  above."  Our  remarks  shall  turn 
on, 

I.  The   things   themselves   to   which 
reference  is  here  made  ; 

II.  The  conduct  enjoined  in  relation  to 
them ;  and, 

III.  The  motives  which  should  impel 
US  to  this  conduct. 

I.  The  sublime  object  to  which  the 

EXHORTATION    OF    THE    APOSTLE    RELATES. 

By  "  the  things  above"  we  understand 
the  future  blessedness,  perfection,  and 
glory  of  believers  in  heaven.  In  this  ex- 
planation, we  are  supported  by  the  latter 
part  of  the  verse  and  of  the  sentence  in 
which  the  words  of  the  text  lie.  "  Seek 
those  things  that  are  above,"  "  where," 
adds  the  apostle,  "  Christ  sitteth  at  the 
right  hand  of  God."  Now,  at  the  right 
hand  of  God,  as  the  sixteenth  Psalm 
teaches,  are  transcendent  joys  and  eternal 
pleasures.  "At  thy  right  hand,"  ex- 
claims the  devout  prophet,  "  there  is  ful- 
ness of  joy  and  pleasures  for  evermore,''^ 
These,  then,  arc  the  things  above,  even 
those  which  are  at  God's  right  hand,  the 
mighty  joys,  the  august  exercises,  the 
transporting  pleasures,  of  an  eternal 
heaven. 

Men's  vicAvs  differ  cr-ncerning  future, 
as  they  differ  on  the  nature  of  present 
happiness,  and  on  the  way  and  means  of 
attaining  that  which  is  future.  Some 
think  of  it  merely  as  a  continuation  of 
being,  from  which  is  excluded  all  pain, 
and  want,  and  sorrow ;  a  mere  negative 
heaven.  Some  regard  it  as  consisting  in 
the  active  and  uninterrupted  exercise  of 
their  present  senses  and  faculties  ;  the 
full  and  free  indulgence  of  their  present 
tastes  and  affinities,  inclinations  and  de- 
sires, habits  and  pursuits  ;  a  Mohamme- 
dan heaven.  Others,  stretching  some- 
what further,  place  it  in  an  extension  of 
all  their  pleasurable  faculties,  perceptions, 
and  sensibilities,  with  a  vast  augmenta- 
tion of  new  means  of  gratification  and  en- 
joyment. All  our  real  knowledge  of  it  is 
gathered  from  Scripture ;  and  whatever  is 
not  drawn  from  revelation,  or  is  at  vari- 
ance with  its  testimony  on  this  subject, 
IS  not  .to  be  regarded. 


Man,  by  searching,  cannot  fini  ont 
God  or  heaven  ;  by  his  own  penetration 
and  unaided  sagacity,  he  can  neither  find 
out  what  God  is,  nor  where  he  dwells; 
neither  his  true  nature,  nor  the  palace  in 
which  he  unveils  his  beauty  and  glory. 
Life  and  immortality  are  brought  to  light, 
but  only  by  Christ  Jesus  in  the  gospel. 
From  this  source  alone  we  derive  all  our 
just  and  appropriate,  all  our  pure  and  in- 
fluential conceptions,  on  this  momentous 
and  lofty  theme. 

Owing  to  the  thick  veil  that  sin  and 
mortality  have  spread  over  our  mind,  we 
know,  even  with  the  revelation  tliat 
God  has  graciously  favoured  us,  little 
in  comparison  of  what  is  to  be  known. 
Such  is  the  darkening,  and  debasing,  and 
debilitating  influence  of  the  clouds  and 
fogs  of  earth,  and  sense,  and  sin  which 
now  envelope  us,  that  of  heaven,  its  du- 
ties and  exercises, its  felicities  and  glories, 
"we  know  but  in  part."  Besides,  so 
much  has  not  been  revealed  as  to  gratily 
the  entire  of  our  curiosity,  or  satisfy  the 
whole  of  our  anxious  wishes  and  desires 
in  relation  to  the  future  and  celestial  state 
of  man.  The  fact  itself  of  the  heavenly 
blessedness  of  saints  is  abundantly  clear ; 
but  wherein  consists  the  blessedness,  of 
how  many  parts  it  is  composed,  what 
various  ingredients  enter  into  it,  what  is 
its  length,  and  breadth,  and  height ;  what 
mind  can  fully  conceive,  what  tongue 
adequately  declare  1  Yet  sufficient  is 
made  known  to  answer  the  merciful  pur- 
poses of  our  Father  in  heaven,  and  to 
meet  the  pressing  and  affecting  necessi- 
ties of  his  human  offspring,  whilst  jour- 
neying on  through  the  shadows  and  wil- 
dernesses of  earth  and  time :  and  heaven 
and  eternity  themselves  must  disclose  the 
rest.  Yes,  happily  for  us,  enough  may 
be  seen  through  the  interposing  cloud  to 
awaken  regard,  to  stimulate  attention,  to 
kindle  desire,  to  rouse  our  criminal  and 
destructive  apathy  ;  enough  to  throw  the 
stillness  of  a  solemn  awe  over  our  minds 
in  the  midst  of  the  gayest  and  busiest 
scenes  of  this  world,  and  to  start,  and 
quicken,  and  sustain  us  in  a  career  of 
new,  and  upward,  and  holy  conduct. 
The  eye  of  faith  beholds  the  land  afar 
off,  sees  the  King  in  his  beauty,  and  gazes 


TilE  CHRSSTIAI^TS  DUTY. 


355 


ion  tire  glories  t)f  the  new  Jerusalem. 
How  gracious  and  condesceiidinff  are 
■many  of  the  aspects  in  wliich  the  Scrip- 
tures exliibit  the  heaven  of  the  believer. 
It  is  held  forth  to  our  view  as  a  banquet, 
where  our  souls  shall  be  satisfied  for  ever- 
more :  the  beauties  of  Jehovah's  face,  the 
mysteries  of  divine  grace,  the  riches  of 
redeeming  love,  communion  with  God  and 
the  Lamb,  fellowship  with  the  infinite 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  being  the 
heavenly  fulness  on  which  we  shall  feed. 
As  a  paradise;  a  garden  of  fruits  and 
flowers,  on  which  our  spiritual  natures 
and  gracious  tastes  will  be  regaled, 
through  one  ever-verdant  spring  and 
jgolden  summer;  a  paradise  where  lurks 
no  serpent  to  destroy,  and  where  fruits 
and  flowers  shall  never  fade  and  droop, 
nor  drop  and  die.  As  an  inheritance ^  but 
then  an  inheritance  that  is  incorruptible, 
undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  the 
inheritance  of  the  saints  in  lighL  As  a 
kingdom  ,•  whose  immunities,  felicities, 
and  glories  are  splendid  and  vast,  perma- 
nent and  real,  quite  overwhelming  indeed 
to  our  present  feeble  imaginings.  As  a 
cuiintry  ,■  over  whose  wide  regions  vre 
shall  traverse  in  all  the  might  of  our 
untried  faculties,  and  in  all  the  glow  of 
new  and  heaven-born  energies,  discover- 
ing and  gathering  fresh  harvests  of  intel- 
ligence, satisfaction,  and  delight.  As  a 
c/Vy  ,•  whose  walls  are  burnished  gold, 
whose  pavement  is  jasper,  sardonyx,  and 
onyx ;  through  which  flows  the  river  of 
life  ;  the  inhabitants  of  which  hunger  no 
more,  thirst  no  more,  sicken  no  more, 
weep  no  more,  die  no  more  :  a  city,  where 
there  is  no  need  of  the  sun  by  day,  in 
which  there  is  no  night  at  all,  and  of 
which  the  Lord  God  Almighty  is  the 
light,  and  the  Lamb  the  glory.  As  a 
palace;  where  dwells  the  Lord  our  right- 
eousness, the  King  in  his  beauty  dis- 
played— his  beauty  of  holiest  love ;  in  the 
eternal  sunshine  of  whose  countenance 
bask  and  exult  the  host  that  worship  at 
his  feet.  As  a  building ;  that  has  God 
for  its  maker,  immortality  for  its  walls, 
and  eternity  for  its  day.  As  a  sanctuary ; 
where  the  thrice-holy  divinity,  enshrined 
in  our  own  nature  in  the  person  of  Im- 
manuel,  is  worshipped  and  adored,  with- 


out a  sigh,  witho-at  an  imperfection,  and 
without  intermission ;  where  hymns  of 
praise,  hallelujahs  of  salvation,  and  ho- 
sannahs  of  redemption,  uttered  by  blest 
voices  without  number,  ever  sound  before 
the  throne.  As  a  tenipk  ,-  hright  with  the 
divine  glory,  filled  with  the  divine  pre- 
sence, streaming  with  divine  beauty,  and 
peopled  with  shining  monuments  of 
divine  goodness,  mercy,  and  grace. 

In  further  contemplating  the  celestial 
blessedness  of  believers,  let  us  very 
briefly  notice, 

1.  TTie  perfection  of  character  they  shall 
exhibit  in  heaven.'— We  shall  then,  indeed, 
partake  of  God's  nature ;  be  holy  as  he  is 
holy,  awake  up  with  his  likeness,  and  so 
be  fully  satisfied.  It  is  impossible  for 
sin  or  sinners  to  enter  there.  All  that  is 
above  is  holy,  all  that  are  above  are  holy. 
The  throne  is  holy  ;  the  temple  is  holy; 
the  services  are  holy ;  the  songs  are  holy; 
the  inhabitants  are  holy.  There  is  no 
imperfection  above.  In  one  sense  Chris- 
tians are  perfect  now,  and  here  they  are 
perfect  in  kind;  but  which  of  all  them  is 
there  that  does  not  lament  his  shert-com- 
ings,  his  errors,  that  does  not  feel  himself 
surrounded  with  manifold  infirmities. 
God's  salvation  now  experienced  is  a 
salvation  from  sin,  so  that  it  has  not  do- 
minion over  us.  We  now  have  fellow- 
ship with  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and 
therefore  walk  in  the  light;  and,  if  faith- 
ful to  the  grace,  and  light,  and  means, 
that  are  imparted,  sin  nort.  But  still 
there  are  many  frailties  in  us,  many  things 
in  our  character,  which  are  positive  im- 
perfections ;  there  is  much  that  God  has 
to  pity ;  but  in  heaven  there  shall  be  no- 
thing which  God  will  have  to  pity  ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  will  admire  us — feel  perfect 
complacency  and  satisfaction  in  us.  We 
shall  be  free  frcftn  wrinkles  and  spots; 
have  no  fadings,  or  faintings,  or  blem- 
ishes, but  shall  be  without  any  such  thing. 
In  heaven  are  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect.  On  ea.rth'  how  oft  we  have  to 
lament  the  wanderings  of  our  mind,  the 
irregular  emotions  of  our  physical  frame, 
the  faintness  of  our  desires,  the  coldness 
of  our  lore.  Ohi  the  thought,  that  I 
shall  "  attain," — that  I  shall  "  be  perfect," 
— that  there  will  be  nothing  in  rae  unwor- 


356 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


thy  to  my  God,  or  unlike  my  Redeemer, 
or  unsuited  to  the  pavilions  of  immortal 
beauty  and  glory  !  "  Him  that  overcometh 
will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my 
God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out;  and  I 
will  write  upon  him  my  new  name." 

2.  The  exercises  in  which  ihey  shall  he 
engaged. — Ease,  it  is  commonly  thought, 
is  necessary  to  repose — to  complete  and 
uninterrupted  repose ;  and  heaven  itself  is 
imagined  by  many  to  be  a  scene  of  inac- 
tivity, a  region  of  utter  quiescency.  But 
analogy  and  revelation  are  against  this 
sentiment.  Ease  is  not  real  happiness, 
it  is  not  even  an  ingredient  in  happiness. 
This  kind  of  heaven — one  thus  charac- 
terized and  composed — would  be  death 
rather  than  life  ;  it  would  be  exemption 
from  pain  rather  than  positive  bliss.  An- 
gels, those  natives  of  heaven,  those  mi- 
nisters of  God's  presence,  not  only  know 
but  do  his  pleasure.  And  are  we  not 
taught  to  pray  that  our  divine  Father's 
will  may  be  done  on  earth,  even  as  angels 
do  it  in  heaven  1  The  Scriptures  have 
every  where  spoken  of  the  einployments, 
as  well  as  of  the  happiness  of  heaven,  in 
the  most  exalted  terms.  Let  us  not  for- 
get that  to  act  in  the  service  of  God,  and 
to  communicate  good  to  others,  consti- 
tutes, according  to  the  Scriptures,  one 
vast  and  glorious  division  of  celestial 
blessedness.  Both  of  what  we  are  to  be, 
and  what  we  are  to  do,  many  things  are 
said  of  a  highly  interesting  nature  ;  and 
from  these,  when  we  compare  them  with 
diligence  and  attention,  a  great  multitude 
of  other  things,  deeply  interesting,  may 
be  derived  by  irresistible  inference.  For 
instance;  those  who  obtain  immortal  life 
are  said,  by  our  Saviour,  to  be  equal  or 
like  to  angels.  This  one  declaration 
opens  to  us  a  wide  field  of  inquiry  and 
conclusion  ;  and  assures  us,  that  whatever 
angels  are  or  do,  or  are  exhibited  as  being 
or  doing  in  the  Scriptures,  we  also  shall 
substantially  be  or  do.  But  the  things 
which  angels  do,  together  with  their  at- 
tributes and  circumstances,  are,  as  exhi- 
bited to  us  in  the  Scriptures,  very  numer- 
ous and  very  great ;  and  these  irresistibly 
infer  others  which  are  great  and  numer- 
ous also.  The  number  and  variety  of 
events  which  make  up  our  system,  hardly 


strike  our  minds  at  all,  and  probably 
never  enter  the  imagination  of  most  men, 
even  among  Christians.  Yet  if  we  read 
the  Scriptures  with  attention,  and  believe 
what  we  read,  we  must  clearly  discern 
that  both  the  number  and  the  variety  are 
immense.  The  inhabitants  of  heaven 
serve  God  day  and  night  in  his  temple. 
The  services  of  those  who  in  this  life  fill 
up  their  duty,  are  certainly  very  numer- 
ous;  and  are  so  entirely  varied,  that  no 
two  actions  among  them  all  are  alike. 
How  nmltiplied  then  must  be  the  actions 
involved  in  a  service  which  night  never 
interrupts;  of  a  mind  and  a  body  which 
are  never  wearied,  and  of  an  existence 
which  knows  no  end  !  That  they  are 
endlessly  varied  is  unanswerably  evident 
from  the  consideration,  that  no  two  beings 
in  the  creation,  and  no  two  events  in  the 
providence  of  God  have  been  found  ex- 
actly alike.  Variety  is  a  standing  law  of 
created  existence  and  providential  dispen- 
sation, and  throughout  eternity  will  be 
the  great  means  of  disclosing  to  the  intel- 
ligent universe  the  glorious  thoughts  and 
purposes  treasured  up  from  everlasting  in 
the  omniscient  mind.  Instead,  therefore, 
of  being  a  tame,  dull,  monotonous,  spirit- 
less existence,  immortal  life  is  a  state  of 
intense  energy,  vast  design,  and  vigorous 
action,  in  which  to  know  and  to  love,  to 
do  and  to  enjoy,  will  form  a  combination 
of  dignity,  glory,  and  happiness,  trans- 
cending every  earthly  conception.  All 
this,  also,  will  expand,  and  rise,  and  im- 
prove for  ever. 

This  view  may  tend  to  moderate  the 
surprise  and  the  sorrow,  that  seize  and 
possess  the  common  mind  at  the  early 
deaths  of  eminent  Christians,  and  zealous, 
and  laborious,  and  gifted,  and  successful 
young  ministers.  They  are  snatched 
away  from  the  most  active  and  important 
services,  and  we  are  apt  to  think  that 
they  are  gone  into  darkness  and  silence, 
and  have  sunk  into  torpor  and  inactivity : 
but  could  we  trace  their  flight,  and  dis- 
cern the  lofty,  and  energetic,  and  valuable 
exercises  in  which  their  freed  spirits  are 
now  occupied  in  some  of  the  bright  fields 
of  eternity,  the  wide  regions  of  their 
Maker's  universe,  and  their  Redeemer's 
heaven,  our  wonder  at  their  departure 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY, 


357 


hence  (even  when  at  their  best  estate,  or 
in  the  very  efflorescence  of  all  their  youth- 
ful ardour)  would  moderate ;  and  our 
grief,  free  from  the  l)itterness  of  dissatis- 
faction, would  flow  on  in  a  current  less 
deep  and  powerful.  O  they  are  not  lost, 
though  their  sun  has  gone  down  while  it 
is  yet  day.  They  have  but  set,  to  our 
apprehension,  indeed,  prematurely,  be- 
neath our  horizon,  to  rise  again  bright 
planets  in  the  hemisphere  of  celestial 
glory. 

3.  The  happiness  nf  which  ihey  shall  par- 
ticipate.— All  the  religious  experience  of 
earth  affords  but  a  faint  emblem  of  the 
bliss  of  heaven.  The  delight  that  Chris- 
tians now  experience  kindles  into  rapture 
at  thought  of  the  richer  delight  that 
awaits  them  above.  Among  the  chil- 
dren of  God  in  heaven  (all  happy)  the 
degree  of  happiness  may  vary ;  for  it  de- 
pends upon  the  capacity  of  enjoyment 
possessed  by  each,  and  this  again  upon 
improvement  of  character,  and  of  talent, 
and  of  trust,  and  therefore  they  who  have 
prepared  most  for  heaven,  will  be  most 
happy  in  heaven.  Saints  in  heaven  are 
perfectly  happy,  because  perfectly  holy. 
Here  they  taste  of  the  streams  that  flow 
from  the  infinite  fulness  of  their  Father 
and  their  God  ;  there  they  will  have  come 
to  the  fountain  itself.  Here  they  receive, 
now  and  then,  a  bunch  of  grapes  from  the 
better  Canaan  ;  there  they  will  have  full 
and  free  access  to  the  tree  of  life  that  is 
in  the  paradise  of  God.  Here  they  obtain 
an  occasional  glimpse  through  the  entan- 
glement of  the  wilderness,  and  through 
the  mists  and  fogs  that  hang  over  Jordan, 
and  see  the  green  fields,  and  the  golden 
harvests,  that  wave  luxuriant  and  vast  on 
the  otiier  side;  there  they  will  possess  the 
vineyards  and  well-springs  of  a  perpetual 
Canaan.  Here  they  are  sometimes  re- 
vived by  sweet  odours,  wafted  over  from 
the  mountains  of  spices  that  lie  on  the 
other  side  the  lions'  dens  and  leopards, 
haunts,  among  which  they  at  present 
pass ;  there,  every  peril  is  past,  and  hav- 
ing entered  through  the  gates  into  the 
city,  all  is  peace,  triumph,  and  perfection. 
Here  they  have  many  a  troubled,  many  a 
stormy,  and  many  a  cloudy  day  ;  there 
they  shall  have  everlasting  joy  and  glad- 


ness on  their  heads ;  and  sorrow  and  sigh- 
ing, and  clouds  and  shadows,  and  storms 
and  tempests,  having  for  ever  fled  away, 
they  shall  abide  under  a  cloudless  sky,  in 
regions  of  eternal  bliss.  In  this  land  of 
their  captivity  they  may  hang  their  harps 
upon  the  willows,  and,  yielding  to  the 
sorrows  which  fill  their  hearts,  forget  to 
sing  the  Lord's  song;  but  in  that  land  of 
accomplished  promise  and  finished  hope, 
their  harps  shall  be  ever  in  their  hands, 
and  the  high  praises  of  God  in  their 
mouths,  to  fill  with  their  transports  of 
gratitude  and  joy  the  palace  of  their  king 
and  their  God.  If  every  step  here  is 
through  a  vale  of  tears,  there  it  is  through 
a  land  of  pure  delight.  In  the  house  of 
their  Father  above,  they  shall  hunger  no 
more,  nor  thirst  any  more  ;  neither  shall 
the  sun  light  upon  them,  nor  any  heat. 
And  if  any  recollection  of  former  suffer- 
ings remain,  it  will  serve  only  to  enhance 
their  enjoyments,  and  augment  their  won- 
der, as  they  view  the  intricate  mazes 
through  which  divine  wisdom  conducted 
them.  Our  happiness  will  be  made  com- 
plete by  beholding  the  brightness  of  the 
Father's  glory,  in  the  vision  of  which  we 
shall  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable;  by 
the  presence  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ!  Yes,  there  we  shall  see 
Jesus — shall  behold  the  God-man,  our 
Friend,  our  Priest,  our  Sacrifice,  our  All. 
Then  we  shall  love  in  return  for  all  his 
infinite  love;  and  bless  and  worship  him 
with  a  growing  adoration,  and  dilating 
gratitude,  for  ever  and  ever.  It  will,  in- 
deed, be  heaven  to  see  our  Jesus'  face  !  O 
the  infinitude  of  our  bliss  !  when  we  shall 
see  Him  as  He  is,  and  love  with  a  passion 
like  his  !  O  that  exquisiteness  of  joy  ! — 
those  gusts  of  pure  perennial  bliss,  which 
the  saints  of  God  will  experience,  in  sing- 
ing praises  and  songs  of  deliverance  to 
God  and  the  Lamb  for  ever !  0  what 
rapture  to  be  engaged  in  penetrating  the 
mysteries  of  Providence ;  in  listening  to 
the  music  of  the  spheres,  and  the  jubilee 
of  the  universe  !  in  gazing  with  untold 
ecstasy  on  the  face  of  God  and  the  Lamb, 
and  deriving  from  him,  who  is  the  sea  of 
light  and  love,  fulness  of  joy,  and  plea- 
sures for  evermore  !  "  But  eye  hath  not 
seen,  ear  hath  not  heard,  neither  hath  it 


358 


THE  BRITISH  FULPIT. 


entereJ  inio  tlie  heart  of  man  to  conceive,  ;  II.  The  concoct  enjoined  in  relation 
what  God  hath  laid  up  for  them  that  love  to  these  things.  We  are  told  by  the 
him." 


4.   The  friendships  tve  shall  share  there. 


apostle  that  we  should  seek  them. 

1.  This  implies  or  supposes  belief  of 


-Man  is  constituted  to  be  happy  in  so-  ,  them. — Let  us  attend  for  a  moment  to  the 
ciety.     Place  him  in  solitude,  and  how-    evidence  that  proves  the  actual  existence 


ever  exciting  and  felicitous  are  his  circum- 
stances in  other  respects,  he  will  wither 
and  pine  away.  But  above,  we  shall  be 
with  the  many  that  shall  come  from  the 
east,  and  west,  and  north,  and  south,  and 
shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob.  The  entire  heaven  of  angels,  and 
the  whole  host  of  the  redeemed,  we  shall 


of  a  future  state.  Those  who  have  just 
conceptions  of  the  perfections  of  God, 
will  admit  the  possibility  of  it.  He  who 
gives  us  existence  on  this  side  the  grave, 
can  give  it  on  the  other  side.  He  who 
has  bestowed  life  in  time,  can  impart  it 
through  all  coming  eternity. 

Numerous    considerations    indicate   a 


have    sweet    and   improving  fellowship  '  high  degree  of  probability  concerning  a 


with  for  ever  !  The  wise  and  the  good, 
the  great  and  the  pure,  the  benevolent  and 
active  from  every  region,  will  be  our  com- 
panions and  associates,  with  whom  we 
shall  live,  and  love,  and  know,  and  obey, 
through  one  eternally  enduring  day.  Of 
all  the  afflictions  to  which  we  are  liable, 
there  is  none  so  painful  as  the  death  of 
our  friends.  And,  oh  T  what  a  consoling 
balm  is  the  doctrine  that  we  shall,  in  the 
realms  above,  be  restored  to  their  fellow- 
ship. This  doctrine  is  involved  in  many 
passages  of  Scripture :  in  the  account  of 
the  last  judgment — ^in  the  language  of 
David  on  occasion  of  the  death  of  his  in- 
fant child  by  Bathsheba — in  the  parable 
of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus — in  the  con- 
solation which  our  Saviour  gives  to  the 
penitent  sinner  on  the  cross — in  the  as- 
surance administered  by  the  apostle  St. 
Paul  to  the  Thessalonian  believers,  that 
they  should  be  his  joy  and  crown  of  re- 
joicing in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  at  his  coming — and  in  the  same 
apostle  forbidding  them  to  sorrow  for 
such  as  had  fallen  asleep  as  though  they 
had  no  hope  of  being  united  with  them, 
and  of  being  together  with  the  Lord — and 
in  the  general  use  which  the  sacred  wri- 
ters make  of  the  word  sleep  for  death — a 
simile  which  would  be  flagrantly  incor- 
rect if  our  recollections,  our  friendships 


future  state.  Every  man  has  a  power  of 
thinking  and  willing,  of  desiring  and  ab- 
horring; feels  that  he  possesses  within 
himself  a  soul,  (deathless  life,)  an  active, 
conscious,  immaterial  principle  or  nature. 
And  though  this  has  its  present  residence 
in  the  body,  it  is  perfectly  distinct  and 
essentially  different  from  the  clay  taber- 
nacle in  which  it  is  enshrined,  and  which 
is  essential  to  its  manifestation  in  the 
present  life,  and  therefore  its  existence 
will  not  be  involved  or  implicated  in  the 
fall  of  its  tabernacle,  any  more  than  a  sun 
beam  is  crushed  by  the  fall  of  an  old 
house  through  which  it  is  passing.  The 
strong  desire  of  immortality,  too,  is  an 
argument  for  it.  Why  should  God  uni- 
versally implant  a  desire  he  never  meant 
to  gratify  1  This  desire  shows  design. 
The  present  mode  of  divine  government 
indicates  the  same.  The  justice  and  wis- 
dom of  the  Governor  are  covered  with 
dark  and  impenetrable  clouds,  if  the  his- 
tory of  man  is  merely  confined  to  the 
present  world,  and  closes  altogether  with 
time;  for  vile  men  here  are  often  exalted, 
and  holy  men  are  depressed.  One  event 
often  befalls  opposite  characters.  The 
common  consent  of  mankind  is  in  favour 
of  it.  Some  kind  of  belief  in  a  future 
state,  and  in  some  sort  of  future  happi- 
ness, is  very  general.     Even  in   the  na- 


and  affections,  were  not  renewed  in  a  fu-  '  tural  uninformed  mind,  there  are  strong 
ture  state.  And,  in  general,  the  same  j  anticipations  of  futurity.  And  the  idea 
doctrine  is  taught  also  through  the  whole  of  the  savage,  that  after  death  he  goes  to 
book  of  the  Revelation  of  St.  John.  Hap-  some  green  and  blooming  island  across 
py  prospect,  that  exalts  friendship  into  :  the  deep,  to  dwell  with  the  Great  Spirit, 
religion  I  What  blest  society  there  will  i  appears  to  us  to  be  the  remains  of  the  in- 
be  above  J  I  tuitive  impression  originally  stamped  on 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY. 


859 


the  hnmnn  mind,  as  an  evidence  of  its 
immortality.  But  M-liy  do  I  say  that  a 
future  state  of  bliss  is  possible  ?  Why  do 
T  dwell  on  its  probability?  We  are  not 
led  to  this  conclusion  as  a  mere  matter  of 
reasoning;  as  an  affair  of  analogy;  as  a 
thing  to  be  inferred  :  I  take  up  my  Bible 
and  say, — there  is  positive  certainty  of  it, 
— a  certainty,  drawn,  not  from  the  fair 
operations  of  reason,  but  from  the  sure, 
and  strong,  and  steady  lights  of  revela- 
tion. The  testimony  of  God  in  his  word 
clears  away  every  doubt  concerning  it, 
and  opens  to  us  the  realities  of  that  eter- 
nal kingdom  in  which  he  reigns.  The 
Scriptures  amply  unfold  the  doctrine  of 
immortality,  and  show  us  the  throne  and 
judgment-seat  of  the  Eternal;  they  dis- 
close to  us,  with  awakening  and  irresisti- 
ble emphasis  and  clearness,  the  mansions 
of  the  blessed,  and  their  dread  alternative, 
the  prison  of  the  wicked.  See  this  reve- 
lation in  the  Old  Testament.  Enoch  was 
translated,  that  he  should  not  see  death, 
and  was  not  found,  for  God  took  him. 
The  Hebrew  patriarchs  desired  a  better 
country.  The  patriarch  of  Uz  knew  that 
in  his  flesh  he  should  see  God.  Moses 
had  respect  to  the  recompense  of  the  re- 
ward. David  believed  he  should  see 
God's  face  in  righteousness,  awake  up  in 
his  likeness,  and  be  satisfied.  Daniel 
declares  that  they  that  sleep  in  the  dust 
shall  awake  and  come  forth.  Isaiah  an- 
nounces the  jubilee  of  the  dead — the 
morning  of  their  manumission  :  "  Awake 
and  sing,  ye  that  dwell  in  the  dust." 
And  another  Old  Testament  oracle  tri- 
umphantly proclaims  that  "  Death  is  swal- 
lowed up  ia  victory."  But  the  N  to  Tes- 
tament abounds  in  this  class  of  evidence. 
There,  life  and  immortality  are  brought 
to  meridian  light,  and  stand  confessed 
most  vividly  before  us.  There,  indeed, 
from  beginning  to  end,  God  hath  promised 
eternal  life.  Matt.  v.  8,  Luke  xii.  32. 
Matt.  XXV.  There  are  things  above, 
then :  to  seek  them,  suppose  that  you 
have  a  belief  of  them ;  that  you  doubt  not 
their  existence,  their  reality,  their  cer- 
tainty. 

2.  It  implies  that  attentiun  should  be 
much  directed  towards  them.  They  must  be 
miiided,  as  well  as  believed.     The  fact  of 


the  vast  importance  of  tl  ese  things  might 
lead  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  duty  here 
enjoined  is  not  likely  to  be  forgotten  or 
neglected.  We  might  imagine  that  all 
that  was  necessary  on  this  subject,  is  just 
to  convince  of  the  importance  of  these 
things,  and  then  leave  the  .mind  to  its 
own  natural  sense  of  what  is  due  to  its 
interests,  in  order  to  secure  the  proper 
line  of  conduct  towards  the  things  thus 
exhibited.  But  how  different  all  this  is 
from  what  we  know  to  be  the  fact.  When 
we  call  to  recollection  the  earthly  bias 
which  men  have  taken,  and  the  downward 
tendency  by  which  they  are,  since  the 
fall,  characterized,  it  is  proper  to  remind 
them  of  the  necessity  of  the  course  which 
the  apostle  calls  "looking  at  the  things 
which  are  not  seen  and  eternal ;  seeking 
the  things  that  are  above."  You  may  be 
exposed  to  the  secularities  of  life,  and 
unless  you  indulge  and  cultivate  the  up- 
ward tendency  so  emphatically  expressed 
in  the  text,  they  will  fix  you  down  to  the 
low  level  of  earthly  and  ever)'^-day  exist- 
ence. You  must  attend  to  the  leading 
course  of  thought  and  inclination,  by 
which  your  mind  is  characterized.  The 
thoughts  must  be  turned  in  this  lofty  di- 
rection : — I  say  thoughts,  for  it  must  not 
be  a  thought  about  heaven  now  and  then 
merely,  with  long  and  frightful  intervals 
between,  but  toward  the  things  above  the 
attention  must  be  much  directed.  We 
must  feel  that  religion  is  the  one  main  and 
essential  article  in  the  great  business  of 
life,  for  although  there  is  a  time  for  every 
thing,  you  are  not  to  exclude  religion  from 
its  pre-eminence;  you  are  not  to  confine 
it,  as  a  sacred  and  hidden  mystery,  but  to 
be  seen  and  meditated  at  certain  occa- 
sional periods,  but  rather  to  diffuse  it  as 
a  colouring  through  all  the  substance  of 
life.  Thus  the  patriarchs  sought  the 
things  above, — of  whose  piety  it  is  the 
highest  eulogy  to  say,  that  "they  de- 
clared plainly  that  they  sought  a  better 
country," — so  fixed  was  their  attention  to 
sacred  and  heavenly  things.  Then  let  us 
thus  seek  them  ;  by  a  constant  and  instan- 
taneous religion  seek  the  things  that  are 
above.  To  seek  them  must  signify  also 
that  we  are  to, 

3.  Set  our  attachment  upon  them.     Set 


360 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


your  affections  nn  tilings  above,  it  is  added 
in  the  verse  after  the  text.  The  import 
of  this  exhortation  is,  that  we  are  to  ad- 
mire and  love  them,  as  w^ell  as  believe 
and  contemplate  them.  It  may  be  ob- 
jected to  this  view,  that  the  regard  which 
we  are  now  directing  to  be  paid  to  things 
future,  is  inconsistent  with  the  attention 
which  is  due  to  the  interests  of  the  pre- 
sent life.  It  is,  however,  certain,  that 
Christianity  enjoins  no  opposing  duties, 
prescribes  no  incompatible  precepts. 
Whilst  we  are  commanded  to  render  to 
God  the  things  that  are  God's,  we  are  at 
the  same  time  charged  to  render  to  Caesar 
the  things  that  are  Caesar's.  Whilst  we 
are  directed  to  be  fervent  in  spirit  serving 
the  Lord,  we  are  instructed  also  to  be 
diligent  in  business.  Can  it  be  thought 
that  he  who  is  passing  through  a  wilder- 
ness, in  a  state  of  banishment  from  the 
scenes  and  fellowships  which  he  holds 
most  dear,  should  not  often  think  with 
emotion  of  the  delights,  and  securities, 
and  sweet  societies  of  a  permanent  and 
congenial  home  1 

The  history  of  the  Jews,  when  in  Baby- 
lon, is  an  illustration  of  the  conduct  en- 
joined in  the  text.  Did  they,  whilst 
living  in  Babylon,  surrounded  with  its 
absorbing  bustle,  and  engaged  in  its  ac- 
tive business,  forget  the  land  of  Israel, 
and  disregard  it  in  their  hearts?  No; 
their  recollection  of  it  was  most  vivid  and 
affectionate,  deep  and  practical,  ardent 
and  constant;  and  is  described  in  lan- 
guage beautiful,  fervid,  and  impressive. 
Hear  theiraffecting  complaint,Ps.cxxxvii. 
^^  By  the  rivers  of  Babylon  there  we  sat 
down ;  yea,  we  wept  when  ive  remembered 
Zion  ;  we  hanged  our  harps  upon  the  wil- 
lows.''^ One  of  these  captives  is  repre- 
sented as  expressing  himself  in  the  fol- 
lowing words  ;  "  If  I  forget  thee,  oh  Jeru- 
salem, let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cun- 
ning ;  if  I  do  not  speak  well  of  thee,  let  my 
tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth  ;  if  I 
prefer  not  Jerusalem  to  my  chiff  joy  /" 
Their  hearts,  then,  were  in  Jerusalem, 
though  they  sojourned  in  Babylon.  The 
dust  and  stones  of  Jerusalem,  and  the 
rubbish  of  its  temple  and  its  towers,  was 
dearer  to  them  than  all  the  magnifi- 
cence and  splendour  of  the  greatest  capi- 


tal of  the  then  greatest  empire  in  the 
world. 

So  should  we  feel  and  act  in  reference 
to  the  Jerusalem  that  is  above ;  the  new, 
the  heavenly  Jerusalem.  To  the  true  be- 
liever this  world  is  a  desert,  dry  and  bar- 
ren ;  and  though  there  may  be  here  and 
there  a  spot  which  seems  to  present  invit- 
ing verdure,  and  to  court  his  stay,  he 
lingers  not,  but  presses  on,  for  he  feels  it 
is  not  his  rest,  because  it  is  polluted  ;  and 
he  casts  a  solicitous  look  beyond  its  bar- 
ren sands,  to  the  land  of  promise,  where 
are  his  home,  his  treasure,  and  his  heart. 
And  his  greatest  burden  of  grief  is,  that 
the  current  of  his  affections  should  ever 
be  interrupted,  or  that  their  fervour  should 
be  repressed,  for  a  single  moment,  by 
the  trifles  and  vanities  of  the  passing 
scene.  Thus  having  his  heart  in  heaven, 
his  feet  are  ever  moving  thither  ;  for  when 
acting  and  enduring  under  the  impression 
and  expectation  of  heaven  and  heavenly 
things,  his  step  is  firm  in  the  road  that 
leads  to  things  above.  And  when  the 
affections  are  not  only  lifted  up  to,  but  set 
upon  them,  neither  the  length,  nor  the  toil, 
nor  the  difficulty  of  the  way  can  greatly 
impede  the  progress  thither. 

4.  Diligent  and  persevering  exertions,  in 
order  to  obtain  them  ;  belief  of  the  things 
that  are  above  awakens  attention  to  them ; 
attention  to  those  things  gives  rise  to  de- 
sires after  the  possession  of  them ;  and 
these  desires,  in  their  turn,  give  birth  to 
exertions,  in  order  to  secure  the  attain- 
ment  and  possession  of  them.  He  who 
knows  what  the  workings  of  affection  to- 
wards any  object  are,  knows  well  that  his 
exertions  to  secure  and  attain  it  are  just 
in  proportion  to  the  affection  and  desire 
with  which  he  regards  it. 

Now  all  that  we  require  in  religion  is, 
that  you  act  consistently  ;  that  you  regard 
the  things  proposed  to  you  with  an  atten- 
tion corresponding  to  their  suitability  and 
importance ;  and  that  you  exert  yourselves 
to  attain  them,  with  an  ardour,  and  an  as- 
siduity, and  a  perseverance,  proportionate 
to  their  desirableness  and  value.  Seeking 
the  things  above,  then,  must  imply  the 
use  of  those  means  which  are  prescribed 
in  Scripture,  and  the  observance  of  those 
ordinances  which  have  been  instituted  by 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY. 


361 


our  Lord  and  Master,  as  helps  on  the  way 
to  heaven.  And  what  are  the  means 
whereby  we  are  to  hold  fast,  and  hold 
out,  and  hold  on,  till  we  obtain  them]  I 
answer,  faith  and  prayer,  accompanied  by 
the  reading'  of  the  word  of  God,  and  a 
devout  meditation  thereon,  together  with 
a  diligent  and  earnest  attention  to  the  in- 
stitutions of  grace  and  the  ordinances  of 
religion.  These  are  the  means,  the  con- 
scientious, diligent,  and  persevering  use 
of  which,  followed  and  crowned  with  the 
blessing  of  God,  will  lead  you  through 
the  low  vale  of  humble  love,  to  the  para- 
dise that  is  unfading  and  eternal.  Yes, 
it  is  by  faith  only  that  we  can  walk  in  the 
way  of  life  and  peace — the  road  that  leads 
to  heaven  and  God.  The  shield  of  faith 
is  that  alone  whereby  we  are  able  to 
quench  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked  one 
and  to  overcome  the  world.  Its  influence 
alone  can  sanctify  the  character  and  purify 
the  heart,  and  give  substance  and  evidence 
to  things  not  seen  and  eternal — the  things 
that  are  above.  And  it  is  only  by  prayer 
that  faith  can  be  kept  alive  and  active,  and 
become  omnipotent,  as  it  was  with  Moses ; 
to  whom  what  Aaron  and  Hur  were,  (hold- 
ing up  his  hands  when  Israel  fought 
against  Amalek,)  prayer  is  to  faith.  And 
the  ordinances  of  religion  stretch  the  arms 
of  faith  and  fan  the  breath  of  prayer,  and 
feed  and  inflame  our  desires  and  longings 
after  the  heavenly  worship.  It  is  in  them 
that  our  characters  receive  their  best  im- 
pressions— their  holiest  influence.  Faith 
will  lead  you  to  the  ground  of  all  your 
hope,  the  spring  of  all  your  joys ;  and 
prayer,  in  union  with  faith,  will  bring 
Christ  down  from  heaven  to  be  your  staff 
of  dependence  and  your  rod  of  defence  ; 
for  of  yourselves  you  can  do  nothing. 
Faith  will  lead  you  to  feed  on  the  bread 
of  God — the  manna  from  above ;  and 
prayer  will  draw  around  you  the  atmo- 
sphere of  heaven,  out  of  which  you  will 
derive  those  influences  of  grace  that  shall 
strengthen  and  comfort  you  for  the  rest  of 
the  way.  You  may  have  to  pass  through 
tribulation,  yea  through  much  tribula- 
tion ;  but  it  is  the  way  to  the  kingdom. 
The  farther  you  advance  on  the  road, 
the  humbler  will  you  become ;  and  the 
nearer  you  come  to  heaven,  the  more 
Vol.  I 46 


lively  will  be  your  apprehensions  of  the 
necessity  of  holiness,  and  the  more  strenu- 
ous and  constant  your  pursuit  of  it: — 
"  Not  counting  myself  to  have  appre- 
hended, this  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting 
those  things  which  are  behind,  and  reach- 
ing forth  unto  those  things  which  are  be- 
fore, I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize 
of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus." 

III.  Some  motives  or  considerations 

WHICH  SHOULD  IMPEL  US  TO  THIS  CONDUCT, 

especially  those  which  lie  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  text.  Be  persuaded  to  it, 
1.  From  a  regard  to  consistency  of  con- 
duct.— Consistency  is  that  agreement  that 
every  part  of  a  man's  conduct  should  have 
to  the  character  which  he  sustains  and 
the  profession  that  he  makes.  Sometimes 
it  may  be  diflicult  to  be  consistent;  but 
generally,  from  the  very  harmony  that  the 
part  we  have  to  perform  has  with  our 
character  and  principles,  there  is  a  plea- 
sure and  satisfaction  in  its  performance ; 
for  it  holds  true,  that  what  symmetry  is 
to  the  bodily  frame,  that  consistency  is  to 
the  moral  character  of  an  individual.  And, 
whether  from  some  original  fitness  in  the 
nature  of  the  things  themselves,  or  from 
some  arbitrary  associations  that  take  place 
in  the  mind,  that  which  is  consistent  is 
not  hard  to  be  discovered.  Even  in  the 
representation  of  ideal  character  this  is 
studied  and  attended  to ;  and  whenever 
the  laws  of  association  are  violently  sev- 
ered and  broken,  the  effect  is  painful  and 
disappointing.  Fiction  pleases,  only  so 
far  as  it  corresponds  with  real  character. 
Without  this  consistency  there  could  be 
no  uniformity  in  the  human  character;  all 
would  be  unnatural,  disjointed,  harsh,  in- 
jurious, unlovely  ;  one  great  moral  chaos ; 
a  sea  of  things  mischievous,  monstrous, 
and  offensive.  Soldiers  running  away  in 
battle  ;  judges  violating  those  laws  which 
tliey  were  sworn  to  maintain  and  defend  ; 
a  man,  distinguished  by  wisdom  and  pru- 
dence, erudition  and  sagacity,  giving 
himself  up  to  the  most  ridiculous,  and 
absurd,  and  degrading  follies ;  a  man 
bowed  down  with  a  multitude  of  years 
and  their  accumulated  infirmities,  em- 
barking in  the  most  extensive,  laborious, 
and  speculative  enterprises  of  worldly 
2H 


362 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


business,  are  all  inconsistencies — they 
are  palpable  and  monstrous  incongrui- 
ties. 

And  can  it  be  thought  less  inconsistent 
in  a  disciple  of  Christ  and  a  child  of  God, 
to  be  eagerly  grasping  after  the  vanities 
and  fortunes  of  earth,  at  the  same  time 
that  his  heart,  and  his  home,  and  his  trea- 
sure are  professedly  in  heaven  1      Thus, 
in  religious  character,  there  is  a  consist- 
ency which  is  imperative,  beautiful,  and 
advantageous.    No  doubt  Christians  have 
many  other  motives  to  holy  conduct,  be- 
sides that  which  arises  from  the  desire 
and  the  obligation  to  maintain  the  con- 
sistency of  their  character ;  but  they  do 
not  overlook  the  all-compelling  argument 
in  favour  of  such  conduct,  which  grows 
out  of  their  new  state  and  character.  "  If," 
says    the    apostle,   "ye   be    risen   with 
Christ,   seek,"  &c.      "  You  who   were 
dead  in  your  sins  and  the  uncircumcision 
of  your  flesh,  hath  God  quickened  together 
with  Christ.     If  then,"  he  argues  with 
irresistible  point  and  force,  if  ye  be  thus 
changed,   and   "  are   risen   with    Christ, 
see/i,"  &c.     The  distinction  between  their 
present  and  their  former  state  is  not  a  dis- 
tinction without  a  difference,  but  a  dis- 
tinction so  great  as  to  be  set  forth  in  the 
Scriptures  under  images  and  illustrations 
of  the  most  decisive  and  striking  nature  : 
they  are  turned  from  darkness  to  light — 
they  have  passed  from  death  unto  life — 
they  have  gone  forth   out  of  the  pit,  and 
emerged    from    the    dungeon — they    are 
created  anew,  and  born  again — in  short, 
"  they  who  were  dead  in  sins,  are  quick- 
ened together,  and  are  risen  with  Christ," 
From  so  great  a  difference  of  state,  it  is 
expected   that  the  greatest  difference  of 
conduct  should  follow.      Every  view  of 
the  Christian's  character  given  us  in  the 
Scriptures,  shows  us  the  importance  and 
necessity  of  consistency  of  conduct.     Is 
he  set  forth  as  running  a  race  1  then  his 
eve  must  be  upon  the  prize,  and  he  must 
press  towards  the  mark  of  it  with  all  pos- 
sible  diligence   and  earnestness.     Is  he 
held  up  as  a  combatant  1  then  he  is  never 
to  be  without  his  arms,  never  to  sleep 
upon  his  post,  or  to  relax  in  his  energies, 
until  all  the  field  is  won,  and  proclaimed 
won.     Is  he  a  citizen  ]  then  he  is  to  che- 


rish a  sense  of  the  advantages,  privileges, 
and  immunities  of  his  high  destiny,  and 
to  walk  Avorthy  of  his  exalted  avocation. 
Is  he  a  member  of  one  vast  and  holy 
family  ]  then  he  must  adhere  to  the  prin- 
ciple that  animates  and  actuates  the 
whole,  or  he  will  interrupt  and  disturb  its 
harmony  and  perfection.  Is  he  in  Christ  ? 
then  he  must  abide  in  him,  and  so  bring 
forth  much  fruit,  that  his  God  and  Father 
may  be  glorified.  In  short,  is  he  a  child 
of  God,  and  an  heir  of  glory  ;  is  he  risen 
with  Christ  ]  then  he  must  seek  the  things 
that  are  above,  where  Christ  sitteth. 

What  should  we  think  of  him  that  is 
heir  to  a  great  monarchy,  collecting  and 
arraying  himself  in  the  rags  and  tatters 
of  a  pauper?  and  yet  such  conduct  would 
not  be  as  inconsistent  as  ours  is,  if  we 
prefer  earth  to  heaven.  We  should  con- 
sider it  as  an  act  of  meanness,  in  one  pos- 
sessed of  unbounded  affluence,  to  be  col- 
lecting every  straw,  and  gathering  all  the 
refuse  that  he  could  find  1  and  yet  such 
conduct  would  not  be  as  inconsistent  as 
ours,  who  profess  to  be  risen  with  Christ, 
is,  if  we  seek  the  things  below,  and  not 
the  things  that  are  above.  And  is  there 
any  thing  in  the  riches  of  earth  that  can 
for  one  moment  be  compared  with  the 
things  that  are  above — the  riches  of  a 
blissful  eternity  1  Is  there  an}'  thing  in 
the  honours  of  this  life  that  can  for  a  sin- 
gle instant  be  put  in  competition  with 
that  glory  which  is  to  be  revealed  in  the 
saints'?  Is  there  anj' thing  in  the  plea- 
sures of  time  that  can  be  balanced  with 
the  joys  that  are  at  God's  right  hand — 
the  pleasures  in  his  presence  for  ever- 
more ]  Seeing,  then,  that  you  look  for 
such  things,  what  manner  of  persons 
ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy  conversa- 
tion ! 

2.  On  account  of  Ihe  reasonahlenesa  of 
the  duty  itself,  I  would  enforce  it  upon 
you. 

And  let  me  ask,  can  there  be  any  thing 
more  reasonable  than  that,  among  the 
multiplicity  of  things  which  press  upon 
and  court  our  attention,  we  should  seek 
those  that  are  most  excellent  and  most 
enduring?  The  things  that  are  below — 
the  riches,  the  pleasures,  the  honours,  the 
business,  the  bustle,  and  whatever  else 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY. 


363 


this  short  enduring  world  can  give — all 
earthly  things  arc  gross  and  unsatisfac- 
tory, hollow  and  vain,  blighted  and  mil- 
dewed, and  cannot  constitute  the  felicity 
of  man,  being  neither  suited  to  the  spi- 
ritual nature  nor  to  the  immortal  duration 
of  our  souls ;  they  can  neither  satisfy  us 
while  we  live,  nor  preserve  us  from  death, 
nor  accompany  us  into  the  other  world, 
nor  contribute  any  thing  to  our  happiness 
there.  And  if  they  can  do  nothing  to- 
wards our  real  and  appropriate  felicity, 
wliy  should  we  so  eagerly  seek  them ; 
why  set  our  hearts  upon  them  1  They 
that  seek  for  happiness  in  earthlythings  are 
like  the  women  sitting  over  our  Saviour's 
sepulchre,  with  their  faces  bowed  down 
to  the  earth  ;  they  seek  the  living  among 
the  dead  :  our  happiness  is  not  here,  it  is 
risen,  it  is  above.  Let  our  hearts  ascend 
thither,  where  our  happiness  and  our 
treasure  are.  If  the  things  among  which 
we  grovel  for  the  food  and  light  of  our 
imperishable  nature,  had  a  mouth  and  a 
tongue,  and  could  speak  to  us,  they  would 
say,  "  Why  look  ye  so  earnestly  on  us," 
as  though  we  could  satisfy  your  immortal 
cravings.  Are  we  in  God's  stead — in 
Christ's  place — in  heaven's  room.  Look 
not  on  vs, — we  are  but  things  seen  and 
temporal.  As  well  might  the  chemist 
look  for  the  philosopher's  stone  among 
the  dust  of  the  streets,  or  hope  to  elabo- 
rate the  elixir  vitae  from  the  polluted  wa- 
ter of  a  stagnant  lake,  as  we  expect  to 
find  among  the  things  below  the  bliss  of 
our  undying  spirits.  God  never  put  it 
into  them:  and  nothing  can  be  to  us  more 
than  God  intended  it.  In  our  pursuit  of 
the  things  of  this  world  as  our  chief  good, 
we  are  following  after  vanity,  hunting  a 
shadow,  pursuing  a  fallacy.  And  why 
should  we  bestow  our  thoughts,  our  de- 
sires, our  longings  and  affections,  upon 
these  unreal  and  fallacious,  low  and  mean 
things,  when  tliere  are  incomparably  bet- 
ter objects  to  fix  them  upon  1 

Besides,  the  unreasonableness  of  seek- 
ing things  beneath  will  appear  still  more 
from  their  shortness  and  transitoriness. 
The  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away, 
but  the  things  v<lhich  are  above  abide 
and  endure  for  ever  and  ever.  Like  the 
bubble  that  is  blown,  and  that,  when  the 


rays  of  light  fall  on  it,  glitters  in  all  the 
colours  of  the  rainbow;  but  whilst  we 
gaze,  bursts,  and  is  no  more — like  the 
gourd  which  casts  its  cooling  shade 
ap-ainst  the  vehement  noontide  heat, 
but,  ere  the  next  day's  sun,  has  utterly 
withered  away — like  the  Jlower,  that 
blooms  and  sheds  its  fragrance  in  the 
morning,  but  in  the  evening  its  beauty 
and  its  odour  are  gone — like  the  shadow 
that  flings  itself  for  a  moment  across  our 
path,  and  then  declineth — like  a  vcpuur 
that  appeareth  and  is  quickly  dissipated, 
and  we  see  it  no  more, — so  rapidly  the 
things  that  are  beneath  consume  and  flee 
away.  O  "  what  shadows  we  are,  and 
what  shadows  we  pursue."  No!  shadows 
we  are  not,  "  though  shadows  we  pur- 
sue." 0  let  us  elevate  our  thoughts 
from  time  to  eternity,  and  transfer  our 
afTections  from  earth  to  heaven.  All  be- 
low perish  in  the  using,  but  the  things 
that  are  above  are  so  lofty  and  pure,  so 
sublime  and  godly,  so  real  and  true,  that 
the  very  desire  of  them  gives  the  mind  an 
elevation,  and  a  strength,  and  a  purity, 
which  in  themselves  are  most  improving, 
most  grateful,  valuable,  and  important. 

But  perhaps  it  may  be  objected  against 
the  reasonableness  of  the  course  which 
we  are  now  enjoining,  that  to  require  a 
person  in  one  situation  to  be  continually 
directing  his  anticipations  and  prepara- 
tions towards  another  and  a  future  one, 
is  impracticable  and  absurd.  This  objec- 
tion arises  either  from  ignorance  of  the  na- 
ture and  influence  of  religious  exercises 
and  pursuits  upon  man's  present  and  so- 
cial state,  or  from  wilful  perversion  of  the 
truth.  So  far  is  the  duty  enjoined  from 
being  incompatible  with  a  due  regard  to 
the  just  interests  and  engagements  of  the 
present  life,  that  a  proper  attention  to 
them  is  secured  by  religious  principles  ; 
for  it  is  by  a  patient  continuance  in  well- 
doing that  we  are  to  seek  for  glory,  ho- 
nour, immortality,  eternal  life ;  not  by 
visions  and  reveries,  seclusions,  and  ab- 
stractions ;  not  by  an  idle  and  voluptuous 
sentimentalism. 

It  is  true  we  have  seen  the  disciples  of 
the  church  of  Rome  thus  unfitting  and 
indisposing  themselves  for  the  appropriate 
and  necessary  avocations  and  duties,  and 


364 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


intercourse  of  social  and  civil  life,  under 
pretence  of  deeper  devotedness  and  higher 
sanctity,  and  of  cultivating  closer  and 
more  uninterrupted  communion  with 
things  above.  But  this  is  the  abuse 
of  religion  ;  this  is  being  wise  above 
what  is  written  :  it  is  substituting  the 
traditions  of  man  for  the  commandments 
of  God. 

Here  we  are  educating  for  futurity,  and 
the  use  and  end  of  education  is  to  prepare 
for  scenes  and  situations,  for  services  and 
engagements  that  are  future  and  distant. 
Is  it  considered  unreasonable  and  impro- 
per in  a  parent  to  inure  his  child  to  the 
thought  of  the  future — to  lead  him  to  an- 
ticipate it — to  fit  and  qualify  liim  for  act- 
ing his  part  well  in  it?  Surely  not.  Is 
it  wisdom  and  kindness  in  him  to  disci- 
pline and  educate  his  child,  and  so  to  pre- 
pare him  for  his  coming  manhood?  The 
parent  knows  that  his  child  will  not  re- 
gain a  child — that  he  will  outgrow  child- 
nood,  and  stretch  into  maturity,  and  he 
cannot  endure  the  thought  that  his  child 
is  to  become  a  man,  and  not  be  fitted  for 
manhood.  No  more  is  it  unreasonable 
in  an  expectant  of  immortality  to  seek  for 
a  preparation  for  immortality :  reason  says 
that  the  heir  of  eternity  should  labour  to 
be  made  meet  for  eternity.  Dismal 
thought!  to  plunge  into  eternity  unfit  for 
it, — without  any  relish  for  its  joys,  or 
capacity  for  its  duties,  or  title  to  its  re- 
wards. O  then  be  ready  for  eternity,  for 
it  Cometh  in  such  an  hour  as  we  think 
rot.  O  let  it  not  surprise  you  unawares, 
let  it  not  overwhelm  you  in  a  state  of  un- 
preparedness.  To  make  preparation  for 
it  is  the  strongest  reason,  the  highest  wis- 
dom, the  truest  philosophy,  the  deepest 
science  ;  this  is  true  religion.  Hence  we 
are  exhorted  by  the  inspired  teachers  to 
lay  up  treasure  in  heaven,  and  forbidden 
to  be  cumbered  and  troubled  about  many 
things. 

We  should  be  prompted  to  this  on 
account  of, 

3.  The  present  advantages  which  result 
from  it. 

By  a  wise  appointment  of  God,  duty 
and  interest  are  joined,  and  as  we  attend 
to  the  one  so  the  other  will  be  promoted. 
Godliness  is  profitable  for  all    things, 


having  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  as 
M'ell  as  of  that  which  is  to  come.  Reli- 
gion "  is  our  life,"  even  now.  All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God.  To  be  engaged  in  setting  our  affec- 
tions on  things  above  is  that  very  exercise 
which  is  the  best  calculated  to  promote 
our  present  welfare  and  immediate  com- 
fort. For  when  the  thoughts  and  affec- 
tions are  set  on  things  above,  they  are 
placed  on  their  proper  object,  they  are 
attached  to  their  appropriate  centre,  and 
the  result  must  be  rest  of  spirit,  inward 
tranquillity,  satisfaction,  and  harmony. 
So  that,  independent  of  our  prospects  in 
futAirity  itself,  were  we  merely  to  consult 
our  true  interests  in  the  present  state,  we 
must  be  induced  to  obey  the  direction  of 
the  apostle  from  the  singularly  happy  in- 
fluence which  it  exerts  on  the  actual  con- 
dition of  the  mind. 

Whilst  our  thoughts  and  affections  are 
set  on  the  things  above,  worldly  pros- 
perity will  not  greatly  elevate,  nor  worldly 
adversity  much  depress  ;  the  one  will  not 
intoxicate,  the  other  will  not  destro}\ 
The  Christian's  great  treasure  knows  no 
decay.  His  most  valuable  possession 
is  not  liable  to  the  contingencies  to 
which  all  earthly  things  are  subject. 
He  is  hastening  to  an  incorruptible  inhe- 
ritance, a  kingdom  that  cannot  be  moved. 
And 

"A  hope  so  much  divine 
May  trials  well  endure." 

You,  who  know  that  you  have  in  heaven 
a  better  and  enduring  substance  ;  that  are 
sure  of  a  place  at  God's  right  hand — a 
mansion  in  the  skies — a  bower  in  para- 
dise— a  seat  in  glory — a  repose  in  Abra- 
ham's bosom — an  asylum,  a  refuge,  a 
house,  a  shelter,  in  eternity  :  you,  that 
are  going  to  the  general  assembly  and 
church  of  the  first-born,  to  the  innumera- 
ble company  of  angels,  to  Jesus  the  Me- 
diator of  the  new  covenant,  and  to  God 
the  Judge  of  all ;  to  the  general  rendez- 
vous of  the  just,  the  gathering  of  the  call- 
ed, and  faithful,  and  chosen,  you  can 
afford  a  few  trials  by  the  way.  You  can 
smile  at  the  transien^  storm,  remember- 
ing the  haven  for  which  you  are  bound 
Your  little  bark  may  feel  the  dash  and 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DUTY. 


365 


fury  of  the  storm,  but  her  anchor  is  cast 
within  the  liaven,  and  she  will  outride 
the  billows,  and  defy  their  rag-e.  The 
believer  has  cast  anchor  in  heaven,  and 
though  he  may  suffer  from  the  storms  of 
life,  he  cannot  be  a  wreck.  You  that 
are  trees  of  righteousness,  the  planting 
of  the  Lord,  may  bend  before  the  blast 
as  it  whistles  and  howls  around  you, 
but  you  shall  not  be  broken  by  it.  Let 
winds  blow  and  tempests  roar,  they  will 
take  away  nothing  but  leaves;  the  tree 
is  safe,  and  can  neither  be  shivered  nor 
torn  up,  being  fast  rooted  by  the  throne 
of  God  ;  and  the  fruit  it  bears  is  to  life 
eternal.  So  we  hear  the  pious  of  every 
age  expressing  and  solacing  themselves 
amidst  the  fluctuation  of  surrounding 
circumstances,  and  the  depression  to 
which  it  gives  rise.  David  exclaims, 
"  though  the  mountains,"  &c.  Habak- 
kuk — "  Although  the  fig  tree  shall  not 
blossom,  neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the 
vines  ;  the  labour  of  the  olive  shall  fail, 
and  the  fields  shall  yield  no  meat ;  the 
flocks  shall  be  cut  off  from  the  fold,  and 
there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls  :  yet 
I  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in 
the  God  of  my  salvation."  Paul — "  I 
reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present 
time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with 
the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us." 
All  believers  may  say,  "  We  are  cast 
down,  yet  not  destroyed — sorrowful, 
yet  always  rejoicing — patient  in  tribu- 
lation, yet  rejoicing  in  hope."  The 
Christian  can  bear  the  loss  of  those  things 
that  perish  in  the  using,  knowing  that  he 
has  bags  which  wax  not  old,  riches  that 
never  decay,  a  treasure  in  the  heavens 
unfading  and  eternal. 

4.  Above  all — be  entreated  to  seek  the 
things  above,  because  they  are  the  scene  in 
which  Christ  dwells.  This  is  the  argu- 
ment with  which  the  apostle  enforces 
the  injunction.  There  is  Christ  in  his 
rest  and  glory;  and  where  he  is  will 
you  not  seek  to  be  also  1  And  is  it  not 
the  object  of  his  affectionate  solicitude 
that  you  may  be  with  him  in  his  glory  1 
Hear  that  prayer  from  one  whom  the 
Father  heareth  always,  and  exult  in  what 
you  hear :  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  also 
whom  thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me 


where  I  am ;  that  they  may  behold  my 
glory."  It  is  the  presence  of  Christ  in 
heaven  that  will  make  it  so  rich  a  hea- 
ven to  you,  you  saved  sinner.  Have 
you  not  enjoyed  his  presence  in  some 
favoured  seasons  on  earth,  and  have  not 
its  manifestations  been  most  sweet  and 
exhilarating  1  If  such  are  the  streams, 
what  must  be  the  fountain  1  If  such  the 
glimpses,  what  will  be  the  full  and 
unclouded  gaze  1  Times  of  refreshing 
even  now  are  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord ;  what  will  be  the  high  felicities  of 
his  heavenly  presence  !  If  communion 
with  him  (through  media)  be  so  delight- 
ful that  it  supplies  our  souls  with  hea- 
venly food,  and  our  seasons  of  its  enjoy- 
ment are  the  bright  spots  of  our  journey 
to  the  upward  house,  what  must  it  be  to 
sit  at  his  feet  in  glory,  to  gaze  upon  that 
face  of  his  that  shineth  like  the  sun  in 
his  strength,  and  to  hold  intimate  and 
unbroken  fellowship  with  him  whose 
smile  irradiates  the  whole  paradise  of 
God !  This  is  all  we  desire — to  be 
with  the  Lord !  this  the  summit  of  our 
wishes !  True,  we  read  of  the  splen- 
dour of  the  palace  of  the  Almighty  King 
— of  the  golden  streets,  the  jasper  pave- 
ment, the  angel  choirs,  the  swelling  cho- 
rus of  eternity  :  but  this  word,  "we  shall 
be  ever  with  the  Lord,  be  where  Christ 
sitteth,"  conveys  to  us  more  of  heaven 
than  all  the  metaphorical  emblems  of  it, 
august  and  gorgeous,  delicious  and  de- 
lightful as  they  are  !  It  was  this  that  made 
John,  who  leaned  on  the  breast  of  Jesus 
as  he  sat  at  meat,  say,  (1  John  iii.  2,) 
"  Now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it 
doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be  ; 
but  we  know  that  when  he  shall  appear 
we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see 
him  as  he  is."  To  Him  all  heaven  in 
one  thanksgiving  joins,  saying,  "Wor- 
thy is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  re- 
ceive riches,  and  power,  and  wisdom, 
and  strength,  and  honour,  and  glory,  and 
blessing."  And  do  we  not  feel  solicit- 
ous to  go  up  on  high,  that  we  too  may 
swell  the  music  of  adoration  and  grati- 
tude which  is  rendered  him  there  ? 
Surely  it  is  all  our  desire  to  "behold 
the  Lamb"  upon  the  throne,  and  to  join 
in  that  immortal  song  which  ascribes 
2k2 


366 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


to  him  that  which  is  so  justly  his  due. 
Seek  the  things  above,  then,  for  there 
Christ  sitteth. 

5.  Finally,  be  admonished  by  the  con- 
siJeration  of  the  dreadful  altertiative  which 
must  inevitably  follow  the  neglect  cf  this 
duly.  If  you  seek  them  not,  you  will 
be  excluded  from  them  for  ever.  If  you 
are  not  preparing  for  heaven,  you  are  for 
hell.  If  you  follow  not  holiness,  you 
cannot  see  the  Lord.  If  you  refuse  to 
seek  the  things  above,  you  are  seeking 
death  in  the  error  of  your  ways.  It  is 
only  to  those  who  have  given  diligence 
to  make  their  calling  and  election  sure, 
that  an  entrance  can  be  ministered  into 
the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Prepare,  then,  to 
meet  your  God,  for  if  you  do  not  he 
will  meet  you  as  a  bear  bereaved  of  her 
whelps,  and  will  rend  the  caul  of  your 
heart.  O  then,  as  you  would  not  lie  down 
in  sorrow,  nor  make  )'our  abode  in  the 
flames  of  hell,  nor  dwell  where  the  bowl- 
ings and  wailings  of  damnation  fill  the 
place  with  noise  more  dreadful  than  ten 
thousand  thunders,  nor  be  fastened  upon 
by  a  worm  that  can  never  be  shaken 
off,  nor  consumed  by  a  fire  that  can 
never  be  quenched  ;  as  you  would  not 
be  undone  and  lost  for  ever,  O  seek,  I 
entreat,  I  beseech,  I  conjure  you,  by  all 
that  is  delightful  in  heaven,  and  by  all 
that  is  dreadful  in  hell ;  by  the  authority 
of  God  your  Maker,  and  by  the  love  of 
Christ  your  Redeemer,  and  by  the  striv- 
ings of  the  Holy  Ghost;  by  the  necessi- 
ties of  your  immortal  spirit ;  by  the  ap- 
proach of  death,  and  the  solemnity  of 
judgment,  and  the  tremendousness  of 
eternity  ;  by  all  I  pray  you  to  seek  the 
things  that  are  above. 

In  conclusion.  I  think  I  may  say  that 
I  am  set  free  from  the  necessity  of 
making  a  stated  application  by  the  tenor 
of  the  discourse  itself.  I  trust,  how- 
ever, that  you  have  made  inquisition  into 
the  matter  as  we  have  proceeded,  testing 
your  characters  as  the  professed  disciples 
of  Christ  by  the  views  that  have  been 
supplied.  Examine  well  the  foundation 
of  your   hope ;   ascertain   the  reality  of 


your  resemblance  to  the  mind  and  cha- 
racter of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  par- 
ticularly see  how  far  your  profession  and 
conduct  agree — how  they  answer  the 
one  to  the  other.  Since  the  original 
publication  of  Christianity  many  are  the 
objections  against  it  that  have  been  ad- 
vanced by  its  enemies.  We  have  reason 
and  evidence  enough  to  satisfy  the  in- 
quiries of  the  philosophical,  the  argumen- 
tative, the  learned,  and  the  critical ;  and 
not  one  of  those  objections  which  are 
founded  on  argument,  and  learning,  and 
philosophy,  and  criticism,  but  has  been 
most  satisfactorily  and  triumphantly  an- 
swered, over  and  over  again.  But  that 
which  has  reference  to  the  subject  which 
has  now  occupied  our  attention — the  ob- 
jection which  says  that  Christians  are  so 
worldly,  so  selfish,  so  avaricious,  that 
there  is  no  difference  between  them  and 
those  that  make  no  profession,  and  that 
the  former  are  just  as  earthly,  and  as  se- 
cular, and  as  feverish  as  the  latter :  this 
objection,  I  say,  is  not  so  easily  answered 
and  set  aside.  Here  it  is,  my  brethren, 
that  the  Saviour  is  wounded  in  the  house 
of  his  friends.  It  is  difficult  to  find  an 
answer  to  this  allegation,  and  I  summon 
you  and  myself  practically  to  refute  it. 
If  we  have  been  thus  culpable  and  injuri- 
ous, let  us  be  so  no  more  :  let  us  be  per- 
suaded, and  entreated,  and  exhorted  hence- 
forth to  walk  not  as  other  Gentiles  walk, 
in  the  vanity  of  their  minds ;  but  to  live  so- 
berly, righteously,  yea  godly,  in  this  pre- 
sent world.  Let  us  maintain  such  a  walk 
and  conversation  as  not  only  shall  bring  no 
reproach  upon  the  worthy  name  whereby 
we  are  called,  but  such  as  shall  prove 
beneficial  and  ornamental,  influential  and 
useful :  let  us  remember  that  the  cause  of 
Christ  is  committed  to  us  in  the  world  ;  its 
fate  and  fortunes  are,  in  some  sort,  in  our 
hands,  and  it  is  for  us  to  uphold  and  to  ex- 
tend it.  And  Oletus  see  to  it  that  its  bright- 
ness is  not  sullied,  nor  its  progress  imped- 
ed, through  our  personal  inconsistency  and 
impurity;  and  to  this  end  let  us  be  constant- 
ly "  looking  for  that  blessed  hope  and  the 
glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God  and 
our  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


THE  PULPIT  GALLERY. 


867 


THE   PUZiPFT  GiiljIiZSRV. 

NO.    XII. 
REV.  THOMAS    RAFFLES,  LL.D. 


"  Ever  was  he  seen 
A  faithful  pastor.    In  admonition  warm, 
Oft  did  he  caution  the  too  thoughtless  tribes 
Against  each  sin  that  easily  besets 
The  heart;  and  oft,  more  anxious  than  their 

sires, 
Taught  the  surrounding  innocents,  who  loved 
His  friendly  smile,  the  lesson  to  be  good. 

POLWHKELE. 


Dr.  Raffles  was  born  May  17,  1778, 
in  the  parish  of  Christchurch,  Spital- 
fields,  London,  where  his  father  was  an 
eminent  and  highly  respected  solicitor. 
The  early  part  of  his  education  he  receiv- 
ed at  Peckham  in  Surrey,  under  the  Rev. 
M.  Ready,  from  whence  he  removed  to  a 
situation  in  the  Bishop  of  London's  re- 
g'istry,  in  Doctors'  Commons.  While 
at  school  he  was  introduced  to  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Collyer,  who,  perceiving  his  great 
predilection  for  the  ministry,  strongly 
encouraged  it,  and,  in  conformity  with 
the  doctor's  advice,  he  returned  to  the 
academy  at  Peckham,  and  entered  upon 
a  course  of  preparatory  studies,  previous 
to  his  admission  into  the  College  at  Ho- 
merton,  which  took  place  in  1804.  He 
remained  there  rather  more  than  four 
years,  and  on  leaving  the  college  was  or- 
dained to  the  pastoral  office  over  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  Hammersmith. 

Mr.  Raffles  continued  in  this  scene  of 
labour  for  two  years,  when,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  melancholy  event  which 
deprived  Liverpool  of  the  excellent  and 
lamented  Spencer,  he  was  invited,  with 
other  ministers,  to  supply  for  a  few 
weeks  the  bereaved  church.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1811,  Mr.  R.  preached  on  three  Sab- 
baths in  Newington  chapel,  Liverpool, 
and  shortly  after  reoeived  an  unanimous 
call  to  become  the  pastor  of  the  congre- 
gation late  under  Mr.  Spencer's  charge. 
This  invitation  was  accepted,  and  in  the 
April  following  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Liverpool,  which  has  been  the  scene 
of  his  active  labours  ever  since. 


In  December,  1820,  Mr.  Raffles  was 
created  Doctor  of  Laws,  by  the  Senatus 
Academicus  of  the  Marischal  College  and 
University  of  Aberdeen,  from  whence  he 
had  previously  received  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts.  His  testimonials  on 
being  created  a  doctor  were  signed  by  the 
Dukes  of  Sussex  and  Somerset,  as  gra- 
duates  of  the  same  degree  in  the  English 
universities. 

Dr.  Raffles  has  been  the  author  of  se- 
veral useful  and  important  works — his 
Memoirs  of  the  life  and  ministry  of  Spen- 
cer is  a  beautiful  piece  of  biography — his 
Tour  through  France  and  Switzerland  is 
often  used  by  travellers  through  the  ro- 
mantic scenery  of  Savoy.  The  doctor 
has  also  published  two  volumes  of  Lec- 
tures on  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  sundry  discourses 
delivered  on  public  occasions. 

His  talents  as  a  preacher  are  of  the 
first  order:  the  crowds  which  attend  his 
ministry — the  affection  which  is  felt  for 
him  by  the  members  of  his  church,  and 
the  universal  esteem  with  which  he  is 
regarded  by  all  classes  of  society,  are  the 
best  tributes  to  his  talents  and  his  virtues, 
and  the  brightest  and  best  rewards  he 
can  hope  for,  or  desire,  on  this  side  of 
eternity. 

We  close  this  sketch  with  an  extract 
from  a  work  by  the  Rev.  Calvin  Colton, 
entitled  "  Four  Years  in  Great  Britain." 
On  Mr.  Colton's  visit  to  England  he 
landed  at  Liverpool  on  a  Sunday ;  in  the 
evening  of  the  day  of  his  debarkation  he 
went  to  Great  George  street  chapel  to 
attend  divine  service,  and  heard  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  preach.  The  following 
is  his  account  of  the  man  and  the  occa- 
sion : 

"  At  the  appointed  hour  a  clergyman 
ascended  the  pulpit,  knelt,  and  offered 
his  silent  prayer — a  custom  most  befit- 
ting and  impressive,  but  not  practised  in 
America,  except  by  two  denominations  ; 
and  then,  opening  the  Bible,  he  read  the 
twenty-fourth  chapter  of  Matthew  with 
great  pertinency  and  pathos  of  expression, 
in  silvery  and  subduing  tones.  From  the 
first  opening  of  his  lips  he  seemed  moved 
from  his  inmost  soul.  I  could  have  ima- 
gined, though  ignorant  of  the  cause,  that 


368 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


the  deep  fountains  of  feeling  were  opened 
witliin  him,  and  that  some  mighty  sym- 
pathies were  working  there,  and  I  thought 
too  that  the  congregation  were  ready  to  be 
with  him  in  feeling  ;  but  still  I  knew  not 
the  occasion.  'Is  that  Dr.  Raffles'?' 
said  I  in  a  whisper  to  the  gentleman  on 
my  right,  as  the  preacher  began  to  read. 
'  Yes,  sir,'  Mas  the  answer.  After  the 
usual  introductory  services,  and  a  prayer 
w'hich  breathed  the  soul,  and  seemed 
communion  with  the  skies,  a  fellowship 
with  heaven,  and  fitted  well  to  raise  the 
heart  that  wished  to  be  with  God,  the 
following  text  was  announced : — '  There- 
fore be  ye  also  ready  :  for  in  an  hour  that 
ye  know  not  the  Son  of  man  cometh.' 

'"Nearly  twenty  years  have  rolled 
away  since  I  have  had  the  pastoral  charge 
of  this  congregation,'  said  the  preacher, 
(and  these  were  his  first  Avords  after 
reading  the  text, )  '  and  never  have  I 
been  called  to  mingle  my  tears  with  the 
bereaved  of  my  charge,  in  any  instance, 
for  a  work  of  death  so  astounding  to  pri- 
vate and  public  sympathy  as  in  the  late 
and  ill-fated  doom  of  the  Rothsay  Cas- 
tle.' And  here,  at  the  end  of  the  first 
sentence,  the  secret  was  all  opened  to 
me,  and  I  felt  myself  at  once  a  mourner 
with  the  mourning,  and  was  ready  to 
claim  a  full  part  in  the  deploring  enact- 
ment of  that  solemn  hour.  For  I  had 
passed  in  full  view  of  the  scene  of  death, 
and  had  heard  the  story  for  the  first  time 
that  very  day.  Three  members  of  Dr. 
Raffles'  church,  Mr.  Lucas,  his  wife,  and 
their  daughter,  were  of  the  number  who 
perished :  and  that  evening  it  had  de- 
volved on  the  pastor  to  stand  up  before  a 
sympathizing  people  to  tell  the  story,  and 
try  to  impress  them  with  the  practical 
lesson  of  the  awful  event;  and  he  did 
tell  the  story  in  the  outset — the  simple 
story.  He  did  not  begin  a  great  way  oflF, 
and  deliver  a  lecture  on  the  abstract  truth, 
till  his  hearers  were  tired  of  a  cNscussion, 
as  it  is  too  apt  to  be  the  fashion  on  such 
occasions ;  but  he  told  the  simple  story 
as  the  exordium  of  his  sermon.  He 
briefly  noticed  the  character  of  those 
whose  sudden  and  awful  death  they  la- 
mented ;  traced  th^pathway  of  their  spi- 
rits through  the  stormy  waves   of  the 


ocean  to  the  haven  of  eternal  rest,  and 
then  applied  himself  to  the  proper  theme 
of  his  text,  in  application  to  his  hearers, 
and  in  view  of  the  mournful  event  which 
had  suggested  it—'  Be  ye  also  ready.' 

"  I  had  heard  of  Dr.  Raffles,  and  enter- 
tained a  high  opinion  of  his  powers.  He 
is  unquestionably  an  eloquent  man  ;  and 
a  man  of  good  sterling  sense,  of  pure 
taste  and  sound  discretion ;  he  is  sure  to 
be  pertinent;  and  in  these  attributes,  and 
others  akin  to  them,  great.  He  demon- 
strates  a  perfect  honesty.  It  is  his  full 
soul  that  speaks  out,  and  no  one  doubts 
it — all  feel  it ;  and  this  is  eloquence. 
Take,  then,  a  theme  like  the  fate  of  the 
Rothsay  Castle,  and  give  it  such  a  man, 
before  an  audience  whose  acquaintances 
and  dear  ones  perished  there,  and  let  him 
bring  heaven  and  earth,  time  and  eternity, 
probation  and  the  judgment  all  together, 
as  they  stand  connected  with  such  a 
scene,  and  in  the  light  of  Christianity — 
and  none  who  can  hear  can  be  indifferent. 
And  there  were  none  indifferent  on  that 
occasion,  1  dare  to  say.  It  was  not  the 
voioe  of  man  alone.  Man  only  gave  a 
palpable  utterance  to  the  voice  of  God. 

"  In  the  midst  of  the  sermon,  and  at  a 
moment  when  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
the  audience  were  entirely  captive,  under 
the  guidance  of  the  preacher,  and  with 
him  meditating  on  death,  judgment,  and 
eternity — abstracted  from  earth,  and  rapt 
in  thought  of  a  coming  world — a  sudden, 
protracted,  and  apparently  an  expiring 
groan  came  from  a  distant  part  of  the  gal- 
leries, reaching  every  part  of  the  house, 
and  penetrating  every  heart.  It  was  a 
startling,  thrilling  expression  of  distress, 
augmented  a  thousand  fold  by  the  cir- 
cumstances. The  self-possession  of  the 
preacher,  however,  in  a  measure  quieted 
the  apprehensions  of  the  audience,  by 
stating  that  it  was  a  person  taken  in  a  fit; 
and  the  individual  having  been  carried 
out,  after  a  pause  of  two  or  three  minutes 
the  doctor  proceeded.  What  was  the 
real  cause  of  suffering  I  know  not.  But 
the  shock  at  such  a  moment — when  the 
feelings  of  the  audience  were  under  the 
highest  excitement,  and  borne  away  by 
the  most  powerful  sj-mpathies  for  the 
dying  and  the  dead,  and  forced  to  think 


SERMON  XLI. 

LIFE    A    JOURNEY. 
BY  THE  REV.  R.  C.  DILLON. 


'  For  we  are  strangers  before  thee,  and  sojourners,  as  were  all  our  fathers ;  our  days  on  the  earIM 
are  as  a  shadow,  and  there  is  none  abiding." — 1  Chron,  xxix.  15. 


This  is  the  testimony  of  an  old  man,  of 
one  who  had  seen  what  human  life  is ; 
and  who  was  capable  of  summing  up  the 
total,  because  he  had  made  himself  mas- 
ter of  all  the  items  of  the  account.  The 
young  man,  indeed,  could  give  the  sum  ; 
but  so  different  are  the  colours  of  life  as 
we  look  forward  to  the  future,  or  back- 
ward upon  the  past,  that  he  could  give  it 
only  prospectively.  David  gave  it  retro- 
spectively. He  had  not  merely  tasted  the 
cup ;  he  had  drank  it.  He  had  come  to  that 
period  of  his  existence  on  earth,  which 
led  him  to  consider  death  as  a  merciful 
dismission  from  a  long  and  distressing 
warfare,  and  as  opening  a  door  for  him 
into  the  mansions  of  his  Father's  house 
above.  He  had  outlived  many  of  his 
friends,  his  children,  and  his  comforts. 
Most  of  those  ties  which  had  connected 
him  with  life  had  been  broken  ;  and  he 
was  standing  on  the  borders  of  the  grave, 
just  waiting  the  commission  that  would 
join  him  to  the  departed  multitudes  of 
former  ages. 

But  this  is  not  only  the  testimony  of 
an  old  man  ;  it  is  the  evidence  of  one  who 
could  estimate  life.  There  are  persons 
upon  whom  all  the  advantages  of  experi- 
ence are  thrown  away.  Solomon  says 
that,  "  though  thou  shouldest  bray  a  fool 
in  a  mortar  among  wheat  with  a  pestle,  yet 
will  not  his  foolishness  depart  from  him." 
Such  persons  go  through  life  with  such 
torpid  indifference,  that  none  of  its  occur- 
rences, whether  prosperous  or  adverse, 
leave  any  trace  on  their  minds.    Their 


present  plans  derive  no  improvement 
from  that  wisdom  which  the  failure  of 
their  former  plans  might  teach  them; 
they  glide  through  the  world,  forgetful 
of  the  past,  and  careless  about  the  future; 
and  at  the  close  of  life  have  gained  but 
little  more  solid  sense  and  judgment  than 
they  had  at  its  commencement.  It  is  not 
surprising,  therefore,  that  from  the  expe- 
rience of  such  persons  the  young  and 
inexperienced  should  gain  but  little  in- 
struction. We  all  expect  that  knowledge 
should  be  the  consequence  of  a  long  life; 
and  we  turn,  therefore,  with  sorrow  and 
regret,  from  those  who  appear  not  to  have 
grown  .wiser  as  they  have  grown  older. 
And  unwilling,  as  we  are,  to  deny  to  the 
aged  that  veneration  and  reverence  which 
their  privilege  obtains,  we  had  rathei 
trust  our  own  eyes  in  the  journey  of  life, 
than  yield  to  the  guidance  of  those  who 
have  lost  their  way. 

But  among  those  aged  travellers  we 
are  not  to  number  David.  He  had  not 
mingled  with  the  world  to  no  purpose; 
he  had  seen  it  in  all  its  varied  forms ; 
and,  in  coming  to  the  conclusion  of  the 
text,  he  had  been  guided  by  a  long  and 
observant  experience. 

And  be  it  remarked,  moreover,  that 
this  is  the  testimony,  not  only  of  an  old 
man,  and  a  wise  man,  but  of  a  great  man. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  David  was  a 
monarch,  an  absolute  monarch  ;  and  this 
consideration  gives  peculiar  force  to  his 
testimony.  Had  it  been  made  by  other 
men,  we  mio-hthavethoughtto  escape  from 
2  I  373 


374 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


such  a  melancholy  conclusion.  Had  we 
been  told  by  one  whose  experience  was 
but  little,  that  we  are  only  "  strangers 
and  sojourners,  that  our  days  on  the  earth 
are  as  a  shadow,  and  there  is  none  abid- 
ing," we  might  have  considered  him  as 
giving  utterance  rather  to  the  feelings  of 
discontent  than  the  confidence  of  persua- 
sion ;  and  as  speaking  not  so  much  of  the 
general  state  of  human  life,  as  of  his  own 
share,  and  his  own  situation.  But  the 
character  and  eminence  of  David  leave 
no  room  for  subterfuge  ;  we  are  compelled 
to  admit  his  conclusion,  because  of  the 
soundness  and  the  validity  of  the  pre- 
mises. He  had  witnessed  the  extremes 
of  life.  He  had  been  a  shepherd  boy ; 
and  this  may  account  for  his  delightful 
adoption  of  a  shepherd  and  his  flock,  that 
occur  so  frequently  in  the  Psalms  ;  and 
he  was  raised  from  that  lowly  condition 
to  the  summit  of  all  that  is  great  and 
illustrious  in  society.  He  had  in  his 
possession  whatever  power  and  riches 
could  confer;  every  power  and  delight 
which  others  possessed  he  had  authority 
to  summons,  or  wealth  to  purchase  ;  and 
all  that  royal  prosperity  could  supply 
was  accumulated  upon  him.  He  had 
found,  however,  that  the  splendour  of  roy- 
alty could  contribute  very  little  to  the 
promotion  of  happiness,  could  promise 
him  no  security  from  the  vicissitudes  of 
life.  High  though  he  was  placed  above 
the  common  standard  of  earthly  prosperity, 
he  knew  that  he  was  still  in  the  sphere  of 
humanity ;  and  that  the  highest  point  of 
its  orbit  extends  not  beyond  the  region  of 
clouds  and  storms,  by  which  he  was  at 
all  times  liable  to  be  invaded. 

Nor  was  he  a  stranger  to  the  difficul- 
ties of  domestic  affliction ;  for  the  only 
son  of  whom,  we  are  told,  he  was  pas- 
sionately fond,  and  whose  life  seems  to 
have  been  bound  up  in  his  own,  was  the 
only  son  who  took  up  arms  against  him. 
Yes,  brethren,  David  knew,  from  expe- 
rience, that  in  every  department  of  human 
felicity  there  is  a  void  ;  and  that  in  the 
most  prosperous  life  there  is  some  corner 
possessed  by  sorrow. 

Now,  therefore,  at  the  age  of  three- 
score years  and  ten,  at  the  height  of  pros- 
perity, (for  the  Jewish  nation  had  never 


appeared  to  be  more  at  home  than  at  the 
close  of  David's  life,)  he  is  lookino-  upon 
the  past,  and  the  last  scenes  of  his  his- 
tory, and  having  spread  the  world  in  its 
amount  before  him  when  he  looks  at  the 
total  this — this  is  the  sum — "  We  are 
strangers  before  thee,  and  sojourners,  as 
were  all  our  fathers  :  our  days  on  the 
earth  are  as  a  shadow,  and  there  is  none 
abiding." 

There  are  two  points  in  the  further  con- 
sideration of  this  verse  on  which  I  shall 
engage  your  attention. 

First,  We  have  here  a  description  of 

HUMAN  LIFE.       And 

Secondly,  An  inference  of  Christian 

DUTY. 

First,  We  have  here  a  description  op 
HUMAN  life — a  pilgrimage.  Our  passage 
through  life  is  represented  in  Scripture 
under  a  variety  of  striking  and  express- 
ive images.  Sometimes  it  is  compared  to 
an  arrow  flying  through  the  air,  which 
quickly  strikes  the  mark  it  aims  at ;  some- 
times to  a  race  in  which  we  soon  arrive 
at  the  destined  goal ;  sometimes  to  a 
flower,  which  to-day  is  grovnng  in  the 
field,  and  to-morrow  cut  down  and 
withered.  But  there  is,  perhaps,  no 
figure  by  which  the  Christian  state  on 
earth  is  more  frequently  described,  or 
more  aptly  illustrated,  than  by  that  of  a 
journey.  The  other  figures  give  us  an 
idea  of  some  particulars  only  in  the  life 
of  man,  to  assist  his  progress  to  his  des- 
tined end  ;  but  a  journey  seems  to  com- 
prehend all  its  usual  circumstances:  re- 
presenting the  whole  world  in  all  its  dis- 
tinctions, rich  and  poor,  wise  and  foolish, 
young  and  old,  all  journeying  to  their 
everlasting  home.  In  the  common  jour- 
neys of  the  world  some  are  long,  and 
marked,  and  crossed,  with  a  great  diver- 
sity of  circumstances  :  others,  again,  are 
short,  quietly  performed,  and  passed 
without  any  particular  occurrence.  So 
with  the  journey  of  life.  Some  are  pre- 
served to  toil  through  the  various  stages 
of  childhood,  youth,  and  manhood,  and 
old  age ;  others,  again,  have  completed 
their  journey  ere  the  noonday  brightness 
beams  upon  them  ;  and  some  in  the  morn 
ing  of  their  days.  But  the  resemblances 
are    almost  too    numerous   to  be   told. 


LIFE  A  JOURNEY. 


375 


Hence,  however,  Christians  are  styhd 
"strangers  and  sojourners." 

Now  a  stranger,  I  need  not  tell  yon,  is 
the  opposite  to  a  home  station;  and  the 
Christian  is  travelling  through  a  strange 
country,  in  which  he  is  commanded  to 
execute  his  work  with  diligence,  and  pur- 
sue his  course  homeward  with  alacrity. 
The  fruits  which  he  sees  by  the  way-side 
he  gathers  with  caution  ;  and  he  drinks 
of  the  stream  with  moderation.  He  is 
tliankful  when  the  sun  shines  upon  his 
progress,  and  his  way  is  pleasant ;  but  if 
the  way  be  rough  and  the  weather  stormy 
he  cares  not,  he  is  but  a  traveller  ;  and 
you  know  if,  in  an  earthly  journey,  the 
accommodation  of  the  inn  be  not  entirely 
what  we  wish,  we  bear  it  easily,  it  is  of 
little  consequence,  it  is  the  habitation 
only  of  a  night,  in  the  morning  we  are 
gone.  And  so  it  is  with  the  Christian  ; 
he  is  prepared  for  vicissitudes  ;  but  he  is 
travelling  to  a  better  country,  a  country 
of  unclouded  light  and  undisturbed  seren- 
ity. He  finds,  also,  that  when  the  accom- 
modations to  be  given  are  poor,  he  is  less 
disposed  to  loiter.  He  knows  also,  that 
to  the  very  end  of  life  his  journey  will  be 
through  an  enemy's  country,  where  he 
has  multitudes  to  oppose  him ;  that  his 
way  is  beset  with  snares  ;  temptations 
crowd  around  him  to  betray  him  from  his 
course,  and  to  check  his  spiritual  advance- 
ment. He  knows  the  very  atmosphere 
of  the  world  induces  drowsiness ;  so  that, 
to  the  very  last,  it  becomes  him  to  be  cir- 
cumspect and  collected.  Frequently, 
therefore,  does  he  examine  the  progress 
he  has  made,  whereabouts  he  is,  how 
he  has  got  forward,  and  whether  he  is 
travelling  in  a  right  direction.  Some- 
times his  progress  appears  to  be  consider- 
able, at  other  times  it  is  slender ;  and  at 
all  times  it  is  less  than  he  wishes.  At 
one  time  he  is  cheered  with  hope  and 
gladdened  by  success ;  at  another  the 
clouds  hover  too  many  over  his  head,  he 
is  disquieted  by  doubts  and  damped  by 
disappointments. 

Such  is  a  sketch  of  the  Christian's 
journey  through  life.  He  is  a  "  stran- 
ger," and,  as  Daj^id  describes  him  fur- 
ther, he  is  a  "  sojourner."  This  last 
expression  is  borrowed  from  the  usage  of 


the  Arabs,  who  pitch  their  tents  in  the 
evening  and  strike  them  the  next  morn- 
ing. In  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  a 
list  of  venerable  men  of  former  days  : — 
"These  all  died  in  faith,  not  having  re- 
ceived the  promises,  but  having  seen 
them  afar  off,  and  were  persuaded  of 
them,  and  embraced  them,  and  confessed 
that  they  were  strangers  and  pilgrims  on 
the  earth."  You  will  recollect  that  such 
was  the  confession  of  the  good  old  man, 
Jacob,  upon  a  question  put  to  him  by 
the  Egyptian  monarch  :  "  And  Jacob  said 
unto  Pharaoh,  The  days  of  the  years  of 
my  pilgrimage  are  an  hundred  and  thirty 
j^ears  :  few  and  evil  have  the  days  of  the 
years  of  my  life  been,  and  have  not 
attained  unto  the  days  of  the  years  of  the 
life  of  my  fathers  in  the  days  of  their  pil- 
grimage." And  such  as  was  Jacob's 
life,  is  our  life.  Oh,  brethren,  that  we 
could  embrace  this  grand  sentiment :  "this 
is  not  your  rest."  Your  life,  brethren, 
at  the  longest,  is  a  short  journey,  and 
unless  the  end  is  regarded,  it  is  an  inef- 
fectual journey.  "  We  are  but  strangers 
and!  sojourners,  as  all  our  fathers  were." 
It  is  no  new  thing  in  the  character  of 
David's  life  ;  he  was  that,  only,  which 
all  his  fathers  had  been.  And  we  too, 
brethren,  ma)^  assure  ourselves  that  life, 
in  all  future  periods,  will  continue  to  be 
what  it  has  been  to  generations  past, — 
"  Our  days  are  as  a  shadow."  What  is 
a  shadow  ■?  Let  a  man  look  back  on  his 
own  life,  and  he  will  get  the  answer  to 
the  question  ;  let  him  take  a  serious  and 
impartial  retrospect  of  his  former  history, 
and  then  give  in  his  evidence  ;  and — "  we 
are  strangers  and  sojourners  as  were  all 
our  fathers  :  our  days  on  the  earth  are  as 
a  shadow,  and. there  is  none  abiding," 
will  be  the  amount  of  his  testimony. 

Let  me  appeal  to  the  older  persons  in 
the  church  this  morning,  some  of  the  age 
of  the  writer  of  the  text ;  let  them  tell  us, 
or  rather  tell  themselves,  what  it  is. 
And  will  you  not  saj*^,  dear  brethren,  that 
it  has  been  a  shacfow  1  What  has  been 
grasped — what  has  been  obtained  ?  I 
hope  of  none  of  you  it  may  be  said,  that 
he  has  sown  to  the  wind  and  reaped  the 
whirlwind.  I  know  how  to  make  it  sub- 
stance, you  know  how  to  make  it  sub- 


376 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


stance;  but  are  you  doing  it  1  one  thing 
is  needful — an  interest  in  Christ,  and 
being  clothed  in  the  mantle  of  his  spotless 
righteousness ;  and  having  all  your  ini- 
quities cast  behind  Jesus'  back  into  the 
depths  of  the  sea.  That  one  thing  will 
give  substance  to  this  shadow,  and  will 
furnish  something  to  grasp  in  the  ilittings 
of  life. 

Now,  supposing  our  days  on  the  earth 
were  not  a  shadow — supposing  our  life 
was  as  substantial  as  it  is  shadowy,  then 
it  wants  permanency — then  there  would 
be  deeper  regret  at  parting  with  it  than 
that  which  we  even  now  feel.  But  how, 
if  all  were  substance  instead  of  shadow, 
how  would  it  answer  the  purpose  of  spi- 
ritual discipline  ]  Unsatisfactory  as  its 
happiest  department  is  said  to  be,  its 
pleasures  are  too  apt  to  corrupt  our  hearts. 
How  awful,  then,  would  the  conse- 
quences be  did  it  yield  us  more  complete 
enjoyment !  If,  with  all  its  trouble,  we 
are  declared  to  be  too  much  attached  to 
it,  how  entirely  might  it  have  riveted  our 
affections  if  no  trouble  had  been  mingled 
with  its  pleasures  ;  if  all  its  shadows  had 
been  substance!  God,  therefore,  has 
mercifully  tinged  all  sublunary  things 
with  vanity  on  purpose  to  make  us  feel 
that  this  is  not  our  rest,  that  here  we  are, 
if  we  may  so  say,  not  in  our  proper  place, 
not  arrived  at  our  true  home.  If,  there- 
fore, we  expect  to  find  any  substantial 
happiness  on  earth,  we  pursue  a  phantom  ; 
we  increase  the  agitation  and  unhappiness 
of  life  by  engaging  in  a  chase  entirely 
fruitless, — "  For  we  are  strangers  and 
sojourners:  our  days  on  the  earth  are  as 
a  shadow,  and  there  is  none  abiding." 
Life  is  so  with  all  ranks.  I  must  remind 
you,  that  this  is  the  confession  of  a  mo- 
narch, who  had  giveii  to  him  power,  a 
crown,  a  sceptre,  splendour,  and  domi- 
nion ;  and  yet,  all  was  shadow,  and 
he  says,  too,  "  there  is  none  abiding." 
The  literal  translation  of  the  word 
"  abiding"  is,  there  is  no  expectation  .•  "our 
days  on  the  earth  are  as  a  shadow,  and 
there  is  no  expectation,^^  Life  is  so 
shadowy  that  nothing  can  be  expected 
from  it. 

Now  I  wish  you  to  mark,  brethren, 
that  this  confession  was  not  made  before 


a  select  company  of  pious  friends ;  it  was 
not  a  sentiment  formed  in  the  stillness 
of  retirement,  as  he  was  writing  in  an 
animated  strain  on  some  topic  of  religion, 
and  when  the  unfettered  mind  miglit  be 
allowed  to  give  full  utterance  to  the  fer- 
vency of  his  devotion  ;  but  it  was  a  public 
confession,  made  before  a  full  convention 
of  all  his  people,  his  princes,  and  his  son, 
who  succeeded  him.  To  some  modern 
minds,  and  according  to  the  low  standard 
of  present  Christianity,  it  might  have 
been  deemed  more  prudent  to  have  with- 
held from  so  grave  and  solemn  a  subject 
before  his  own  son,  now  rising  into  life, 
and  especially  from  before  a  convention 
of  the  whole  nation.  But  David  was  not 
a  man,  like  some  of  you,  to  shrink  from 
a  bold  avowal  of  religious  truth.  He 
was  one  of  those  eminent  and  fearless 
saints,  who  deprecated  the  thought  of  not 
being  honestly  explicit;  or  to  consult  the 
wishes  of  a  court  or  a  kingdom,  at  the 
expense  of  sincerity  ;  and,  therefore,  he 
cannot  refrain  from  declaring  publicly 
what  he  felt  cordially  and  deeply  im- 
pressed with, — the  vanity  of  all  sublunary 
things,  and  so  utters  the  heart  dictated 
confession — "  We,"  monarchs  as  we  are, 
and  thou,  monarch  though  thou  soon  wilt 
be,  "we  are  strangers  and  sojourners  be- 
fore God :  our  days  on  the  earth  are  as  a 
shadow,  and  there  is  no  expectation  from 
it."  Do  you  think,  then,  brethren,  that 
when  David's  pilgrimage  below  had 
touched  upon  its  close,  and  he  turned 
aside  his  eyes  from  scenes  of  mortality, 
it  was  to  him  any  subject  of  regret  that 
he  was  permitted  no  longer  to  remain  on 
earth,  that  he  was  taken  from  all  his 
riches  and  enchanting  pleasures,  and  for 
ever  to  quit  that  world,  of  whose  grandeur 
he  formed  so  conspicuous  a  part  ]  Oh  ! 
no.  other  objects  occupied  his  mind  ;  other 
thoughts  engaged  his  attention,  and  will 
continue  to  engage  it  for  ever  :  all  things 
became  changed  in  a  moment,  and, 
viewed  from  the  pure  and  ineffable  light 
of  the  heavenly  regions,  the  lustre  of  a 
diadem  is  scarcely  visible,  m.ajesty  itself 
emanates  a  feeble  and  a  sickly  ray,  and  all 
ranks  and  conditions  of  men  appear  to  be 
but  so  many  troops  of  pilgrims  in  differ- 
ent journeys,  toiling  through  the  same 


LIFE  A  JOURNEY. 


377 


vale  of  tears,  and  distinguished  only  by 
different  degrees  of  rank. 

So  much,  then,  touching  a  brief  descrip- 
tion of  human  life. 

Let  us  hasten,  in  the  second  place,  to 
gather  from  it  an  inference  of  Chris- 
tian DUTY.  And  it  might  scarcely  be 
supposed,  although  any  thing  might  be 
supposed  of  human  nature  in  an  unsaiicti- 
fied  state,  that,  knowing  ourselves  to  be 
but  strangers  and  sojourners,  and  that  all 
our  days  on  the  earth  are  but  as  a  shadow, 
we  should  go  through  the  journey  of  life 
with  no  concern  about  its  termination. 
This  thoughtlessness,  indeed,  is  the 
most  astonishing  phenomenon  of  nature, 
and  shows  what  a  wreck  the  mind 
has  suffered.  Our  great  God  has  made 
man  a  prospective  creature ;  and  he  gives 
proof  of  this  prospectiveness  in  every 
action  of  his  life.  He  has  endowed  him 
with  a  capacity  of  comparing  the  present 
with  the  past,  and  also  of  anticipating  the 
future.  And  thus  it  is,  too,  we  are  per- 
petually dwelling  with  anxious  rumina- 
tion on  scenes  which  are  yet  remote  ;  we 
are  capable  of  carrying  our  views,  and 
taking  our  inquiries,  to  a  period  much 
more  distant  than  the  limits  of  our  present 
existence ;  we  are  capable  of  plunging 
into  the  depth  of  future  duration  ;  and  of 
identifying  ourselves  with  the  sentiments 
and  opinions  of  the  distant  ages.  How 
is  it,  then,  that  we  find  it  so  difficult  to 
prevail  on  men  to  fix  their  attention  on 
that  other  world,  that  real  future  exist- 
ence, which  reason  assures  us  is  probable, 
which  the  Bible  teaches  us  is  certain, 
and  to  which  all  the  thousands  of  man- 
kind are  travelling  every  moment  1  How 
is  it  that  the  professed  followers  of  Him, 
especially,  who  descended  from  heaven, 
who  came  forth  from  the  Father  to  con- 
duct us  there,  are  so  indisposed  to  turn 
their  thoughts  and  contemplation  to  that 
unchanging  state  of  being  on  which  they 
are  so  shortly  to  enter  1  It  is  not  because 
we  are  so  much  enchanted  with  the 
country  through  which  we  are  journey- 
ing, as  to  be  incapable  of  diverting  our 
attention  from  it.  This  may  be  the  case, 
however,  with  some  of  the  congregation, 
but  it  is  not  so  with  all ;  for  we  are  con- 
tinually disquieted  by  disappointments  ; 


and  we  meet  with  strange  usage  in  oui 
journey,  which  convinces  us  we  are  not 
at  home.  It  is  not  because  we  are  sel 
dom  warned  or  reminded,  that  our  jonrnej 
must  shortly  end  ;  for  every  funeral  bell 
every  opened  grave,  every  symptom  ot 
decay  within  and  of  change  without  us, 
teaches  us  that  we  are  but  "  strangers 
and  sojourners,  as  were  all  our  fathers: 
our  days  on  the  earth  are  as  a  shadow, 
and  there  is  none  abiding." 

Now  if  any  other  event  of  far  inferior 
moment  were  ascertained  by  evidence, 
which  made  but  a  distant  approach  to 
that  which  attests  the  certainty  of  another 
world — had  we  actual  assurance,  for  ex- 
ample, that  after  a  very  limited,  though 
uncertain  period,  we  should  be  called  to 
emigrate  unto  a  distant  land,  whence  we 
were  never  to  return,  the  intelligence 
would  fill  every  bosom  with  solicitude, 
it  would  become  the  theme  of  our  tongue, 
the  anxious  topic  of  every  conversation  ; 
and  we  should  avail  ourselves,  with  the 
utmost  eagerness,  of  all  the  means  of  in- 
formation respecting  the  prospects  which 
await  us,  in  that  unknown  country  ;  much 
of  our  attention  would  be  occupied  in 
preparing  for  our  departure,  we  should 
cease  to  consider  the  place  we  now  inha- 
bit as  our  home ;  and  nothing  would  be 
considered  as  of  moment,  but  as  it  bore 
upon  our  future  destination.  How 
strange  is  it,  then,  that  w^ith  the  cer- 
tainty that  every  man  of  us  possesses, 
of  shortly  entering  into  another  world, 
we  avert  our  eyes  as  much  as  possible 
from  the  prospect,  that  we  seldom 
permit  it  to  penetrate  us,  and  that  the 
moment  the  recollection  returns  we  has- 
ten to  dismiss  it  as  an  unwelcome  intru- 
sion !  Is  it  not  surprising  that  tbe  very 
volume  which  we  profess  to  recognise  as 
the  record  of  our  immortality,  as  the  sole 
depository  of  whatever  information  it  is 
possible  to  obtain  of  that  unknown  coun- 
try, the  map  that  will  guide  us  to  it, 
should  be  suffered  to  lay  beside  us  un- 
opened, unread,  and  altogether  unattended 
to.  But,  brethren,  if  we  had  known,  and 
surely  there  is  not  one  in  this  house 
who  does  not  know  it,  the  Bible  to  be  the 
only  unerring  road  book  to  that  land  to 
which  we   are  travelling,  oh   why   after 


378 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


consulting  it  in  the  closet,  if,  at  least, 
you  do  consult  it  there — but  I  ana  not 
speaking  to  those  who  do  not  consult  the 
Bible,  for,  I  say,  if  we  acknowledge  it  to 
be  the  only  unerring  road-book  to  heaven — 
why,  after  consulting  it  in  the  closet  in 
the  morning,  do  we  forget  it  when  we  set 
out  on  our  journey  ;  and  not  only  neglect 
the  directions  it  affords,  but  pursue  con- 
trary paths  of  our  own  devising. 

Oh,  dear  brethren,  let  me  beseech  you, 
now  that  a  kind  Providence  has  permit- 
ted you  to  pass  over  the  old  year  and  to 
begin  a  new  one,  to  remember  that  you 
are  "pilgrims  and  sojourners,  that  all 
your  days  on  earth  are  only  shadows." 
Oh,  do  not  act  this  year,  at  least  so  much 
of  it  as  you  may  be  permitted  to  see,  as 
you  have,  perhaps,  in  years  that  are 
past :  as  if  the  pleasures  and  occupations 
of  the  present  life  were  matter  and  sub- 
stance, and  as  if  those  of  heaven  were 
dreams  and  shadows.  But  let  your  de- 
portment this  year,  at  least,  be  like  that 
of  citizens  of  heaven,  who  are  only  tra- 
velling through  the  earth  to  the  kingdom 
of  their  reconciled  Father  who  is  in  hea- 
ven, and  who  are  anxious  to  "  depart  and 
be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better  ;"  and 
whose  chief  care  is  to  journey  on  that 
narrow  road  which  will  conduct  you 
safely  to  the  promised  land  of  rest.  Oh, 
eirdeavour  to  display  more  of  the  mind  of 
Christ  as  you  draw  nearer  the  throne  of 
Christ,  and  then  you  shall  share  in  the 
glory  of  Christ.  As  heaven  is  your 
home,  there  let  your  affections  be. 

To  those  in  church,  who  may  be  for- 
ward in  the  journey  of  life,  I  would  say, 
and,  oh,  may  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God — 
without  whom  all  descriptions  of  human 
life,  and  all  inferences  of  Christian  duty 
will  be  utterly  powerless — oh,  may  that 
Holy  Spirit  cause  the  saying  to  sink 
down  into  your  heart,  that,  shadowy  as 
is  your  life,  eternity  will  turn  the  whole 
into  substance.  Every  action,  every 
word,  every  thought  will  be  weighed  on 
the  day  of  judgment,  and  will  be  sub- 
stance in  the  scale,  either  for  your  con- 
demnation or  acceptance ;  he  that  is 
unjust  will  be  unjust  still,  and  he  that  is 
holy  will  be  holy  still.  The  vanity  which 
adheres  to  the  world  in  every  form,  when 


its  pleasures  and  occupations  are  regarded 
as  ultimate  objects,  is  at  once  corrected, 
when  viewed  in  connexion  with  a  bound- 
less eternity  ;  and  whatever  may  be  their 
intrinsic  value,  they  rise  into  dignity  and 
importance  when  considered  as  the  seed 
of  a  future  harvest,  as  a  path  which,  how 
narrow  and  obscure  however,  leads  to 
honour  and  immortality.  Nothing  is 
trivial  which  is  referred  to  such  a  sys- 
tem ;  nothing  is  vain  and  frivolous  which 
has  the  slightest  bearing  on  such  an  aw- 
ful reality. 

As  you  value,  then,  dear  brethren,  the 
eternal  welfare  of  your  souls,  bethink 
yourselves  this  morning  whether,  in  your 
journey  to  another  world,  you  are  walk- 
ing in  the  narrow  way,  choosing  God  for 
your  Father,  and  the  Redeemer  for  your 
elder  brother  ;  or  whether  you  are  hasten- 
ing on  in  your  thoughtless  career,  in  the 
broad  road  that  leads  to  destruction.  Re- 
member that  on  earth  all  is  shadow  ;  but 
all  beyond  is  substance.  Oh  be  careful 
in  the  great  and  eventful  journey,  on  which 
we  have  all  set  out,  that  none  of  the  plea- 
sures and  occupations  of  this  life  assume 
such  magnitude,  as  to  intercept  our  view 
of  the  final  prospect.  There  is,  verily, 
no  abiding,  no  expectation,  in  any  thing 
or  from  any  thing  that  we  meet  with  in 
our  passage  through  life  but  the  one  thing 
needful. 

Let  me  implore  you,  then,  dear  bre- 
thren, to  raise  your  affections  above  the 
perishing  things  of  earth,  to  those  things 
which  are  above.  Plan  for  eternity,  and 
choose  the  unchangeable  God  as  your  fa- 
ther, knowing  that  you  have  here  "  no  con- 
tinuing city,  but  seek  one  to  come  ;  a  city 
which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder 
and  maker  is  God."  Let  the  Lord  Jesus 
be  your  leader  and  guide;  under  his  con- 
duct immediately  set  out,  if  you  have  not 
yet  begun  the  journey  to  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem  ;  and  in  due  time  he  shall  bring 
you  to  the  city  of  the  great  King,  where 
you  shall  continue,  not  for  a  year  only, 
but  for  ever  ;  and  where  all  your  shadows 
shall  be  changed  into  substance — even 
unto  that  glorious  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light,  which  is  "  incorruptible, 
undefiled,  and  fadeth  not  away." 

And  to  those  who  are  desirous  to  gain 


LIFE  A  JOURNEY. 


379 


fresli  strength  for  the  remainder  of  their 
journey,  I  would  say,  come  now  to  the 
table  of  the  Lord,  where  wisdom  shall  be 
dispensed  to  those  who  are  ignorant,  and 
strength  to  those  who  are  weary,  yea, 
come  this — the  first  Sabbath  of  a  new 
year,  with  enlarged  expectations,  relying 
on  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ ;  and 
according  to  your  faith  in  the  ordinance 
so  shall  it  be  done  unto  you. 


SCRIPTURE    AXIOMS   RESPECTING   MONEY. 

1.  Giving  is  the  surest  way  to  get- 
ting. 

"There  is  that  scattereth,  and  yet  in- 
creaseth." 

2.  God  is  the  sovereign  proprietor  cf 
money. 

'  The  silver  is  mine,  and  the  gold  is  mine." 

3.  We  are  accountable  both  for  our 
own,  and  for  that  intrusted  to  us  by 
others. 

"What  hast  thou,  that  thou  hast  not  re- 
ceived ?" 

4.  There  is  judgment  required  in  the 
charitable  bestowment  of  it. 

"  Do  good  to  all,  but  especially  to  the  house- 
hold of  laith." 

5.  There  are  few  mischiefs  that  are  not 
remotely  or  intimately  connected  with 
covetousness. 

"  The  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil." 

6.  Money  ought   not  to  be   made   to 

minister   to    self-indulgence,   while    the 

interests  of  religion  can  be  promoted  by 

means  of  it. 

"  Wo  to  them  that  live  in  ceiled  houses, 
while  the  Lord's  house  is  not  built." 

7.  The  poorest  man  may  give  a  some- 
thing with  acceptance. 

"This  poor  widow  hath  given  all  she  had." 


8.  Persons  of  real  worth  are  sometimes 

destitute  of  money. 

"  Then  John  answered,  Silver  and  gold  have 
I  none." 

9.  True  enjoyment  is  not  to  be  found 

in  wealth. 

"  He  that  loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied 
with  silver." 

10.  Every  man  should  punctually  dis- 
charge his  pecuniary  debts. 

"  Owe  no  man  any  thing,  but  to  love  one 
another." 


PIETY   GIVES   NO  EXE.MPTION   FROM  SUFFERING. 

A  GOOD  man  is  by  no  means  exempt 
from  the  danger  of  suifering  by  the  crimes 
of  others ;  even  his  goodness  may  raise 
him  enemies  of  implacable  malice  and 
restless  perseverance  :  the  good  man  has 
never  been  warranted  by  heaven  from  the 
treachery  of  friends,  the  disobedience  of 
children,  or  the  dishonesty  of  a  wife  ; — 
he  may  see  his  cares  made  useless  by 
profusion,  his  instructions  defeated  by 
perverseness,  and  his  kindness  rejected 
by  ingratitude ; — he  may  languish  under 
the  infamy  of  false  accusations,  or  perish 
reproachfully  by  an  unjust  sentence. 

A  good  man  is  subject,  like  other  mor- 
tals, to  all  the  influences  of  natural  evil : 
his  harvest  is  not  spared  by  the  tempest, 
nor  his  cattle  by  the  murrain  ;  his  house 
flames  like  others  in  a  conflagration  ;  nor 
have  his  ships  any  peculiar  power  of  re- 
sisting hurricanes; — his  mind,  however 
elevated,  inhabits  a  body  subject  to  innu- 
merable casualties,  of  which  he  must 
always  share  the  dangers  and  the  pains ; 
— he  bears  about  him  the  seeds  of  dis- 
ease, and  may  linger  away  a  great  part 
of  his  life  under  the  tortures  of  the  gout 
or  stone ;  at  one  time  groaning  with  in- 
sufferable anguish,  at  another,  dissolved 
in  listlessness  and  languor. — Johnson, 


SERMON  XLII. 

THE  DUTY  OF  EARLY  SEEKING  CHRIST. 

PREACHED 

BY  THE  REV.  A.  GUN,  A.M. 

TO  SABBATH  SCHOOL  CHILDREN,  IN  GLASGOW 


"Early  will  I  seek  thee.'" — Ps.  Lxiii.  1. 


You  know,  little  children,  who  spake 
these  words.  It  was  David,  the  king  of 
Israel.  Though  he  was  a  great  king, 
and  had  many  things  to  occupy  his  at- 
tention, he  yet  considered  God  to  be  the 
chief  object  of  his  desire.  He  could  not 
be  happy  without  God.  But  you  know 
the  Lord  is  a  great  God,  and  to  be  feared 
and  had  in  reverence  of  all  that  draw  near 
unto  him  ;  and,  therefore,  you  must  seek 
God  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
When  John  the  Baptist  saw  Jesus  he 
pointed  him  out  to  his  disciples  as  the 
"  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world."  John  i.  29.  36.  And 
when  his  disciples  heard  this,  they  fol- 
lowed Jesus.  Jesus  turned  and  saw  them 
following  him,  and  said  unto  them,  ver. 
38,  "  What  seek  ye  ]"  Now,  David  and 
John's  disciples  were  seeking  the  same 
thing;  for  sinners,  as  we  are,  cannot  ap- 
proach the  glorious  presence  of  Jehovah 
but  as  he  is  revealed  in  the  Saviour. 

Some  of  you  little  children  may  he  in- 
clined to  ask, 

L  Why  yon  should  seek  Christ  1 
You  know  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
is  a  very  glorious  Being.  He  is  adorned 
with  all  the  perfections  of  God.  He  is 
the  chief  among  ten  thousand,  and  alto- 
gether lovely.  He  is  the  brightness  of 
the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image 
of  his  person.  He  is  called  in  Scripture 
"the  pearl  of  great  price" — that  is,  nothing 
is  so  valuable  in  heaven  or  earth  as  to  be 
380 


compared  with  Jesus.  He  is  God's 
"  unspeakable  gift,"  and  men  or  angels 
cannot  rehearse  his  excellencies.  He  is 
"  the  Day-star  from  on  high,  and  the  Sun 
of  righteousness,"  from  whom  proceed 
light  and  warmth,  and  every  comfort  and 
blessing. 

And  what  are  some  of  those  blessings 
which  God  is  ready  to  bestow  on  those 
who  seek  Christ  '^ 

1.  The  pardon  of  sin. 

Every  one  of  us,  young  and  old,  needs 
to  have  his  iniquities  blotted  out.  The 
word  of  God  informs  us  that  we  are  born 
in  sin,  and  brought  forth  in  iniquity;  we 
are  the  children  of  wrath,  and  liable  to 
destruction.  You  know  that  when  God 
destroyed  the  people  of  the  old  world, 
because  their  wickedness  was  great  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  little  children  like 
you  were  drowned,  along  with  their  pa- 
rents and  friends;  and  this  shows  us 
that  little  children  are  sinners  as  well  as 
others;  for  God,  who  is  a  just  God, 
would  not  punish  them  if  they  M^ere  not 
guilty.  And  if  you  think  on  your  own 
hearts,  and  consider  your  own  conduct, 
do  you  not  feel  that  you  do  many  things 
which  are  wrong'?  Have  you  not  been 
thinking  your  own  thoughts,  and  speak- 
ing your  own  words,  and  doing  your  own 
works,  on  this  holy  Sabbath  ]  This  is 
sin,  and  you  need  to  be  forgiven  your 
iniquity.  How  much  should  you  and  I 
desire  to  obtain  the  happiness  of  which 


THE  DUTY  OF  EARLY  SEEKING  CHRIST. 


381 


David  speaks  in  the  tliirt3'-sccoiid  psalm  ! 
"  Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is 
fcrgiven,  whose  sin  is  covered.  Blessed 
is  the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord  imputeth 
not  iniquity,  and  in  whose  spirit  there  is 
no  guile." 

We  can  do  nothing  for  ourselves.  I 
will  tell  you  a  story  ahout  the  Rev.  Da- 
vid Dickson,  a  good  minister  that  was 
once  in  Edinburgh.  Being  asked,  when 
on  his  death-bed,  how  he  found  himself, 
he  answered,  "  I  have  taken  my  good 
deeds  and  bad  deeds,  and  thrown  them 
together  in  a  heap,  and  fled  from  them 
both  to  Christ,  and  in  him  I  have  peace." 
He  felt  that  he  could  do  nothing  for  him- 
self. When  he  inquired,  like  the  prophet 
Micah,  (vi.  6,  7,)  "  Wherewith  shall  I 
come  before  the  Lord,  and  bow  myself 
before  the  high  God  "?  Shall  I  come  be- 
fore him  with  burnt-offerings,  with  calves 
of  a  year  old  ]  Will  the  Lord  be  pleased 
with  thousands  of  rams,  or  with  ten  thou- 
sands of  rivers  of  oil  ■?  Shall  I  give  my 
first-born  for  my  transgression,  the  fruit 
of  my  body  for  the  sin  of  my  soul  ]"  He 
found  that  none  of  these  things  could  be 
of  any  avail.  "  There  is  no  name  given 
under  heaven  among  men,  by  which  we 
can  be  saved,  but  the  name  of  Christ." 
I  read  lately  of  a  certain  man  on  the 
Malabar  coast,  who  had  inquired  of 
various  devotees  and  priests  how  he 
might  make  atonement  for  his  sins;  and 
he  was  directed  to  drive  iron  spikes,  suf- 
ficiently blunted,  through  his  sandals,  and 
on  these  spikes  he  was  directed  to  place 
his  naked  feet,  and  to  walk  about  four 
hundred  and  eighty  miles.  If,  through 
loss  of  blood,  or  weakness  of  body,  he 
was  obliged  to  halt,  he  might  wait  for 
healing  and  strength.  He  undertook  the 
journey,  (for  what  will  not  a  person, 
awakened  to  a  sense  of  sin,  attempt  to 
get  rid  of  the  burden  of  it  ?)  and  while  he 
halted  under  a  large  shady  tree,  where 
the  gospel  was  sometimes  preached,  one 
of  the  missionaries  came  and  preached  in 
his  hearing  from  these  words :  "  The 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all 
sin."  While  he  w-as  preaching  the  man 
rose  up,  threw  off  his  torturing  sandals, 
and  cried  out  aloud,  "  this  is  what  I 
want,"  and  he  became  a  lively  witness 


that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all 
sin.  And,  little  children,  what  peace, 
and  comfort,  and  hope,  and  joy  does  it 
produce  in  the  mind,  even  in  the  most 
distressing  circumstances  !  I  have  read 
about  a  dying  soldier  and  a  dying  officer. 
The  soldier  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Waterloo,  and  carried  by  his  companion 
to  some  distance,  and  laid  down  at  the 
foot  of  -a  tree,  where  his  companion,  at 
his  request,  read  to  him  a  few  verses  of 
the  Bible,  upon  which  he  said,  '*  I  die 
happy,  for  I  possess  the  peace  of  God, 
which  passeth  all  understanding."  A 
little  while  after  one  of  the  officers  passed 
him,  and,  seeing  him  in  a  very  exhausted 
state,  asked  him  how  he  did.  He  an- 
swered him  as  he  said  formerly  to  his 
companion,  and  then  expired.  The  of- 
ficer was  soon  after  mortally  wounded, 
and  when  surrounded  by  his  brother  of- 
ficers, full  of  anguish  and  dismay,  he 
cried  out,  "  Oh  !  I  would  give  ten  thou- 
sand W'orlds  that  I  possessed  that  peace 
which  gladdened  the  heart  of  the  dying 
soldier  whom  I  saw  lying  under  the  tree. 
I  know  nothing  of  this  peace !  I  die 
miserable  !  for  I  die  in  despair  I" 

Now,  little  children,  you  must  seek 
Jesus,  that  you  may  have  5'our  sins  for- 
given, and  that  you  may  live  at  peace 
with  God,  and  die  in  safety  and  in  hap- 
piness. 

2.  Another  blessing  which  Christ  gives, 
and  for  which  you  should  seek  him,  is 
holiness. 

You  know,  little  children,  that  God  is 
"glorious  in  holiness,"  and  that  he  says 
to  each  of  us,  "  O  do  not  that  abominable 
thing  which  my  soul  hateth  !"  We  are 
in  his  sight  "  altogether  as  an  unclean 
thing."  Our  hearts  are  full  of  malice, 
and  pride,  and  impurity.  W'e  require 
that  God  would  create  in  us  a  clean  heart, 
and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  us.  Now, 
Christ  cleanseth  the  souls  of  those  that 
come  to  the  fountain  which  has  been 
opened  for  sin  and  uncleanness ;  and  his 
Holy  Spirit  is  sent  to  sanctify  the  soul.^ 
The  people  of  God  who,  like  the  Corin- 
thians,  have  been  "  washed,  and  justified, 
and  sanctified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
'  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our 
I  God,"  are  able  to  sing  "  unto  Him  that 


3S2 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


loved  us,  and  hath  washed  us  from  our 
sins  in  his  own  blood."  When  a  person 
is  brought,  like  the  apostle  Paul,  to  glory 
in  nothing  but  in  the  cross  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  world  is  thereby  cruci- 
fied unto  him,  and  he  is  crucified  unto  the 
world.  I  will  tell  you  a  story  on  this 
subject.  Mr.  Marshall,  author  of  the 
"  Gospel  Mystery  of  Sanctification," 
having  been  for  several  years  under  dis- 
tress of  mind,  consulted  Dr.  Goodwin, 
an  eminent  divine,  giving  him  an  account 
of  the  state  of  his  soul,  and  particular- 
izing his  sins  which  lay  heavy  on  his 
conscience.  In  reply  he  told  him  he 
had  forgot  to  mention  the  greatest  sin  of 
all — the  sin  of  unbelief,  not  believing  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remis- 
sion of  his  sins,  and  for  sanctifying  his 
nature.  On  this  he  set  himself  to  the 
studying  and  preaching  Christ,  and 
attained  to  eminent  holiness,  great 
peace  of  conscience,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

If  you,  little  children,  wish  to  be  made 
holy,  as  God  is  holy,  that  God  may  have 
pleasure  in  seeing  you,  as  olive  plants 
trained  up  heside  the  water-courses,  you 
must  seek  Christ,  and  wait  on  him  for 
his  Spirit  to  sprinkle  you  with  his  peace- 
speaking  and  purifying  blood.  You  have 
great  need  of  being  made  holy,  and  it  is 
a  difficult  thing  to  make  you  holy.  You 
know  it  is  a  difficult  thing  to  break  the 
hard  flinty  rock.  Now,  your  hearts  are 
compared  in  Scripture  to  the  adamant 
and  to  the  nether  millstone  ;  and  the  more 
holy  you  become,  the  more  you  will  feel 
your  want  of  holiness.  I  will  tell  you 
what  Mr.  Newton,  an  excellent  minister, 
once  said  when  reading  the  text:  "By 
the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am."  He 
said,  I  am  not  what  I  ouii^ht  to  be.  Ah  ! 
how  imperfect  and  deficient!  I  am  not 
what  I  wish  to  be ;  but  I  abhor  what  is 
evil,  and  would  cleave  to  that  which  is 
good.  I  am  not  what  I  knpe.  to  be  ;  soon, 
soon  I  shall  put  off  mortality,  and  with  it 
all  sin  and  imperfection.  Yet,  though  I 
am  not  what  I  ought  to  be,  nor  what  I 
xvish  to  be,  nor  what  I  hope  to  be,  I  can 
truly  say  I  am  not  lohat  I  once  was — a 
slave  to  sin  and  Satan  ;  and  I  can  heart- 
ily join  with  the  apostle,  and  acknow- 


ledge,  "  By  the  gtace  of  God  I  atn  what 
I  am." 

3.  The  only  other  hlessing  which  I 
shall  now  mention,  that  you  shall  get  by 
seeking  Christ,  is  eternal  life  in  heaven. 

It  is  said,  in  one  of  the  psalms,  "  The 
Lord  is  a  sun  and  shield ;  he  will  give 
grace  and  glory."  He  gives  grace  here, 
in  forgiving  the  sins  of  those  who  seek 
him,  and,  by  the  power  of  his  grace,  he 
subdues  sin  in  the  soul ;  and  he  will 
give  glory  hereafter,  in  bringing  every 
one  of  those  whom  he  pardons  and  puri* 
fies  to  heaven,  to  be  ever  in  the  presence 
and  enjoying  the  favour  of  God*  He  is 
saying  to  you  now,  "  Come  out  from 
among  them,  and  be  ye  separate,  and 
touch  not  the  unclean  thing ;  and  I  will 
be  a  father  unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be  my 
sons  and  my  daughters,  saith  the  Lord 
Almighty."  You  know  that  Moses, 
though  adopted  into  the  family  of  Pha- 
raoh's daughter,  and  exalted  to  the  ho- 
nours of  Pharaoh's  kingdom,  preferred 
joining  himself  to  the  Lord's  people,  and 
to  suffer  affliction  with  them,  than  to  en- 
joy all  the  treasures  of  Egypt,  and  all 
the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season,  that  he 
might  have  the  dignity  of  being  num- 
bered among  the  children  of  God;  and 
we  read  that  he  did  so  because  "  he  had 
respect  to  the  recompense  of  reward." 

You  know,  little  children,  that  there 
are  only  two  places  beyond  the  grave,  to 
one  or  other  of  which  we  must  all  go. 
When  Christ  was  on  the  cross  there  were 
two  thieves  crucified,  one  on  either  side 
of  him;  one  of  them  repented  of  his  sins, 
and  applied  for  help  to  Christ,  saying, 
"  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest 
to  thy  kingdom,"  and  the  Lord  answered 
him  graciously:  "This  night  shalt  thou 
be  with  me  in  Paradise."  Had  not  he 
felt  his  sin,  and  applied  to  Christ  and 
obtained  mercy,  what  would  have  become 
of  him  ■?  He  would  have  shared  the  fate 
of  the  impenitent  thief,  in  being  aban- 
doned to  destruction ;  as  soon  as  death 
arrived,  he,  like  the  rich  man  of  whom 
we  read,  would  "lift  up  his  eyes  in  hell, 
being  in  torment,"  instead  of  being,  like 
Lazarus,  carried  to  Abraham's  bosom  by 
the  angels  of  God. 

Little  children,  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to 


THE  DUTY  OF  EARLY  SEEKING  CHRIST. 


383 


fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God. 
God  is  a  consuming  fire  to  all  who  do  not 
seek  him  in  Christ  Jesus,  The  wrath  of 
God  abideth  on  each  of  us,  unless  freed 
from  it  by  Christ.  You  can  know  some- 
what of  the  dreadful  efl'ects  of  God's 
curse.  You  remember  that  once  Christ, 
when  hungry,  passed  by  a  fig  tree,  upon 
which  there  was  no  fruit,  and  Christ 
curscd  the  tree,  and  it  withered  away. 
How  terrible  if  the  wrath  of  Christ  should 
fall  on  us !  You  have  heard  that  the 
devils  in  hell  were  once  angels  in  hea- 
ven;  but,  as  soon  as  they  sinned  against 
God,  his  wrath  was  poured  upon  them. 
And,  oh !  what  a  change  took  place  on 
them  !  They  were  cast  into  that  lake  of 
fire  and  brimstone  which  was  then  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  angels,  and 
the  wicked  people  who  will  not  seek 
Christ  to  "deliver  them  from  the  wrath 
to  come."  "The  wages  of  sin  is  death, 
but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  in  Christ 
Jesus."  A  little  boy,  on  his  death-bed, 
was  asked  where  he  was  going  ]  He 
answered,  to  heaven.  Being  farther  ask- 
ed why  he  wished  to  go  there  ]  he  an- 
swered, because  Christ  is  there.  And 
being  again  asked  what  he  would  do  if 
Christ  should  leave  heaven  ■?  he  replied, 
I  will  go  with  him  whithersoever  he 
goeth. 

These,  my  young  friends,  are  gifts 
worth  the  seeking,  and  I  hope  some  of 
you  have  been  excited  to  inquire, 

H.  How  you  are  to  seek  Christ,  so  as 
to  find  him. 

1.  You  must  believe  in  Christ :  "  With- 
out faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God." 

Some  of  you  know  the  questions  of  the 
Shorter  Catechism.  "What  is  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ]  Faith  in  Jesus  Christ  is 
a  saving  grace  whereby  we  receive  and 
rest  upon  him  alone  for  salvation,  as  he 
is  offered  to  us  in  the  gospel."  You 
must  believe  all  that  is  said  in  the  Scrip- 
tures about  Christ,  who  is  "  able  to  save 
them  to  the  uttermost  who  come  unto 
God  by  him."  You  must  feel  your  need 
of  Christ,  and  believe  in  him  to  the  sav- 
ing of  your  souls.  I  will  tell  you  a  very 
pretty  story,  from  which  you  may  learn 
the  nature  of  faith.  "  Children,"  says 
Cecil,  "  are  capable  of  very  early  impres- 


sions. I  imprinted  on  my  daughter  the 
idea  of  faith  at  a  very  early  age.  She 
was  playing  one  day  with  a  few  beads, 
which  seemed  wonderfully  to  delight  her. 
Her  whole  soul  was  absorbed  in  her 
beads.  I  said,  '  My  dear,  you  have  some 
pretty  beads  there.'  '  Yes,  papa.'  'And 
you  seem  vastly  pleased  with  them. 
Well,  now,  throw  them  behind  the  fire.' 
The  tears  started  into  her  eyes ;  she 
looked  earnestly  at  me,  as  if  she  ought 
to  have  a  reason  for  so  cruel  a  sacrifice. 
'  Well,  my  dear,  do  as  you  please  :  but 
you  know  I  never  told  you  to  do  any 
thing  which  I  did  not  think  would  be  for 
your  good  ;'  she  looked  at  me  a  few  mo- 
ments longer,  and  then,  summoning  up 
all  her  fortitude,  her  breast  heaving  with 
the  effort,  she  dashed  them  into  the  fire. 
'  Well,'  said  I,  'there  let  them  lie  ;  you 
shall  hear  more  about  them  another  time ; 
but  I  say  no  more  of  them  now.'  Some 
days  after  I  bought  her  a  boxful  of  larger 
beads,  and  toys  of  the  same  kind.  When 
I  returned  home  1  opened  the  treasure, 
and  set  it  before  her ;  she  burst  into  tears 
with  excessive  joy.  '  These,  my  child,' 
said  I,  '  are  yours,  because  you  believed 
me  when  I  told  you  to  throw  those  paltry 
beads  behind  the  fire ;  your  obedience 
has  brought  you  this  treasure.  But  now, 
my  dear,  remember  as  long  as  you  live 
what  faith  is.  I  did  all  this  to  teach  you 
the  meaning  of  faith.  You  threw  your 
beads  away  when  I  bade  you,  because 
you  had  faith  in  me  that  I  never  advised 
you  but  for  your  good.  Put  the  same 
trust  in  God  ;  believe  every  thing  that  he 
says  in  his  word.  Whether  you  under- 
stand it,  or  not,  have  faith  in  him  that  he 
means  your  good.'  " 

Now,  little  children,  remember  what 
faith  is,  and  put  it  in  practice,  for  with- 
out faith  you  cannot  be  interested  in 
Christ,  or  have  any  of  the  blessings 
which  are  treasured  up  in  him. 

2.  In  seeking  Christ,  you  mustpray  to 
him. 

Although  God  knows  what  we  require, 
yet  that  does  not  supersede  the  necessity 
of  our  imploring  the  blessing  needed  by 
us.  God  knew  what  Solomon  needed  ; 
but  he  said  to  him,  "Ask  what  I  shall 
give  thee."      When   the  blind  beggar, 


384 


TIIE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


Bartimeus,  heard  Christ  passing  by,  and 
he  cried,  saying,  "Thou  Son  of  David, 
have  mercy  on  me,"  Clirist  knew  well 
what  he  needed,  and  what  he  wished  ; 
yet  he  put  to  him  the  question  "  What 
wilt  thou  that  I  should  do  unto  thee." 
Again,  when  the  children  of  Israel  were 
in  the  land  of  their  captivity,  God  deter- 
mined that  at  the  end  of  seventy  years 
they  should  be  restored  to  their  own 
country;  but  he  said,  "yet  for  all  these 
things  1  will  be  inquired  of  by  the  house 
of  Israel  to  do  it  unto  them." 

(Probably  some  of  you,  little  children, 
and  some  persons  who  are  grown  up, 
may  be  saying  that  they  cannot  pray. 
This  will  be  no  excuse,  for  God  has  pro- 
mised to  instruct  those  who  wish  to  be 
taught  to  pray,  just  as  Christ  taught  his 
disciples  to  pray  in  those  interesting 
words  which  I  hope  you  all  know,  and 
which  have  been  appropriately  called  the 
Lord's  prayer.  "  Our  Father  which  art 
in  heaven,"  &c.,  as  you  will  find  them 
recorded  in  fhe  sixth  chapter  of  Matthew, 
at  the  ninth  verse.  You  can  easily  re- 
member such  a  prayer  as  that  offered  up 
by  the  thief  on  the  cross  :  '■'■Lord,  remem- 
ber me  when  thou  comest  to  thy  king- 
dom ;"  or  that  of  Bartimeus  :  "  Jesus, 
thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me;" 
or  the  prayer  of  the  publican,  when  he 
went  up  with  the  Pharisee  to  the  temple 
to  pray  :  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sin- 
ner." I  remember  a  story  about  a  Hot- 
tentot who  was  under  deep  convictions 
of  sin,  and  who  did  not  know  how  to 
pray,  being  present  at  family  worship  at 
his  master's  house,  was  taught  how  to 
pray  by  hearing  the  parable  of  the  Phari- 
see and  the  publican  read.  "While  the 
prayer  &f  the  Pharisee  was  read,  the  poor 
Hottentot  thought  within  himself,  "This 
is  a  good  inan  ;  here  is  nothing  for  me  ;" 
but  when  the  master  came  to  the  prayer 
of  the  publican — "  God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner" — "  This  suits  me,"  he  cried ; 
*'  now  I  know  how  to  pray ;"  and  he 
continued  to  put  up  that  prayer  until  he 
found  mercy.  Prayer  is  the  key  to  hea- 
ven. By  it  Elijah  shut  up  the  skies ;  so 
that  there  was  neither  dew  nor  rain  on 
the  land  for  a  long  space  of  time.  By 
prayer  Jacob  placed  a  ladder,  whose  foot 


was  on  earth,  and  its  top  in  heaven,  upon 
which  the  angels  of  God  ascended  and 
descended.  By  prayer  Daniel  shut  the 
lions'  mouths,  so  that  they  could  not 
hurt  him  when  he  was  cast  into  their  den. 
By  prayer  Samson  shook  the  Philistines' 
temple,  and  destroyed  the  idolaters  it 
contained.  By  prayer  Peter  was  deli- 
vered from  prison,  for  the  church  inter- 
ceded with  God  for  him,  and  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  was  sent  to  rescue  him  from 
his  perilous  situation.  "  Pray,  therefore, 
without  ceasing." 

3.  You   must  seek    Christ  by  study-      rf* 
ing  the  Bible,  and  by  hearing  the  gospel 
preached. 

The  Bible  is  God's  book.  It  tells  us 
of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  of  every  thing 
which  we  have  to  do.  You  know  that 
the  apostle  Paul  commended  Timothy  in 
that,  "  from  a  child  he  knew  the  Scrip- 
tures, which  are  able  to  make  wise  unto 
salvation,  through  faith  that  is  in  Christ 
Jesus."  I  will  tell  you  a  story  about  an 
Irish  boy  who  loved  the  Scriptures.  H* 
was  one  day  going  to  one  of  the  Bibl' 
schools,  that  is,  a  school  where  they  art 
taught  to  read  and  to  understand  the  Bi- 
ble, for  in  many  schools  in  Ireland  they 
are  not  taught  to  read  the  Bible;  and  in  ' 

many  schools  in  this  country  they  are  not 
taught  to  understand  it,  although  they  may 
be  able  to  read  it.  On  his  way  to  school  he 
was  met  by  a  popish  priest,  who  was  not 
so  averse  to  the  Scriptures  as  most  of  his 
brethren  are.  The  priest  asked  the  boy 
what  book  it  was  which  he  carried  under 
his  arm]  "It  is  a  will,  sir,"  said  the 
boy.  "  What  will  ]"  rejoined  the  priest. 
"The  last  will  and  testament  that  Jesua 
Christ  left  to  me,  and  to  all  who  desire 
to  claim  a  title  to  the  property  therein 
bequeathed,"  replied  the  boy.  "  What 
did  Christ  leave  you  in  that  will  ]"  "  A 
kingdom,  sir."  "  Where  does  that  king- 
dom lie?"  "Ii  is  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven, sir."  "  And  do  you  expect  to  reign 
as  a  king  there  V  "  Yes,  sir,  as  joint- 
heir  with  Christ."  "And  will  not  every 
person  get  there  as  well  as  you  ?"  "No, 
sir :  none  can  get  there  but  those  that 
claim  their  title  to  that  kingdom  on  the 
ground  of  this  will."  The  priest  asked 
several  other  questions,  to  which  the  boy 


THE  DUTY  OF  EARLY  SEEKING  CHRIST. 


385 


wave  such  satisfactory  answers  as  quite 
astonished  liim.  '■  Indeed,"  said  lie, 
"  you  are  a  good  little  boy  :  take  care  of 
the  book  wherein  God  gives  you  such 
precious  promises  ;  believe  what  he  has 
said,  and  you  will  be  happy  here  and 
hereafter."  But  when  you  read  the  word 
of  God,  little  children,  remember  that  you 
cannot  understand  the  wondrous  things 
of  God's  law  until  your  eyes  are  opened 
by  the  Spirit  of  God.  You  must  pray  to 
God  for  his  Spirit  to  enlighten  you  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
You  remember  that,  when  Hagar  and 
her  son  Ishraael  were  cast  out  from  the 
house  of  Abraham,  the  child  was  ready 
to  perish  for  thirst,  and  that,  although 
there  was  a  well  of  water  near  at  hand, 
she  knew  not  of  it  until  the  Lord  sent  his 
angel  to  point  it  out  to  her.  Therefore 
you  must  wait  upon  God  for  his  Spirit. 
And  when  attending  the  house  of  God, 
which  you  should  always  do  with  your 
parents  and  friends,  you  ought  to  listen 
to  what  is  said,  as  if  addressed  alone  to 
you ;  and  you  should  be  praying  for  an 
interest  in  what  is  declared  by  the  mi- 
nister from  the  Bible.  The  next  story 
should  instruct  you  how  to  act  when  list- 
ening to  what  is  preached.  A  little  girl 
once  heard  a  minister  preaching  from  the 
text,  "  He  shall  feed  his  flock  like  a  shep- 
herd ;  He  shall  gather  the  lambs  with 
his  arms,  and  carry  them  in  his  bosom." 
Isaiah  xl.  11.  And  when  asked  about 
the  sermon,  she  said  that  she  was  wish- 
ing, all  the  time  the  minister  was  preach- 
ing, that  she  was  one  of-  Christ's  lambs. 
Mr.  Patison,  the  minister,  said  to  her, 
"  What  a  happy  day  would  it  be  in  Bristo 
street,  had  all  my  hearers  been  employed 
in  a  similar  manner." 

This  is  the  way  you  are  to  seek  Christ 
— by  faith,  by  prayer,  by  reading  and 
hearing  God's  blessed  word.  And,  oh ! 
little  children,  what  a  privilege  have  you 
in  having  such  excellent  teachers  to  in- 
form you  how  you  are  to  seek  Christ ! 
But,  probably,  some  of  you  little  chil- 
dren are  thinking  that  you  are  too  young 
to  seek  Christ,  and  that  it  will  be  time 
enough  to  seek  him  when  you  get  older. 
And  this  leads  me  to  consider  briefly, 

III.  The  advantage  of  seeking  Him  early. 

Vol.  I 49 


1.  If  Christ  is  worthy  that  you  should 
seek  him  at  all,  the  sooner  you  do  so  the 
better.  And  you  are  to  seek  him  while 
he  is  to  be  found,  and  call  on  him  while 
near.  He  is  as  deserving  7ioiv  as  ever  he 
was,  or  as  he  shall  be  at  any  future  time. 
And  "  now  is  the  accepted  time."  "  To- 
day," saith  the  Lord,  "  if  ye  will  heai 
my  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts."  A 
time  may  come  when  he  shall  not  be 
found,  though  sought.  You  have  heard 
of  the  foolish  virgins,  that  when  the 
Bridegroom  came  they  were  not  ready  to 
go  with  him  into  heaven,  though  earnest- 
ly wishing  to  get  admission  tliere.  And 
you  remember  what  is  told  us  of  Esau, 
that  in  consequence  of  having  sold  his 
birthright,  the  blessing  was  also  denied 
him,  although  he  earnestly  sought  it  with 
tears.  Your  hearts  are  more  tender  now 
than  they  will  be  after  they  are  "  harden- 
ed through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin." 
Delay  is  dangerous.  Felix,  when  Paul 
reasoned  of  righteousness,  temperance, 
and  judgment  to  come,  trembled,  and 
answered,  "Go  thy  way  for  this  time; 
when  I  have  a  convenient  season  I  will 
call  for  thee ;"  but  this  expected  tima 
never  arrived.  And  you  know  the  his- 
tory of  the  young  ruler  who  came  to 
Christ,  saying,  "  What  shall  I  do  to  in- 
herit eternal  life  V  When  he  heard  that 
he  must  leave  all,  and  follow  Christ,  "  he 
went  away  sorrowful,  for  he  was  very 
rich" — thus  proving  that  "  the  love  of 
money  is  the  root  of  all  evil ;"  and  that 
"  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  a 
needle's  eye,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God  ;"  and  that  we 
should  seek  Christ  before  the  mind  is 
fully  occupied  with  other  things,  which 
will  not  easily  be  dislodged.  Therefore 
you  must  seek  him  early.     But, 

2.  Another  reason  for  seeking  him 
early  is,  that  you  may  die  very  soon,  and 
if  you  have  found  Christ,  your  friends 
will  be  comforted. 

Do  you  know,  little  children,  that 
about  one-third  of  all  the  children  born 
die  in  infancy  1  Now,  if  you  do  not  seek 
Christ,  and  find  him  before  you  die,  you 
cannot  go  to  heaven.  I  remember  read- 
ing a  story  about  a  little  girl  at  Portsea, 
who  died  at  nine  years  of  age  ;  and  one 
2K 


386 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


day  in  hor  illness  she  said  to  her  aunt, 
with  whom  she  lived,  "  When  I  am  dead 
1  should  like  Mr.  Griffin  to  preach  a 
sermon  to  children,  to  persuade  them 
to  love  Jesus  Christ,  to  obey  their  pa- 
rents, not  to  tell  lies,  but  to  think  about 
dying  and  going  to  heaven.  I  have 
been  thinking,"  said  she,  "  what  text 
I  should  like  him  to  preach  from — 2d 
Kings  iv.  26.  You  are  the  Shunamite, 
Mr.  G.  is  the  prophet,  and  I  am  the  Shu- 
namite's  child.  When  I  am  dead,  I  dare 
say  you  will  be  grieved,  though  you 
need  not.  The  prophet  will  come  to  see 
3'ou,  and  when  he  says,  '  How  is  it  with 
the  child  1'  you  may  say,  '  It  is  well.' 
I  am  sure  it  will  then  be  well  with  me, 
for  I  shall  be  in  heaven,  singing  the 
praises  of  God,  You  ought  to  think  it 
well  too."  Mr.  G.  accordingly  fulfilled 
the  wish  of  this  pious  child.  And,  chil- 
dren, if  you  die  early,  after  seeking  and 
finding  Christ,  how  happy  will  your 
friends  whom  you  have  left  behind  be  in 
the  assurance  of  your  being  blessed  in 
heaven  !  There  W'as  once  an  infidel  and 
profligate  youth,  who  had  disregarded 
the  pious  instructions  of  his  parents,  but 
who  one  day  went  to  hear  a  sermon  with 
them.  The  subject  of  discourse  was, 
the  heavenly  state  ;  the  nature  of  the  hap- 
piness, emplo3^ment,  and  company  of  the 
spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  were 
beautifully  and  affectingly  described. 
While  the  whole  congregation  were  in 
ecstacy,  the  parents  of  this  youth  were 
in  tears.  When  they  came  home,  the 
son  asked  why  they  were  sad  during  the 
sermon,  as  they  were  known  to  be  good 
people.  The  mother  answered,  that  her 
sorrow  arose  from  the  fear  that  the  son  of 
her  womb  and  of  her  vows  should  be  ba- 
nished at  last  from  the  celestial  paradise. 
This  cautious  admonition,  sanctioned  by 
the  father,  found  its  way  to  the  youthful 
heart  of  her  child,  and  issued  in  his  con- 
version. 

3.  The  only  other  reason  I  will  urge 
for  your  seeking  Christ  early,  is  the  in- 
srease  of  happiness,  here  and  hereafter, 
which  will  be  thereby  secured  to  you. 

I  never  read  of  any  one  that  repented 
of  seeking  Christ  too  early.  You  are  to 
come  to  Christ  for  happiness.     God  says 


that  "  wisdom's  ways  are  w-ays  of  plea- 
santness, and  all  her  paths  are  peace." 
God's  favour  is  life,  and  his  loving-kind- 
ness is  better  than  life.  Some  people 
would  lead  you  to  think  otherwise  than 
the  word  of  God  says  of  a  religious  life. 
Matthew  Henr)',  the  author  of  the  excel- 
lent commentary  on  the  Bible,  left  this 
as  his  dying  testimony,  "  that  a  life  spent 
in  the  service  of  God,  and  communion 
with  him,  is  the  most  comfortable  and 
pleasant  life  that  any  one  can  live  in  the 
world."  Yon  know,  little  children,  that 
sin  is  the  cause  of  all  the  misery  in  the 
world;  and  that  if  you  seek  Christ  early, 
you  will  be  kept  from  many  sins  into 
which  those  who  seelv  not  Christ  are  lia- 
ble to  fall,  and  which,  when  set  in  order 
before  them  afterwards,  will  force  them 
to  say,  "a  man  may  bear  his  infirmities, 
but  a  wounded  spirit  who  can  bear]" 
And  the  longer  you  have  received  Christ, 
and  the  greater  your  advances  in  the  di- 
vine life,  the  more  "meet  will  you  he  for 
the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light;" 
the  higher  degree  of  glory  you  will  be 
capable  of  receiving.  We  are  told  in  the 
fifteenth  chapter  of  1st  Corinthians,  that 
"  there  is  one  glory  of  the  sun,  and  ano- 
ther glory  of  the  moon,  and  another  glory 
of  the  stars,  for  one  star  differeth  from 
another  star  in  glory;"  thus  intimating 
that  he  who  soweth  sparingly  shall  reap 
sparingly,  while  he  who  soweth  bounti- 
fully shall  reap  bountifully."  Though 
all  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  will  be 
happy,  we  are  taught  to  believe  that 
there  will  be  companies  of  the  redeemed 
encircling  the  throne  of  God  at  a  nearer 
and  at  a  more  remote  distance;  that  by 
divine  appointment  the  station  on  high 
will  be  assigned  according  to  the  progress 
now  made  in  conformity  to  the  divine 
image ;  that  Abraham  the  father  of  the 
faithful,  and  David  the  man  according  to 
God's  own  heart,  and  John  the  beloved 
disciple  of  our  Lord,  and  such  as  have 
been  long  in  Christ,  will  be  placed  in  a 
more  advantageous  position  than  the  thief 
on  the  cross,  and  such  like,  whose  con- 
version was  instantly  succeeded  by  Iiis 
introduction  to  the  paradise  above.  May 
God  bless  bis  word,  and  to  his  name  be 
all  the  praise.     Amen. 


SERMON  XLIII. 

MISSIONARY  EFFORTS  FOUNDED  UPON  THE  PRINCIPLES  AND  CLAIMS  OF 

REVELATION. 

BY  THE  REV.  WILLIAM  BENGO  COLLYER,  D.D. 


'  Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  tJte 
earth  for  thy  possession." — Psal.  ii.  8. 


Fourteen  years  have  elapsed  since  I 
had  the  privilege  of  pleading  the  cause  of 
missions,  on  one  of  theso  grand  anniver- 
saries, in  another  place.  Most  of  those 
for  whose  encouragement  the  present 
service  is  appointed,  and  who  in  its  an- 
nouncement, were  justly  designated  as 
forming  "  the  future  hope  of  the  society," 
were  then  in  the  thoughtlessness  of  child- 
hood ;  many  of  them  in  the  helplessness 
of  infancy;  and  some  of  them  unborn. 
Those  who  then  were  not,  have  received 
a  being  upon  which  immortality  is  im- 
pressed ;  and  of  that  existence,  the  com- 
mencement of  which  was  as  yesterday, 
there  can  be  no  close:  upon  it  the  desti- 
nies of  eternity  are  suspended  ;  and  their 
final  character  must  be  fixed  within  the 
limits  of  a  life,  the  duration  of  which  is  as 
uncertain  to  the  individual  as  it  is  neces- 
sarily short  in  itself.  Those  who  then 
thought,  and  spake,  and  understood  as 
children,  have  put  away  childish  things 
— have  passed  from  the  dawn  of  con- 
sciousness to  the  brightness  of  intellect- 
ual day,  and  have  began  to  think 
seriously,  as  we  trust,  for  themselves, 
while  they  have  consecrated  their  earliest 
energies  in  a  combined  attempt  to  effect 
instrumentally  the  salvation  of  others. 
Time  has,  in  the  mean  while,  been  effect- 
ing changes  not  less  important  in  other 
quarters.  The  fathers  of  the  society 
have  many  of  them  fallen  asleep  ;  others 
are  oowed  down  under  the  weight  of 
ears;  many  who  then  were  vigorous, 
Aave  descended  far  into  the  vale  of  life  ; 


and  those  who  bear  the  heat  and  burden 
of  the  day  now,  are  looking  round  them 
for  other  labourers,  when  they  shall  be 
summoned  to  repose.  Under  all  these 
circumstances,  their  attention  and  their 
hopes  are  fixed  upon  you  ;  their  desires 
and  their  prayers  alike  concentrate  in  the 
rising  generation ;  and  in  the  existence 
and  multiplication  of  juvenile  auxiliary 
missionary  societies ;  in  the  increasing 
interest  which  the  youth  of  both  sexes 
take  in  this  great  cause  ;  in  the  multitudes 
of  young  persons,  who  throng  their  sanc- 
tuaries on  these  occasions,  they  receive  a 
most  gratifying  and  convincing  pledge, 
that  their  most  enlarged  expectations  will 
be  realized. 

The  advocates  of  Christian  missions 
are  now  called  upon  to  occupy  ground  in 
some  respects  different  from  that  which 
they  were  required  at  that  time  to  main- 
tain. Infidelity  lay  at  the  foot  of  Chris- 
tianity exhausted,  and  apparently  expir- 
ing. It  had  provoked  a  combat,  to  which 
it  was  not  equal ;  it  had  girded  on  its  ar- 
mour with  boasting,  and  was  stripped  of 
it  with  disgrace.  It  had  entered  the  field 
with  confidence,  and  called  the  world  ta 
witness  its  triumphs.  The  world  obeyed 
the  call,  and  beheld  its  defeat.  The 
principles  which  opposed  religion,  deso- 
lated Europe,  and  disorganized  society. 
Amidst  convulsions  which  threatened  to 
destroy  the  foundations  of  social  order, 
the  noble  institutions  for  the  promotion 
of  the  gospel  arose,  and  proved  the  divi- 
nity of  their  origin,  by  their  superiority 
387 


#*  4f. 


388 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


toluiman  contingencies  and  independence 
of  human  politics.  Covered  witii  sliame, 
infidelity  retreated,  and  religion  went 
forth  from  conquering  to  conquer.  The 
advocates  of  missions  had  then  to  plead 
its  cause  with  professors  of  Christianity 
themselves — with  men  who,  admitting 
the  authority  of  revelation,  stopped  short 


and  efforts  are  founded  upon  the  priiei 
pies  and  claims  of  revelation. 

1.  I  have  spoken  of  the  principles  of 
revelation  as  presenting  missionary  oh- 
jects  and  requiring  missionary  efforts ; 
and  I  mean  by  its  principles,  that  whic!\ 
the  term  implies, — not  an  incidental 
thought,   not   a  collateral   circumstance, 


of  its  grand  design  ;  or  who  were  fettered    not  an  insulated  position,  not  a  subordi- 


in  their  judgments  by  the  chains  of  a 
party  spirit;  with  those  who,  granting 
the  ultimate  triumphs  of  the  cross,  forgot 


nate  intention  ;  but  its  original  postulate  ; 
the  grand  truth  which  it  assumes  as 
essential  to  the  whole  system  ;  the  great 


the  means  presented  for  its  advancement;    end  for  which  it  was  given,  to  which  it 


and  who,  while  they  denounced  as  en 
thusiasts  the  men  who  expected  success 
only  in  obedience  to  the  divine  command, 
with  astonishing  inconsistency  sat  down 
to  wait  for  indefinite  signs  and  tokens. 
Now  we  are  called  to  another  mode  of 
defence,  not,  however,  neglecting  the 
former.  Still  the  appeal  must  be  to  the 
oracles  of  God — the  only  warrant  for  our 
expectations — the  only  rule  for  our  opera- 
tions. But  infidelity  has  revived,  pro- 
duces in  the  most  popular  shape  its  often 
repeated  sophistries,  and  demands  of 
us,  not  only  that  we  should  make  good 
our  cause  as  Christians,  believing  the 
inspired  volume,  but  that  we  should 
establish  the  validity  of  our  claims 
upon  the  support  of  society — upon  inde- 
pendent principles,  arising  out  of  the  state 
of  the  world,  and  the  remedies  which 
we  propose  to  apply  to  its  acknow- 
ledged evils,  and  which  they  profess  to 
hold  in  contempt  and  derision.  Even 
from  this  challenge  we  shall  not 
shrink. 

I.  I  must  show  you  that  your  object 
and  efforts  are  founded  upon  the  prin- 
ciples and  claims  of  revelation  ;  this  will 
form  an  exposition  of  the  text. 

II.  I  shall  contrast  these  principles  and 
claims  with  the  infidel  pretensions  and 
objections  of  the  day  ;  to  these  you  will 
be  constantly  exposed  in  prosecuting  your 
noble  design. 

III.  I  shall  press  upon  your  attention 
the  peculiar  obligations  devolving  upon 
the  rising  generation,  and  their  incalcu- 
lable importance  to  missionary  success  ; 
this  is  the  great  and  practical  object  of  the 
present  meeting. 

I.  I  must  show  you  that  your  object 


invariably  conducts,  in  the    security   of 
which  cilone  it  is  consummated. 

The  plan  of  salvation  has  been  ever 
upon  this  sublime  scale  from  the  first 
promise.  If  we  are  to  consider  the  sen 
tence  passed  against  man's  seducer  in  the 
shape  of  a  serpent,  as  any  thing  beyond 
a  legendary  tale ;  if  it  related  at  all  to  the 
luin  and  redemption  of  the  fallen  creature, 
it  breathes  that  spirit  of  hostility  to  the 
powers  of  darkness,  and  pity  for  the  hu- 
man race,  which  give  birth  to  mission- 
ary conceptions  and  vigour  to  their  exe- 
cution. "  I  will  put  enmity  between  thee 
and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed 
and  her  seed :  it  shall  bruise  thy  head, 
and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel ;"  if  it 
imply  any  thing  whatever  in  relation  to 
this  momentous  subject,  by  opposing 
seed  to  seed,  it  subjects  all  the  spiritual 
enemies  of  man  to  the  conquering  Re- 
deemer, and  thus  holds  out  a  provision  of 
mercy  to  the  whole  human  race,  without 
distinction  of  clime  or  colour,  of  name 
or  nation,  through  that  complete  victory 
which  he  obtained  upon  Calvary,  when 
he  bowed  his  head,  amidst  the  sympa- 
thizing throes  of  nature,  and  cried,  "  It  is 
finished!"  The  covenant  with  Abraham, 
whatever  peculiarities  were  attached  to 
it  in  reference  to  his  immediate  posterity 
as  a  people,  and  their  distinction  from  all 
others,  in  its  sublime  and  spiritual  import, 
related  to  all  the  world.  This  is  not  the 
time  to  prosecute  the  inquiry,  in  all  the 
bearings  of  which  it  is  capable,  or  it 
would  not  be  difficult  to  prove,  that  what- 
ever was  peculiar  to  them  was  ultimately 
designed  for  the  universal  benefit  of  man 
that  their  election  as  a  people — their 
separation  from  all  nations — their  perfec 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 


389 


dispersion  over  all  countries — and  their 
promised  and  certain  restoration;  are  all 
parts  of  one  great  plan,  which  the  eternal 
Providence  is  carrying  on  for  the  con- 
summation of  the  redemption  of  the 
world  ;  that  these  are  obvious  links  in 
the  golden  chain  which  binds  earth  to 
heaven.  These  might  possibly  be  dis- 
missed as  speculations;  and  to  establish 
their  claims  to  the  important  rank  which 
they  hold  in  the  general  system,  would 
require  lengthened  discussion  ;  but  to  the 
simple  and  comprehensive  terms  of  the 
promise,  in  which  the  covenant  is  ex- 
pressed, no  reply  can  be  made,  and  no 
doubt  can  be  pretended,  if  words  are  to 
be  literally  understood,  and  if  the  autho- 
rity of  the  record  containing  them  be 
admitted,  " /n  thee  shall  all  families  of 
the  earth  be  blessed  :"  this  is  the  first 
form  of  the  prediction,  when  he  promised 
him  posterity  ;  but  when  he  received  his 
Son  from  the  dead  as  in  a  figure,  after  his 
faith  had  laid  him  upon  the  altar  at  the 
divine  command  (the  very  act  of  obe- 
dience itself  being  the  sacrifice  of  all  bis 
human  hopes,  and  the  restoration  of  his 
child  an  act  of  divine  goodness)  it  was 
told  him,  "  In  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  be  blessed."  In  the  same 
form  the  covenant  is  renewed  to  Isaac, 
after  the  death  of  his  father ;  and  this  re- 
newal of  the  covenant  to  Isaac  in  the 
same  terms,  clearly  proves  that  the  pro- 
mised seed  looked  beyond  himself.  To 
Abraham's  posterity  at  large  it  could 
scarcely  be  imagined  to  apply,  if  we  ex- 
pect the  position  to  be  borne  out  by  facts, 
St.  Paul  has  decidedly  applied  and  limit- 
ed the  promise  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  we 
rest  satisfied  Avith  his  authority.  But, 
whether  or  not  we  consider  the  inter- 
change of  the  terms,  "  families"  and 
"nations,"  as  implying  the  domestic  in- 
fluence of  Christianity,  cherishing  in  its 
bosom  our  home  affections,  or  as  explain- 
ing the  gradual  enlargement  of  its  reign 
from  families,  until  it  wins  empires,  the 
comprehensive  character  of  its  dominions 
must  be  admitted  when  the  covenant  in- 
cludes "  all  nations ;"  and  to  deny  its 
missionary  aspect,  is  to  cramp  its  ge- 
nius, to  defame  its  spirit,  and  to  abrogate 
its  engagements,   even  in   their   earliest 


pledges,  under  an  imperfect  and  limited 
dispensation. 

Thence  arose  songs  of  triumph  in  the 
Psalms  and  in  the  prophets,  which  St. 
Paul  has  quoted,  at  once  in  justification 
of  his  own  ministry  among  the  Gentiles, 
and  as  predictions  of  the  purposes  of 
mercy  being  carried  into  effect,  in  all 
their  boundless  provision,  finally,  among 
all  nations — "  Now  I  say  that  Jesus 
Christ  was  a  minister  of  the  circumcision 
for  the  truth  of  God  to  confirm  the  pro- 
mises made  to  the  fathers;  and  that  the 
Gentiles  might  glorify  God  for  his  mercy  ; 
as  it  is  written,  For  this  cause  I  will  con- 
fess to  thee  among  the  Gentiles,  ard  sing 
unto  thy  name.  And  again  he  saith,  Re- 
joice, ye  Getitiles,  with  his  people.  And 
again,  Praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  Gentiles; 
and  laud  him,  all  ye  people.  And  again, 
Esaias  saith.  There  shall  be  a  root  of 
Jesse,  and  he  that  shall  rise  to  reign  over 
the  Gentiles,  in  him  shall  the  Gentiles 
trust." — "Brethren,"  he  adds,  "I  have 
written  the  more  boldly  unto  you  in  some 
sort,  as  putting  you  in  mind,  because  of 
the  grace  that  is  given  to  me  of  God,  that 
I  should  be  the  minister  of  Jesus  Chrisi 
to  the  Gentiles,  ministering  the  gospel  of 
God,  that  the  offering  up  of  the  Gentile^ 
might  be  acceptable,  being  sanctified  by 
the  Holy  Ghost."  This  beautiful  pas- 
sage contains  almost  every  thing  that  the 
scriptural  argument  demands  on  the  part 
of  missions.  Why  was  he  "  bold  to  put 
them  in  mind"  of  the  purposes  of  salva- 
tion relative  to  the  Gentile  world  ]  be- 
cause he  w-as  writing  to  Gentiles — the 
Romans,  who  could  have  no  claim  to  the 
divine  promises,  had  they  not  been  of 
universal  import;  and  if  to  them  these 
promises  extended,  on  the  same  principles, 
and  for  the  same  reasons,  they  lie  open 
to  all  nations.  This  argument  ought  to 
weigh  the  more  powerfully  with  us,  be- 
cause we  ourselves,  who  endeavour  to 
send  the  tidings  of  this  salvation  to 
others,  have  received  them  on  the  same 
ground,  being  Gentiles;  and  once,  before 
the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  our 
highly  favoured  country,  as  deeply 
plunged  in  idolatry,  ignorance,  barbarity, 
and  impurity,  as  the  most  unenlightened 
or  heathen  people  to  whom  we  can  send 
2  k2 


390 


THE  BRITISH  PLLPIT. 


our    missionarii'S.      Tliese    Gentiles   he 
became  the  instrument  of  converting,  by 
"ministering  the  gospel    of  God" — the 
only  method  adopted  by  the  institution  to 
which  you  belong.     Tlie  success  is  at- 
tributed to  "  the  Holy  Ghost;"  and  "  ac- 
ceptance" is  evinced  by  hi-s  "  sanctifying" 
influence — minisiering  the  gos^pel  of  God, 
"  that  the  offering  up  of  the  Geniiks  might 
be  acceptable,  being  sanclified  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.''''     Here  are  the  objects — the  means 
— the  end — the  presiding  power — all  in- 
troduced.    "What  more  can  be  desired  as 
missionary  functions  ?     And  if  St.  Paul 
found  conclusions  so  irresistible  as  these, 
in  passages  so  isolated,  and  of  a  charac- 
ter so  general,  what  encouragements  may 
we  not  derive  from  larger  and  more  distinct 
prophecies    and    promises,     confessedly 
bearing  upon  the  conversion  of  the  heathen 
world,  to  which  your  attention  must  now 
be  directed,  and  of  which  the  text  is  one. 
The  satisfaction  which  Jesus  felt,  amidst 
his  dying  agonies,  arose  from  the  con- 
templation   of   this    great    result — "  As 
many  were  astonished  at  him,  (his  visage 
was  so  marred,  more  than  any  man,  and 
his  form  more  than  the  sons  of  man,)  so 
shall  he  sprinkle  many  nations  :  the  kings 
shall  shut  their  mouths  at  him ;  for  that 
which  had  not  been  told  them  shall  they 
see,  and  that  which  they  had  not  heard, 
shall  they  consider."     This  prediction  is 
quoted  in  exact  connexion  with  the  apos- 
tle's  reasoning  first  recited — "As  it  is 
written.  To  whom  he  was  not  spoken  of, 
they  shall  see  ;  and  they  that  have  not 
heard,  shall  understand  ;"  and  he  makes  it 
tlie  rule,  and  the  reason  of  his  conduct, 
"  in    preaching   the    gospel,    not   where 
Christ  was   named."      But  the  prophet 
shall  be  his  own  interpreter — "  He  shall 
see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be 
satisfied."     What  satisfaction  can  arise 
cut  of  these  agonies,  either  pleasing  to 
the  heart  of  God,   or  recompensing  the 
unknown  anguish  of  the  sufferer'?     "  By 
his  knowledge  shall  my  righteous  servant 
justify  many,  for  he  shall  bear  their  ini- 
quities."    And  when  this  sacrifice  shall 
have    been    made,   what   shall    follow  1 
"  The  great"  and  "  the  strong"  shall  "  be 
divided"  as  his  "  portion,"  and  gathered 
under  the   wings  of  his  victory,   "  as   a 


spoil ;"  "  the  barren"  and  "  the  desolate" 
are  to  "  break  forth  into  singing,"  and 
"  the  Gentiles"  are  to  be  "  inherited." 
The  gracious  influence  is  to  diffuse  itself 
abroad  on  every  side,  unLil  the  moral  and 
physical  world  are  hushed  into  undis- 
turbed tranquillity. 

These  triumphs  were  anticipated, 
pledged,  and  in  part  manifested  at  his 
resurrection.  Then  he  began  to  associ- 
ate his  inseparable  titles.  He  then 
proved  himself  to  be  "  the  faithful  v»it- 
ness ;"  he  stood  manifest,  "  the  first  be- 
gotten of  the  dead ;"  and  he  began  to 
assert  his  dignity  as  "  the  Prince  of  the 
kings  of  the  earth."  Sixty  years  had 
scarcely  elapsed  before  the  conquests  of 
the  gospel  had  so  consociated  them,  that 
they  met  upon  his  glorious  head,  at  whose 
feet  even  the  beloved  disciple  fell  down 
as  dead ;  and  under  their  authority, 
adorned  with  their  majesty,  went  forth 
the  last  revelation  which  God  has  made 
to  man.  After  having  shown  himself 
alive  forty  days  by  many  ir.fallible  proofs, 
he  appointed  his  disciples  to  meet  him 
at  the  Mount  of  Olives.  "  And  Jesus 
came  unto  them,  saying.  All  power  is 
given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  earth." 
For  what  purpose  was  this  delegated 
authority  ?  and  to  what  end  did  he  apply 
it  ■?  "  Go,  ye,  therefore.,  and  teach  nh 
nations.''''  In  whatever  variety  of  expres- 
sions his  last  charge  was  given,  as  re- 
corded by  the  different  evangelists — some 
more  copious  than  others,  but  all  conso- 
nant with  themselves — one  principle  was 
invariably  produced  as  the  sum  and  sub- 
stance of  their  commission  :  "  repentance 
and  remission  of  sins  were  to  be  preached 
in  his  name  among  all  nations,  beginning 
at  Jerusalem ;"  and  that  this  principle 
was  to  be  observed  by  those  who,  in  suc- 
cessive ages,  should  enter  into  the  labours 
of  these  first  preachers  of  Christianity,  is 
clear,  from  the  promise  which  guarantees 
its  success — "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alu-oys; 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  Tlie 
obligation  to  exhibit  salvation  to  nations 
yet  unsubdued  by  the  gospel,  is  there- 
fore as  binding  to  us  as  it  was  upon  them ; 
since,  if  any  commission  to  preach  the 
gospel  belong  to  men  in  the  present  day, 
or  in  any  subsequent  to  that  of  the  apos- 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 


391 


ties,  it  must  be  charged  with  the  condi- 
tions of  the  original  commission,  neither 
that  commission,  nor  its  obligations  being 
any  where  repealed.  If  we  maintain  the 
perpetuity  of  the  Christian  ministry,  we 
must  hold  it  with  all  its  primitive  inten- 
tions and  appointments ;  and  these  con- 
stitute the  very  essence  of  the  missionary 
spirit.  In  giving  them  this  commission, 
•and  pronouncing  upon  them  his  blessing, 
"  he  was  parted  from  them,  and  taken  up 
into  heaven,  and  a  cloud  received  him  out 
of  their  sight."  The  eye  of  prophecy 
followed  this  glorious  flight — "  He  hath 
ascended  up  on  high ;  he  hath  led  cap- 
tivity captive;  he  hath  received  gifts  for 
men ;  for  the  rebellious  also,  that  the 
Lord  God  might  dwell  among  them." 
He  went  to  take  possession  of  that  domi- 
nion, and  to  exercise  that  authority  of 
which  he  spake  to  his  disciples,  and  the 
natureof  it  is  here  explained.  The  whole 
spirit  of  the  passage,  and  the  general 
structure  of  the  terms,  evince  that  the 
blessings  thus  to  be  distributed,  were  not 
to  be  limited  to  an  action,  but  were  to  be 
universal  in  their  diffusion — the  end  of 
our  Lord's  ascension  thus  according  with 
that  of  his  resurrection,  and  both  with 
missionary  objects. 

We  have  followed  him  to  his  media- 
torial throne  ;  he  is  seated  as  "  King  upon 
his  holy  hill  of  Sion;"  the  "  decree"  is 
"  declared  ;"  the  Messiah  is  proclaimed  : 
"  The  Lord  hath  said  unto  him,  Thou  art 
my  Son  ;  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee." 
But  he  is  '■'■  a  priest  upon  his  throne,"  and 
still  sustains  an  official  character.  To 
him,  as  such,  the  promise  is  made — 
"  Ask  of  me;  I  shall  give  the'>  the  hea- 
then for  thine  inheritance,  an  1  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth  for  t'ly  posses- 
sion." Hostilities  against  his  empire 
are  supposed  and  denounced  ;  a  rule  of 
mdgment,  as  well  as  of  mercy,  is  in- 
'jiluded  in  his  reign ;  and  mon  irchs  are 
required  to  pay  homage  to  his  sceptre. 
It  were  absurd  to  imagine  th\t  this  mag- 
nificent language  could  be  li  nited  to  the 
affairs  and  the  throne  of  David,  to  either 
Ills  difficulties  or  his  victories.  An  allu- 
sion to  these  may  be  fairly  ad  nitted  ;  and 
•hey  are  introduced  to  conduc  the  believ- 
mof  Jew,  under  the  propheti^.  J  spirit,  to 


"  better  things  than  these."  To  David's 
troubles  or  his  triumphs — to  his  enemies 
or  his  subjects — to  his  person  or  his  office 
— all  the  parts  of  this  Scripture  cannot 
apply ;  nor  could  they  to  any  mere  human 
sovereignty.  But  an  interpretation  which 
would  be  absurd  in  the  face  of  it,  is  ren- 
dered absolutely  impossible  to  those  who 
have  any  reverence  for  the  authority  of 
the  Scriptures,  or  pay  any  respect  to  the 
apostolic  exposition  of  them.  We  have 
been  accustomed  to  consider  the  apostles 
as  endowed  with  miraculous  gifts  for  the 
infallible  explanation  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment ;  and  as  partakers  of  the  same  spirit 
of  prophecy ;  to  us,  therefore,  the  com- 
mentary has  equal  claims  to  inspiration 
with  the  text.  The  as?embled  and  per- 
secuted disciples,  in  their  memorable 
prayer,  signalized  by  the  accompanying 
visible  symbols  of  the  divine  presence 
and  approbation,  applied  the  opening  of 
this  psalm  to  the  united  hostility  of 
"  Herod  and  Pontius  Pilate,  with  the  Gen- 
tiles and  the  people  of  Israel,  against  the 
Lord  and  against  his  Christ;"  thus  claim- 
ing for  Jesus  the  Me"ssiahship,  and  ap- 
plying to  the  Messiah,  and  not  to  David, 
the  prediction,  in  the  very  words  in  which 
it  was  uttered.  Paul,  quoting  "  the 
second  psalm"  by  title,  applies  the  words, 
"Thou  art  my  Son  ;  this  day  have  I  be- 
gotten thee,"  expressly  to  Jesus,  and 
refers  the  prediction  to  the  glory  of  his 
resurrection;  and  the  writer  of  the  epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  applies  the  same  word^ 
to  Jesus,  as  declaring  the  peculiar  at:  1 
mysterious  nature  of  his  filial  relatio;-, 
and  his  superiority  over  angels  and  all 
created  power.  These  representations 
are  with  us  conclusive.  We  knov.-  no- 
thing of  those  who  interpret  Scripture  by 
rules  of  their  own  invention,  or  who 
balance  its  authority  with  their  own 
reasons  and  imaginations ;  with  us  it  is 
either  true  or  false,  inspired  or  unin- 
spired, and  we  cleave  to  this  principle 
with  all  its  consequences.  The  text,  so 
explained  by  the  inspired  writers  them- 
selves, obviously  relates  to  the  final  and 
future  triumphs  of  the  Messiah.  These 
objects  form  the  substance  of  his  inter- 
cession. The  work  which  was  finished 
so   far  as   it  could   be   completed   upor. 


392 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


earth,  and  was  declared  to  be  so  from  the 
cross,  is  carrying  on  in  heaven,  and  is 
pleaded  before  the  throne.  It  is  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Redeemer — the  one  great 
work  in  which  he  is  engaged,  and  in 
which  he  will  be  occupied  until  all  the 
.benefits  of  the  salvation  wliich  he  died 
to  purchase,  shall  be  secured  according  to 
the  tenor  of  the  covenant  declared.  This 
constitutes  the  basis  of  his  mediatorial 
kingdom.  "  He  must  reign  until  all  ene- 
mies are  put  under  his  feet." — "  But  now 
we  see  not  yet  all  things  put  under  him. 
But  we  see  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little 
lower  than  the  angels,  for  the  suffering 
of  death,  covered  with  glory  and  honour." 
To  his  many  crowns,  must  be  added  that  of 
the  regenerated  world  ;  and  then  "  cometh 
the  end  ;"  when  having  subdued  all  oppo- 
sition, and  "put  down  all  rule,  and  all 
authority,  and  power ;"  having  completed 
the  conquest  of  the  universe,  and  accom- 
plished his  mediatorial  commission,  he 
shall  "  deliver  up  the  kingdom  to  God, 
even  the  Father.  And  when  all  things 
shall  be  subdued  unto  him,  then  shall  the 
Son  also  himself  be  subject  unto  him  that 
put  all  things  under  him,"  and  shall  mark 
it  by  this  solemn  and  public  surrender  of 
this  delegated  sovereignty,  no  longer 
necessary  to  his  ransomed  and  perfected 
church,  and  as  from  the  beginning,  even 
from  everlasting,  the  triune  Jehovah. 
"  God  shall  be  all  in  all,"  in  whose  pre- 
sence the  redeemed  shall  find  eternal  joy 
— receiving  ever  new  displays  of  his 
love,  and  ever  admiring  the  glorious  mys- 
teries of  his  ineffable  nature. 

John  foresaw  the  accomplishment  of 
all  those  things,  when  the  veil  of  futurity, 
and,  in  some  instances,  even  that  of  eter- 
nity, was  drawn  aside  before  him.  As 
though  these  concurrent  declarations  had 
been  all  too  little  to  give  due  effect  and 
sufficient  assurance  to  .the  grand  design 
contemplated  in  the  visions  of  the  Al- 
mighty, he  beheld  him  upon  whose  bosom 
he  once  leaned  ;  but  so  transformed,  that 
all  his  faculties  were  overcome,  and  the 
splendour  of  the  mount  of  transfiguration 
was  but  a  faint  shadow  of  the  insufferable 
brightness  of  uncreated  glory,  in  which 
the  risen  Redeemer  then  revealed  himself 
to  his  beloved  disciple.     Amidst  things 


hard  to  be  understood,  relative  to  the 
revolutions  of  empires  and  the  eventful 
characters  of  the  closing  ages,  one  object 
was  distinct,  the  most  glorious  of  all,  and 
to  which  all  the  mysterious  machinery 
was  subordinated — it  was  "  the  word  of 
God,"  "  clothed  with  a  vesture  dipped 
in  blood,"  followed  by  "the  armies  of 
heaven,"  "smiting  the  nations  with  the 
sword  of  his  mouth  ;"  for  this  is  the  wea- 
pon by  which  he  achieves  his  victories, 
and  wearing  his  triumphant  name,  befit- 
ting his  universal  empire,  and  his  resist- 
less conquests;  "written,"  now,  to  be 
read  another  day  by  the  assembled  uni- 
verse— "  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of 
lords."  I  have  now  redeemed  my  pledge, 
to  show  you  that  your  object  to  evangelize 
the  world  is  founded  upon  the  principles  of 
revelation ;  the  grand  truth  which  it  as- 
sumes, and  upon  which  it  proceeds,  being 
that  to  all  nations  the  blessings  of  salva- 
tion are  to  be  ultimately  extended  ;  and 
this  truth  is  held  in  view  from  its  first  to 
its  last  page,  is  represented  as  originating 
in  eternity  before  all  time,  and  as  con- 
summated in  eternity,  when  time  shall 
cease  to  be.  Here,  in  point  of  argument, 
upon  the  authority  of  inspiration,  and  on 
the  part  of  those  who  believe  it,  the  mis- 
sionary question  rests,  as  to  its  object. 

2.  But  we  mentioned  the  claims  of 
revelation,  as  bearing  upon  your  efforts, 
in  connexion  with  this  unquestionable 
object.  These  must  be  scriptural  also, 
both  as  to  their  extent  and  their  means. 

Their  extent  may  be  measured  by  the 
principles  already  established  ;  and  reve- 
lation claims  for  Christ,  empire  absolute, 
religious,  universal — "I  will  give  thee 
the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  pos- 
session." 

The  harp  of  prophecy  has  been  struck 
from  age  to  age  ;  its  strains  are  too  sweet 
and  too  elevated  to  be  mistaken  for  mortal 
music.  It  has  sounded  louder  and  louder, 
and  its  notes  have  risen  higher  and  higher, 
I  until  it  has  mingled  with  the  chorus  of 
heaven;  and  celestial  lyres  have  been 
hushed  to  listen  to  its  melody ;  angelic 
spirits  have  desired  to  look  into  the  mys- 
teries which  it  celebrated,  and  the  glories 
which   it   foretold.     Risingf    amidst    the 


mSSIONARY  EFFORTS. 


393 


mountains  of  Judea,  it  reached  Greecs 
and  Rome,  in  broken  and  indistinct 
echoes ;  and  the  strains  of  Isaiah  were 
imitated  by  Virgil,  who  caught  them 
through  these  imperfect  reverberations. 
The  subject  of  the  prophetic  song  was 
always  the  triumphs  of  the  Redeemer. 
We  lay  no  stress  upon  particular  inter- 
pretations of  imagery  employed  by  the 
prophets,  whether  the  renewed  face  of  the 
earth,  and  the  subdued  ferocity  of  beasts 
of  prey,  and  the  extinction  of  natural  ani- 
mosities in  the  animal  creation  are  to  be 
considered  as  figurative  or  literal ;  as  re- 
lating to  an  actual  transformation  of  the 
face  of  nature,  or  only  to  moral  changes, 
or  to  both,  as  is  not  improbable ;  for  all 
was  perfection  once,  and  it  is  in  the  power 
of  the  Being  who  works,  to  restore  them  ; 
it  is  not  for  us  to  decide.  We  adhere  to 
the  obvious  principle — the  groans  of  the 
whole  creation  must  be  heard ;  the  pro- 
mises of  God  must  be  fulfilled  ;  the  ruins 
of  the  fall  must  be  repaired  ;  the  Messiah 
must  reign,  and  his  empire  is  in  the  bo- 
som ;  it  controls  the  passions  ;  it  is  an 
empire  of  peace ;  it  thus  distinguishes 
itself  from  the  kingdoms  of  this  world, 
founded  often  in  violence,  supported  by 
cruel  and  desolating  wars,  and  pouring 
through  their  hundred  gates  armies  as 
destructive  in  their  career  as  imposing  in 
their  external  grandeur.  It  is  clear  that 
the  spirit  of  the  religious  reign  of  Jesus 
is  "  glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth 
peace,  good-will  to  men."  And  when 
such  is  its  spirit,  and  the  moral  influence 
corresponds,  and  all  things  shall  be  subor- 
dinated to  it,  it  is  easy  to  conceive,  not 
merely  that  incalculable  benefits  shall  re- 
sult to  society,  but  that  physical  changes, 
unimaginable  in  the  present  state  of 
things,  will  take  place  upon  the  face  of 
nature  itself,  arising  from  this  moral  trans- 
formation. We  will  not,  however,  suffer 
ourselves  to  indulge  in  speculation,  while 
we  contend  for  the  right  of  empire  claimed 
by  revelation  for  the  Saviour. 

We  enter  into  no  calculations  relative 
to  times  and  to  persoi^s,  to  the  years 
which  must  revolve,  before  the  latter  day, 
already  dawning  upon  us,  shall  reach  its 
meridian,  or  as  to  which  anti-christian 
powers  must  fall;  and  what  changes  must 

Vol.  I.— 50 


be  effected  before  the  end  shall  come  ! 
With  us,  it  is  always  time  to  obey  an  ex- 
press command,  always  time  to  labour, 
the  time  of  duty  is  clear — "Secret  things 
belong  to  the  Lord  our  God."  The 
place,  the  way,  the  measure,  the  end  of 
our  individual  exertions,  of  our  respective 
destinations,  are  all  with  him,  and  we 
cheerfully  leave  them  there.  We  renounce 
again  speculation  to  grasp  certainty — 
"  The  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed, 
and  all  flesh  shall  see  it  together :  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." 

Such  is  the  extent  of  scriptural  claims 
for  Christ,  and  from  you  it  claims  corres- 
ponding duties.  It  requires/flzVA  in  these 
promises,  without  which  your  principles 
will  be  unfixed,  your  perseverance  uncer- 
tain, your  labours  uncheered,  your  sacri- 
fices unrewarded.  The  great  part  of  the 
courage,  zeal,  and  triumph  of  primitive 
Christians  was  disclosed  by  the  apostle 
John.  "This,"  said  he,  "is  the  victory 
that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our 
faith."  It  recommends  prayer.  Even 
Jesus  is  to  ask — "  Ask  of  me,  and  I  will 
give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inherit- 
ance." Surely  it  becomes  us  to  follow 
such  an  example,  and  to  fill  the  sails  of 
the  vessels  which  bear  our  missionaries 
to  foreign  shores,  with  a  spiritual  gale  of 
unfeigned  supplication.  "  And  this  is 
the  confidence  that  we  have  in  him,"  said 
an  inspired  writer,  "  that  if  we  ask  any 
thing  according  to  his  will,  he  heareth 
us  ;  and  if  we  know  that  he  hear  us,  what- 
soever w'e  ask,  we  know  that  we  have 
the  petitions  that  are  desired  of  him." 
We  cannot  doubt  that  in  praying  for  mis- 
sionary success,  we  ask  according  to  his 
will,  because  we  ask  according  to  his 
promise.  Jlctivity  must  blend  with  de- 
sire; for  "the  soul  of  the  sluggard  desir- 
eth,  and  hath  nothing."  This  is  a  ser- 
vice which  the  young  peculiarly  may 
render  to  the  cause  of  religion  ;  the  heart 
may  remain  to  age,  but  not  the  hand  ;  the 
love  to  the  cause,  but  not  the  energy  to 
aid  it.  "  I  write  to  you,  young  men,  be- 
cause ye  are  strong,"  said  one  over  whose 
head  ninety  winters  had  passed,  chilling 
his  blood,  but  unable  to  freeze  his  affec- 
tions. Employment  of  the  prescribed 
means  is  called  for.     The  wicked  one  is 


394 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


to  be  "  consumed  with  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord's  mouth,  and  destroyed  with  the 
brightness  of  his  coming."  Use  no  un- 
hallowed weapons,  neither  forte  nor  fraud, 
neither  philosophical  expediency,  nor  hu- 
man policy.  You  do  not  need  them,  for 
the  cause  rejects  them.  The  weapons 
which  have  vanquished  so  many  are  pow- 
erful enough  to  subdue  all — "and  the 
weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal." 
Trust  to  the  simple  preaching  of  the  gos- 
pel, in  faith  upon  its  author:  scorners 
may  laugh  now,  as  they  did  in  the  days 
of  the  apostle,  who  said,  "  We  preach 
Christ  crucified,  to  the  .Tews  a  stumbling- 
block,  and  to  the  Greeks  foolishness;  but 
to  them  that  are  saved,  both  Jews  and 
Greeks,  Christ,  the  wisdom  of  God,  and 
the  power  of  God."  Personal  devoted- 
ness  to  God  is  required  at  your  hands,  and 
will  crown  your  work.  He  only  who  has 
learned  the  value  of  his  own  soul  can 
justly  appreciate  the  worth  of  the  souls 
of  others.  He  only  who  is  in  earnest  for 
his  own  salvation  can  persuade  others 
that  he  feels  a  real  interest  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  human  race.  It  is  required  by 
the  divine  law,  that  a  man  should  love 
his  neighbour  as  himself,  but  not  more 
than  himself.  What  opinion,  then,  can 
be  formed  of  that  man's  sincere  concern 
for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  who 
has  never  inquired  after  his  own  1  His 
passions  may  be  touched,  but  the  mis- 
sionary cause  relies  only  upon  principles. 
These  are  its  claims  upon  your  efforts, 
and  those  the  indisputable  sanctions 
which  the  Scriptures  afford  your  object; 
and  here  we  could  be  content  to  rest  the 
cause. 

But  it  wuU  be  necessary, 

n.  To  contrast  these  principles  and 
claims  with  the  infidel  pretensions  and 
objections  of  the  day.  Necessary,  because 
these  will  meet  you  in  every  step  of  your 
Christian  and  benevolent  career — will  be 
urged  upon  you  as  oracles  of  wisdom,  and 
as  a  new  discovery  of  truth,  as  though 
the  human  mind  had  received  a  sudden 
illumination,  and  the  intellectual  and 
moral  world  were  going  to  make  a  new 
experiment,  of  the  success  of  which,  from 
the  fitness,  beauty,  and  propriety  of  its 
principles,  no  reasonable  doubt  can   be 


entertained,  as  though  "they  were  the 
people,  and  wisdom  must  die  with  them," 
and  all  who  venture  to  differ  from  their 
dogmas,  to  hesitate  before  they  risk  eter- 
nal interests  upon  bold  speculations  and 
unsupported  hypothesis,  or  to  suppose 
the  possibility,  and  admit  the  existence 
of  a  written  revelation  of  the  divine  will, 
were  either  fools  in  understanding,  enthu- 
siasts by  constitution,  knaves  by  desi'^n, 
or,  upon  the  most  candid  construction, 
narrow  in  their  conceptions,  illiberal  in 
their  opinions,  irrational  in  their  creed, 
and  unphilosophical  in  their  conclusions. 
Do  not  suffer  yourselves  to  be  moved  by 
hard  names,  bitter  W'ords,  and  scornful 
revilings.  Do  not  mistake  sophistry  for 
reason,  ridicule  for  argument,  assert-ions 
for  proof;  nor  be  daunted  by  the  bold  as- 
sumptions, and  the  high  tone  arrogated 
by  the  opponents  of  revelation,  and  of 
your  efforts  as  founded  upon  it.  Bring 
the  pretensions  of  both  systems  to  the  test ; 
let  that  test  be  plain  matter  of  fact,  and 
not  doubtful  disputation  ;  let  the  facts  be 
deduced  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and 
from  all  ages  of  time;  let  them  be  exa- 
mined in  their  uniformity  and  consistency, 
and  then  it  will  be  soon  and  easily  seen 
and  demonstrated  who  has  effected  most 
for  the  world,  in  point  either  of  moral  cul- 
ture, or  of  substantial  happiness,  the  phi- 
losopher or  the  missionary. 

Challenge,  then,  their  pretensions,  and 
produce  your  own.  They  tell  you  of  the 
sufficiency  of  natural  religion,  and  of  the 
deficiency  of  a  written  revelation.  They 
tell  you,  that  as  all  men  must  be  supposed 
to  be  interested  in  a  revelation  of  the 
divine  will,  if  it  be  conceded  to  exist, 
(and  this  is  at  least  an  admission  of  tlie 
consistency  of  missionary  efforts  with  the 
belief  of  such  a  revelation,)  it  ought  to 
have  been  written  with  a  sunbeam  upon 
all  lands,  or  inscribed  on  the  face  of  the 
orb  of  light  himself,  that  he  might  daily 
present  it  to  all  nations  in  his  unwearied 
journey.  Upon  their  own  showing,  that 
which  is  demanded  has  been  done,  and 
(to  give  them  all  the  advantage  of  the 
argument)  has  been  done  by  natural  reli- 
gion, and  not  as  yet  by  revelation.  If,  as 
they  assume,  natural  religion  is  a  suffi- 
cient revelation,  and  no  other  is  necessary, 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 


395 


it  has  been  written  with  a  sunbeam  upon 
all  lands;  it  has  been  inscribed  from  the 
beginning  of  the  creation  upon  the  face 
of  the  glorious  orb  of  day.  What  is  the 
result  1  What  has  natural  religion  effect- 
ed in  any,  in  every  age"?  in  an}',  in  every 
country]  "The  heavens  declare  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  showeth 
forth  liis  handj'-work  ;"  but  "  the  world 
by  wisdom  knew  not  God  ;"  they  "wor- 
shipped and  served  the  creature  more  than 
the  Creator  ;"  they  fell  down  to  the  hosts 
of  heaven ;  or  "  changed  the  glory  of  the 
incorruptible  God  into  an  image  made 
like  unto  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds, 
and  four-footed  beasts,  and  creeping 
things."  Now  call  for  natural  religion, 
and  she  shall  answer  you  from  the  depths 
of  the  forest  and  the  summits  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  from  the  sea,  and  from  the  shore ; 
from  the  crowded  city,  and  the  unculti- 
vated desert;  from  the  hut  of  the  savage, 
and  the  dome  of  the  monarch  :  every 
where  her  altars  are  planted,  and  her  wor- 
ship maintained.  Her  influence  and  her 
footsteps  may  be  traced  on  the  face  of 
the  whole  earth,  in  barbarous  rites,  revolt- 
ing superstitions,  and  disgusting  obsceni- 
ties ;  and  in  all  the  forms  of  idolatry, 
from  the  featherec'  gods  of  the  islands  of 
the  South-sea,  to  the  misshapen  logs  of 
Africa,  up  to  the  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  thousand  of  deities  of  philosophical 
India.  Would  j'ou  see  her  in  her  own 
person  1  Bid  her  come  forth — she  ap- 
pears "  in  garments  rolled  in  blood :" 
"  the  battle  of  the  warrior  with  confused 
noise"  rages  around  her;  children  drop 
into  the  fires  kindled  to  her  honour;  hu- 
man victims  are  slaughtered  on  the  altars 
raised  to  her  praise,  or  crushed  beneath 
the  ponderous  car  upon  which  she  sits 
enthroned.  Around  her,  dying  cries  and 
agonizing  shrieks  mingle  with  loud  ac- 
clamations and  frantic  songs :  her  look 
withers  the  country,  and  depopulates  the 
city.  This  is  natural  religion,  not  as  she 
came  from  the  hands  of  God,  the  witness 
of  his  eternal  power  and  Godhead,  but  as 
she  is  deformed  by  the  passions  of  men, 
and  debased  by  their  corruptions;  not  as 
"  the  image  of  the  invisible  Creator,"  but 
as  the  idol  of  the  fallen  and  depraved 
creature.      Yet  this  is  natural  religion, 


stained  with  gore,  and  foul  with  crimes  - 
not  depicted  by  fancy,  but  demonstrated 
by  fact;  by  facts  drawn  from  all  climes 
and  from  all  generations ;  facts  which 
even  infidelity  has  not  the  effrontery  to 
deny. 

But,  reason  was  to  have  rectified  these 
errors  ;  reason  is  another  goddess  of  their 
idolatry ;  reason  was  to  sit  supreme,  en- 
shrined in  the  light  of  natural  religion, 
the  arbitress  of  human  destinies.  To  her 
was  intrusted  the  key  of  knowledge,  to 
unlock  and  dispense  the  riches  of  the 
universe.  She  was  to  be  the  architect, 
rearing  a  structure  of  happiness  and  of 
virtue  under  which  man  should  repose,  and 
a  temple  of  religion  in  which  he  should 
worship.  She  was  to  be  the  polar  star 
upon  which,  fixing  a  steady  eye,  he 
might  safely  sail  over  the  stormy  sea  of 
life,  and  find  a  port  of  rest  at  last.  But 
the  light  of  the  star  is  obscured ;  the 
plans  of  the  architect  are  marred  ;  the  key 
of  knowledge  is  mislaid  ;  the  arbitress  of 
man's  fate  is  dethroned.  How  is  it  she 
has  lost  her  high  prerogatives,  and  suf- 
fered her  authority  to  be  overthrown  1 
She  is  more  than  dethroned — she  is  im- 
prisoned ;  she  not  only  no  longer  rules- 
she  is  the  mere  slave  of  the  passions. 
How  is  it  that  she  has  fallen  from  her  pin- 
nacle of  glory  ]  She  was  beguiled  by 
sense.  "  The  invisible  things  of  him 
from  the  creation  of  the  world  are  clearly 
seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that 
are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and 
Godhead,  so  that  they  are  without  ex- 
cuse." But  when  men  "  became  vain  in 
their  imaginations,  their  foolish  heart 
was  darkened  ;  and  professing  themselves 
to  be  wise,  they  became  fools." 

But,  conscience  was  to  have  prevented 
these  disorders,  and  to  have  laid  restraints 
upon  the  passions.  Conscience  was  to 
have  ruled  as  the  vicegerent  of  heaven  in 
the  human  bosom.  Conscience  was  to 
have  sat  as  judge  upon  human  actions. 
Conscience  was  to  have  been  a  witness 
in  all  moral  questions.  Complicated  and 
important  was  its  office,  to  judge  and  to 
witness  both,  to  accuse  or  excuse,  to 
sentence  or  acquit,  to  restrain  or  to 
punish.  Conscience  was  to  be  the  senti- 
nel of  the  soul,  keeping  guard  over  the 


396 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


imprisoned  passions.  But  the  judge  was  I 
corrupted  on  the  bench,  and  the  sentinel 
slept  upon  his  post.  Reason  and  con- 
science were  either  unequal  to  their 
charge,  or  unfaithful  to  their  trust.  We 
can  account  for  these  things  on  the  prin- 
ciples of  revelation  :  they  are  evils  which 
infidelity  is  too  proud  to  acknowledge, 
arising  out  of  a  doctrine  which  he  detests. 
Man  is  a  fallen,  therefore  a  depraved  crea- 
ture ;  and  the  moral  corruption  extends 
over  all  the  faculties  of  his  soul,  and  has 
poisoned  all  the  springs  of  his  present 
being.  Therefore  his  corrupt  passions 
predominate  over  all  his  intellectual  and 
moral  powers,  and  hold  the  noble  spirit 
in  ignominious  bondage.  For  this  the 
gospel  has  provided  an  effectual  remedy  ; 
and  this  remedy  you  are  sending  by  your 
missionaries  to  the  ruined  world.  But 
infidelity  denies  the  malady  so  far  as  pos- 
sible, and  rejects  the  remedy  altogether. 
He  is  indeed  compelled  to  allow  these 
moral  irregularities. 

But,  philosophy  is  to  counteract  them, 
and  to  restore  the  reign  of  natural  religion, 
of  reason,  of  conscience  and  of  virtue. 
Were  Greece  and  Rome,  then,  barbarian  ? 
Were  they  ignorant  of  philosophy  1  or 
was  the  experiment  not  made?  It  was 
not  in  a  desert,  surrounded  by  savages, 
but  in  the  centre  of  Athens,  encircled  by 
philosophers,  that  Paul  stood  amidst  the 
monuments  and  upon  a  mount  of  idolatry, 
although  a  court,  and  the  highest  court 
of  justice,  evincing  how  closely  allied 
the  civil  government  was  with  their  de- 
basing superstitions,  and  pointed  to  an 
altar  inscribed,  "To  the  unknown  God." 
Such  is  the  true  character  of  every  altar 
which  reason  and  philosophy,  and  natural 
religion,  unaided  by  revelation,  have 
raised,  although  all  do  not  bear  the  same 
inscription.  These  are  the  altars  which 
your  missionaries  are  hastening  to  over- 
throw, to  plant  the  cross  in  their  place, 
and  to  proclaim  to  the  poor  idolater, 
"whom  therefore  ye  ignorantly  worship, 
him  declare  we  unto  you."  And  is  it  not 
to  men  like  these,  the  mighty  minds  of 
departed  ages,  who  sought  after  truth,  but 
missed  it,  because  they  lacked  the  guid- 
ing ray  of  revelation  ;  is  it  not  to  men  like 
these,  that  infidels  of  the  present  day  ap- 


peal, acknowledging  them  as  masters, 
and  adopting  their  system  ;  men,  who  if 
they  now  lived,  would  be  ashamed  of 
their  professed  scholars  1  If  among  such 
men,  natural  religion,  and  reason,  and 
conscience,  and  philosophy,  all  proved 
too  unequal  a  guard  against  the  passions 
of  a  corrupt  nature,  and  to  a  guide  abso- 
lutely insufficient  through  the  mazes  of 
ignorance  to  the  throne  of  God  ;  if  in  such 
hands  the  grand  experiment  altogether 
failed,  what  further  pretensions  have  the 
modern  philosophers,  the  opposers  of  re- 
velation, and  the  deriders  of  missionary 
efforts,  to  advance?  They  will  not  dare 
to  tell  you  that  it  has  been  denied  either 
time  or  space  :  it  has  been  made  nearly 
six  thousand  years  from  the  fall  of  man, 
to  the  very  hour  in  which  I  am  addressing 
you  ;  it  has  been  made  by  the  intellectual 
giants  of  the  olden  time,  as  well  as  by  the 
infidel  pigmies  of  the  age  in  which  we 
live.  They  will  not  dare  to  tell  you,  that 
the  results  have  ever  been  different  from 
those  which  we  have  stated.  They  will 
not  dare  to  deny,  that  such  is,  at  this  mo- 
ment, the  aggregate  of  the  experiment  now 
trying,  among  all  states,  whether  savage 
or  civilized,  which  revelation  has  not 
reached.  I  disdain  to  contrast  the  intel- 
lectual and  moral  influence  of  Christianity, 
wherever  it  extends,  with  the  scenes  of 
horror  and  degradation  to  which  I  have 
alluded  ;  but  I  demand  of  j'our  infidel  op- 
ponents to  explain,  if  they  can,  by  what 
fatality,  or  bj"^  what  chance  (and  they 
shall  choose  their  philosophical  school  in 
deciding  the  question)  it  occurs,  that 
their  efforts,  to  elevate  the  moral  condi- 
tion of  man,  have  never  succeeded,  and 
that  those  of  Christianity  have  never 
failed  ? 

You  have  examined  their  pretensions, 
and  stated  your  own  ;  now  let  them  pro- 
duce their  strong  reasons,  and  you  shall 
fearlessly  face  the  ohjections  which  they 
commonly  bring  against  your  object  and 
your  efforts. 

They  tell  you  that  ihe  inorld  ought  not 
to  he  disturbed:  that  is,  that  the  usurpa- 
tions of  sin  and  of  sorrow,  which  have 
been  permitted  during  thousands  of  years, 
should  be  established  by  prescription, 
and  that  a  revolted  universe  should  never 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 


397 


be  summonerl  to  return  to  the  mercy  and 
the  sceptre  of  its  lawful  sovereign.  Tell 
them  that  you  are  not  the  troublers  of 
nations ;  but  that  their  contentions  and 
wrongs  arise  from  the  lusts  which  they 
cherish,  and  which  you  are  anxious  to 
remove.  Tell  them  that  which  may 
silence  their  apprehensions  as  to  the  issue. 
It  is  only  to  look  at  the  world  as  it  is; 
worse  it  cannot  be  made ;  better  it  may 
be.  But  who  can  look  at  the  world  as  it 
is,  lying  in  v/ickedness,  and  broken  with 
sorrow,  without  a  relenting  heart  and  a 
melting  eye?  without  looking  up  to  the 
Father  of  the  family  of  man,  and  praying, 
"Thy  kingdom  come ;  thy  will  be  done 
on  earth  as  it  is  heaven,"  and  without 
calling  into  exercise  all  the  exertions 
which  the  expressed  desire  demands  ■? 

They  tell  you  that  your  resources  are 
inadequate  ,•  the  means  which  you  possess 
are  not  proportionate  to  the  end  which 
you  contemplate.  Reply  to  them,  that 
you  do  not  proceed  upon  human  calcula- 
tions ;  that  this  departure  from  the  ordi- 
nary rule  arises  not  from  fanaticism,  but 
because  the  rule  does  not  apply  to  an  ordi- 
nary subject;  the  cause  is  not  your  own, 
and  the  success  is  not  your  own ;  that 
you  use  the  means  prescribed  by  him 
whose  interests  you  labour  to  advance, 
and  that  you  cheerfully  leave  the  result 
with  him.  Show  them  that  by  these  de- 
spised and  confessedly  disproportionate 
means  the  triumphs  of  Christianity  have 
been  hitherto  secured  ;  and  that  what  has 
been  effected  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  for 
whatever  remains  to  be  done.  Your  ex- 
ternal means  are,  indeed,  limited;  but 
your  hidden  resources  are  eternal  and 
inexhaustible. 

They  say  that  yours  is  the  wild  dream 
and  the  contemptible  effort  of  fanaticism. 
Before  they  venture  to  pronounce  upon 
your  pretensions,  they  ought  to  blush  for 
the  practical  defeat  of  their  own  in  every 
age.  Point  them  to  the  desolated  temples 
of  superstition  and  cruelty ;  to  tlie  forsaken 
altars,  where  human  blood  flowed ;  to  the 
abolished  and  infamous  rites  of  heathen 
worship,  and  tell  them,  that  while  philoso- 
phy denounced  these,  it  could  not  remove 
them ;  it  could  not  stay  the  effusion  of  in- 
nocent blood,  nor  cleanse   the  polluted 


shrine,  anj'  more  than  change  the  heart  of 
the  worshipper.  But  Christianity  has  ef- 
fected this,  and  it  has  been  done  by  the 
very  means  which  they  despise:  that 
which  they  presumptuously  called  "  the 
foolishness  of  preaching,"  has  proved  the 
power  of  God.  The  scorn  and  derision 
turn  upon  their  own  heads ;  for  "  the 
foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than  man ; 
and  the  weakness  of  God  is  stronger  than 
man." 

They  assert  that  our  designs  are  sinister, 
our  own  efforts  injurious.  We  have  hea- 
ven and  earth  to  refute  the  falsehood. 
Heaven,  in  the  sanction  which  it  has 
given  to  the  efforts — earth  in  the  benefit 
which  it  has  received  from  them.  To  so 
foul  a  calumny  it  would  be  a  degradation 
to  make  any  other  answer  than  to  appeal 
to  the  principles  which  we  inculcate,  and 
to  point  to  the  effects  which  they  produce. 
They  require  no  defence — they  speak  for 
themselves. 

When,  having  exhausted  all  other  ob- 
jections, they  conclude  that  the  iking  is 
impossible,  there  are  two  clear  answers  to 
sucli  an  assumption.  It  is  presumptuous, 
as  it  regards  the  Being  whose  work  it  is. 
It  is,  indeed,  impossible  with  man;  and 
their  own  vain  labours  sufficiently  esta- 
blish it — but  not  with  God;  "for  with 
God  all  things  are  possible."  It  is  irra- 
tional;  for  Reason  replies,  that  what  has 
been  done,  may  be  done  again  ;  and  the 
history  of  the  churcli  in  all  ages,  the  state 
of  our  own  country,  nay,  our  own  hopes 
and  principles,  establish  the  possibility 
of  that  moral  change  which  Christianity 
effects  upon  human  nature,  and  the  cer- 
tainty of  its  success.  Such  are  the  ob- 
jections which  the  opponents  of  revelation 
usually  bring  against  missionary  objects 
and  etforts,  and  you  perceive  of  how 
small  weight  they  are  when  laid  in  the 
balance  of  truth. 

III.  And  lastly,  I  detain  you  a  few  mo- 
ments longer  to  press  upon  your  attention 
the  peculiar  obligations  devolving  upon 
the  rising  generation,  and  their  incalcula- 
ble importance  to  missionary  success. 
The  application  of  these  obvious  princi- 
ples must  be  left  to  yourselves. 

All  the  obligations  generally  stated,  are 
peculiarly  pressed  upon  you.  When  the 
2L 


398 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


prophetic  eye  of  the  psalmist  beheld  the 
expiring  Saviour  upon  the  cross,  distiii- 
giiished  the  manner  of  his  death,  and  its 
cruel  circumstances,  saw  the  soldiers  di- 
viding his  garments  and  casting  lots  for 
his  vesture,  heard  the  insulting  taunts  of 
the  priests  and  of  the  multitude,  and  even 
his  own  dying  complaint  of  desertion,  he 
anticipated  also  the  glorious  results  of  this 
sacrifice,  and  the  universal  empire  which 
should  arise  out  of  it.  Then  his  eyes 
were  turned  upon  the  importance  of  the 
rising  generation  in  connexion  with  the 
extension  of  his  cause.  As  to  the  result, 
he  said,  "All  the  ends  of  the  world  shall 
remember  and  turn  unto  the  Lord ;  and  all 
the  kindreds  of  the  nations  shall  worship 
before  thee :  for  the  kingdom  is  the 
Lord's,  and  he  is  the  governor  among  the 
nations."  As  to  the  means,  and  the  espe- 
cial influence  of  the  young,  he  added,  "  A 
seed  shall  serve  him  ;  it  shall  be  accounted 
to  the  Lord  for  a  generation.  They  shall 
come,  and  shall  declare  his  righteousness 
unto  a  people  that  shall  be  born,  that  he 
hath  done  this." 

You  possess  advanfages  superior  to  those 
who  preceded  you.  "  Other  men  laboured, 
and  ye  have  entered  into  their  labours." 
So  said  Jesus  when  he  pointed  out  to  his 
disciples  fields  white  unto  the  harvest, 
which  patriarchs  had  ploughed,  prophets 
sowed,  and  martyrs  watered  with  their 
blood.  "  I  sent  you  to  reap  that  upon 
"which  ye  bestowed  no  labour."  This, 
my  young  friends,  is  your  position ;  and 
this  is  your  advantage.  If  the  toil  de- 
volves upon  you,  so  does  the  experience 
of  those  who  went  before  you  in  this 
arduous  enterprise.  They  sounded  the 
alarm  in  the  ears  of  a  slumbering  world  : 
let  the  awakened  nations  now  wait  to 
receive  your  testimony.  Besides  which, 
when  personal  labours  abroad  cannot  be 
rendered,  your  prosperity,  your  talents, 
your  influence  at  home,  may  all  be  bene- 
ficially employed.  The  harvest  of  the 
world  is  ripe  ;  the  ingathering  belongs  to 
you,  and  to  those  who  shall  follow  you. 
The  present  generation  has  sown  in  tears, 
although  not  altogether  so;  the  future 
generation  shall  reap  with  unmingled 
joy. 

There  is  peculiar  beauty  and  fitness  in 


your  early  consecration  to  the  cause  if  rch- 
gion.  You  are  now  in  the  spring  of  your 
age,  in  the  flower  of  your  beauty  ;  devote 
yourselves  to  that  Saviour,  for  it  is  he 
who  calls;  who  clothed  you  with  grace, 
and  girded  you  with  strength  ;  who  gave 
symmetry  to  the  frame,  and  intelligence 
to  the  understanding  ;  his  hand  fashioned 
you,  his  Spirit  inspires  you  ;  he  died  to 
raise  the  body  which  must  soon  decay  to 
immortality;  to  renovate  the  faculties  of 
the  spirit  which  will  become  incumbered 
by  the  infirmities  of  its  frail  tabernacle, 
in  a  state  fitted  to  their  grandeur;  to  re- 
deem the  soul  from  destruction,  and  to 
give  expansion  to  all  its  intellectual  grasp 
in  eternity.  Come,  and  dedicate  the  first- 
fruits  of  your  existence  to  him,  who  will 
ripen  it  into  everlasting  glory. 

The  voice  rf  nature  sanctions  the  demands 
of  religion.  Your  fathers  are  passing 
away — the  sacred  phalanx  that  once  stood 
so  firm  is  broken — the  ranks  that  occu- 
pied the  front  of  the  battle  are  thinned — 
the  fragment  of  a  claj'  remains  alone  to 
the  veterans  who  yet  keep  the  field.  They 
called  upon  you  to  fill  the  vacant  spaces ; 
upon  you,  noble  youths,  to  be  baptized 
for  the  dead  ;  upon  you  to  receive  the  co- 
lours of  the  cross  from  their  dying  hand  ; 
upon  you  to  stand  last  amidst  the  shock 
of  battle,  while  the  trumpet  that  blows  an 
onset  for  you,  sounds  the  signal  of  retreat 
for  them.  Buckle  on  your  armour,  and 
take  courage  by  their  example,  who  die 
with  their  harness  on,  and  when  they  fall, 
write,  "  I  have  conquered,"  upon  their 
shield.  It  was  thus  that  Paul  the  aged 
encouraged  the  youthful  Timothy — 
"Watch  thou  in  all  things,  endure  afflic- 
tion, do  the  work  of  an  evangelist,  make 
full  proof  of  thy  ministry.  For  I  am  now 
ready  to  be  oflercd,  and  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a 
good  fight;  I  have  finished  my  course;  I 
have  kept  the  faith.  Henceforth  there  is 
laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness, 
which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall 
give  me  at  that  day  ;  and  not  to  me  only, 
but  to  all  them  also  that  love  his  appear- 
ing." 

The  hopes  of  the  world  are  fxed  upon 
you  ;  and  the  cries  of  hundreds  of  millions 
of  immortal  spirits  poured  in  upon  your 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 


399 


ear.  Thesehopes  arc  cherished,  and  these 
cries  are  raised,  with  a  confidence  corres- 
ponding with  the  promise  of  your  years. 
Age  may  be  dull,  and  grow  indolent;  but 
youth  is  active,  and  cannot  excuse  itself 
from  employment.  Avarice  is  cruel,  and 
is  sometimes  thought  to  be  the  vice  of 
age ;  but  youth  is  generous,  and  for  you 
to  be  covetous  would  be  unnatural ;  to  be 
parsimonious  in  such  a  cause  would  be 
criminal.  Spare  nothing ;  time,  property, 
talent,  influence,  labour,  prayer;  bring  all, 
and  lay  it  upon  the  altar  which  "  sancti- 
fieth  both  the  gift  and  the  giver;"  and 
before  which  eventually  "  every  knee 
shall  bow." 

You  must  succeed.  It  is  possible  that 
discouragements  will  arise;  it  is  certain 
that  difficulties  must  be  encountered  ;  it 
is  probable  that  disappointments  may  be 
felt.  Fear  none  of  these  things;  you 
may  be  compelled  to  retreat;  you  can 
never  be  conquered.  If  the  magnanimity 
of  a  senate  could  thank  a  vanquished 
general  because  he  did  not  despair  of  his 
country — what  cowardice  is  ours,  fight- 
ing under  the  banner  of  a  captain  always 
victorious,  if  we  should  faint,  because  the 
battle  waxes  hot,  or  the  advantage  seems 
to  balance  for  a  moment  between  the  con- 
tending hosts,  or  the  campaign  is  pro- 
longed beyond  our  expectations.  To  the 
timid  pilot  who  was  afraid  to  launch  into 
tlie  deep  at  the  bidding  of  Caesar,  when  a 
frightful  tempest  raged — "  Fear  nothing," 
said  the  hero,  "  you  carry  Cajsar  and  his 
fortunes."  And  you  who  are  embarked 
in  the  missionary  cause,  carry  in  your 
vessel,  not  Jesus  and  his  fortunes,  for 
with  hira  nothing  is  contingent ;  but 
.Tesus  and  his  interests,  interests  so  dear 
to  him  that  he  died  to  secure  them  ;  and 
he  who  sails  with  you  can  rebuke  the 
tempest,  and  instantly  there  shall  he  a 
great  calm.  Does  the  lapse  of  time  ef- 
fect you  1  It  is  true,  "  one  generation 
passeth    away,   and   another    generation 


Cometh."  You  are  about  to  occupy  the 
place  of  your  fathers,  and  your  children 
will  hereafter  occupy  yours.  Do  the 
ravages  of  death  appal  yon  1  It  is  true, 
ministers  and  missionaries  are  not  im 
mortal,  but  their  cause  is  :  its  friends  are 
like  the  foam  of  the  billows  which  the 
tempests  scatter  ;  but  it  resembles  the 
eternal  flow  of  the  ocean,  rolling  its  ful- 
ness upon  the  most  distant  shores. 

O  ye  heroic  spirits,  who  have  met 
death  in  all  its  forms ;  by  fire  or  the 
wave,  by  famine  or  the  sword,  by  climate 
or  oppression,  from  the  beginning  of  the 
creation  to  this  hour, — who  have  stood 
firm  amidst  all  danger,  undism.ayed  by 
persecution,  unterrified  by  your  adver- 
saries,— spirits  of  martyred  missiona- 
ries, who  in  all  ages  have  suffered  for 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ;  from  right- 
eous Abel  down  to  blameless  Smith  ;  if 
ye  could  attend  our  call,  we  would 
summon  you  here  to  tell  those  young 
champions  for  the  cause  for  which  you 
expired,  from  what  fountains  ye  drew 
your  resources,  and  what  rewards  now 
recompense  your  labours.  But  it  can- 
not be ;  you  rest  from  your  toils,  and 
even  the  cause  of  religion  must  not 
interrupt  your  repose.  To  thee,  then, 
holy  and  eternal  Spirit,  by  whom  these 
were  what  they  were,  we  appeal ;  thou 
art  ever  present ;  may  a  double  por- 
tion of  those  influences  by  which  thou 
didst  honour  them,  rest  upon  those  young 
and  ardent  minds,  devoted  in  their  re- 
spective stations,  and  in  their  day,  to 
the  same  service,  and  upon  the  gene- 
rations that  shall  follow  them,  until  all 
shall  be  consummated ;  until  the  Sa- 
viour shall  appear  the  second  time,  with- 
out a  sin-offering,  unto  salvation  ;  and 
when  he  shall  rise  from  his  throne  of 
judgment,  the  shouts  of  the  mj^riads  of 
the  redeemed  shall  overpower  the  thun- 
ders which  destroy  the  material  universe. 
Amen. 


400 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


THE   PULPIT  GAIjIiSRIT, 

NO.  XIII. 
THE  REV.  "WM.  CENGO  COLLYER,  D.  D. 


"I  venerate  the  man  whose  heart  is  warm, 
Whose   hands  are   pure,  whose   doctrine  and 

whose  life 
Coincident,  exhibit  lucid  proof 
That  he  is  honest  in  the  sacred  cause." 

COWPER. 


There  are  few  men  who  have  obtained 
a  greater  degree  of  celebrity,  or  who  have 
exercised  a  more  powerful  influence  upon 
others,  than  the  Reverend  Doctor  Collyer. 
His  name  has  always  been  able  to  attract 
a  numerous  congregation,  and  for  a  long 
series  of  years  his  labours  have  been  de- 
servedly honoured  by  the  Christian  world. 
He  is  one  of  the  few  who  have  been  able 
to  withstand  the  seductions  of  popular 
applause,  and  to  keep  on  the  even  tenor 
of  his  way,  notwithstanding  the  flattery 
of  friends.  And  few  have  been  so  much 
exposed  to  the  temptation  of  vanity. 
Praised  alike  by  the  learned  and  igno- 
rant, by  wealth  and  fashion,  by  royal 
and  noble  friends,  it  is  a  sure  proof  of  his 
gemiine  piety,  that  amidst  such  libations 
he  has  continued  humble. 

With  all  sects  of  true  Christians,  the 
doctor  appears  to  be  on  terms  of  cordiality 
and  friendship. — The  bishops  and  clergy 
of  the  Established  Church,  his  own  and 
other  denominations,  equally  venerate  his 
character,  and  applaud  his  published  la- 
bours. The  list  of  subscribers  to  his 
lectures  proves  his  acquaintance  with  the 
religious,  political,  and  literary  world  ; 
and  names  are  found  there  which  it  is 
honourable  to  mention.  This  at  least 
shows  that  his  merit  is  sterling,  that  his 
piety  is  sincere,  and  that  his  works  are 
valued. 

As  an  author,  although  he  cannot  claim 
the  palm  of  originality,  yet  his  researches 
— his  various  learning — his  accumulation 
of  interesting  facts — his  presenting  old 
and  familiar  truths  in  a  new  and  striking 
manner,  entitle  him  to  rank  high  as  a 
theological  writer.     His  style  is  remark- 


ably elegant  and  polished,  and  there  is  a 
rich  vein  of  evangelical  piety  running 
through  all  his  works. 

As  a  preacher,  he  is  admired  for  the 
varied  excellencies  of  his  discourses. 
They  are  equally  removed  from  vulgar  cant 
and  high  flown  mysticism. — His  voice 
is  soft  and  melodious,  and  his  action  re- 
markably elegant.  The  tender  and  pathe- 
tic are  his  forte. 

With  a  mind  stored  with  classical 
learning,  and  a  good  memory,  perfect 
self-possession,  and  a  knowledge  of  Scrip- 
ture language,  he  illustrates  his  subjects 
with  such  an  easiness  of  manner  as  to 
awaken  curiosity  and  secure  attention : 
neither  art  nor  labour  is  visible  in  his  pul- 
pit exercises.  Like  Jeremy  Taylor,  he 
does  riot  confine  himself  to  a  dry  exposi- 
tion of  a  text,  but  ranges  over  all  nature 
and  art  for  new  and  striking  images,  and 
this  is  done  without  affectation, — so  that 
the  poorest  and  most  illiterate  can  under- 
stand him,  and  the  learned  cannot  be 
offended. 

Occasionally,  he  ascends  to  the  dignity 
of  argument  and  expostulation,  and  his 
language  then  becomes  bold  and  animated, 
and  his  manner  ardent  and  impassioned. 
— His  eloquence  is  like  that  of  the  school 
which  immediately  succeeded  the  orations 
of  Cicero, — correct,  polished,  elegant,— 
where,  if  there  was  little  to  offend  the 
taste,  there  was  still  less  to  call  for  the 
vehement  emotions  of  mighty  passions, 
struggling  to  imbody  in  action  the  vari- 
ous duties  which  the  orator  enforced  upon 
the  people.  Yet  this  may  be  imputed 
more  to  the  taste  of  the  age  than  to  the 
fault  of  the  preacher. 

The  theology  of  the  Doctor  is  drawn 
from  the  Bible ;  and  to  that  sacred  source 
he  on  all  occasions  appeals  for  the  truth 
of  his  statements.  He  does  not,  how- 
ever, despise  the  aid  of  learned  men,  but, 
where  their  sentiments  are  in  unison 
with  truth,  he  readily  adopts  them.  This 
gives  greater  variety  to  his  preaching. 
He  is  most  at  home  when  dwelling  upon 
the  consolations  of  religion ;  here,  indeed, 
his  talents  shine  forth,  and  the  poor  and 
wounded  in  spirit  are  refreshed  under  his 
ministrations.  When  detailing  the  love 
of  our  Saviour,  when  he  exhibits  his  suf- 


THE  PULPIT  GALLERY. 


401 


ferings  and  death  to  accomplish  our  sal- 
vation, he  triumphs  over  the  coldness  of 
scepticism  and  unbelief,  and  warms  the 
heart  with  pious  emotion. 

The  Doctor's  life  has  been  one  of  devo- 
tion to  the  cause  of  God  and  man  :  his 
great  popularity  as  a  public  teacher  has 
always  kept  in  full  exercise  his  pulpit 
talents,  and  the  press  bears  testimony  to 
his  unwearied  exertions  to  promote  true 
religion.  Besides  his  seven  volumes  of 
lectures,  which  contain  many  new  and 
ingenious  arguments  in  support  of  Chris- 
tianity— a  vast  storehouse  of  curious  and 
interesting  facts — he  has  published  a 
great  many  single  sermons,  and  other 
useful  works,  all  tending  to  increase  and 
multiply  the  disciples  of  Jesus. 

The  following  is  a  specimen  of  his 
style,  from  the  last  volume  of  his  Lec- 
tures :  he  is  speaking  of  the  progress  of 
the  gospel.  "The  beginnings  were  mi- 
raculous, but  the  close  shall  be  inconceiv- 
able. Who,  that  had  seen  the  little  band 
of  brothers  issuing  from  their  upper  cham- 
ber, in  all  the  simplicity  of  their  charac- 
ter, unarmed,  unpatronized,  could  have 
imagined  that  the  throne  of  the  Caesars 
should  feel  their  power,  and  veil  its  glory 
before  them ;  and  that  the  stupendous 
structure  of  paganism,  reared  by  philoso- 
phy, cemented  by  habit,  and  upon  which 
state  policy  had  built  its  power  and  au- 
thority, should  vanish  like  a  morning 
cloud  as  they  advanced  1  Yet  so  it  was, 
so  went  forth  the  word  of  salvation,  as  the 
day  breaks — its  first  beam  distirguishing 
itself,  by  its  purity,  from  the  lamp  of 
reason  and  the  torch  of  philosophy;  but 
wherever  it  poured  its  meridian  splendour, 


eclipsing  all  light  in  its  surpassing  ra- 
diance. So  it  grew  as  the  mustard 
seed, 'which  indeed  is  the  smallest  of 
all  seeds;'  but  when  its  maturity  shall 
have  come,  '  not  the  birds  of  the  air,' 
but  all  nations  of  the  earth  shall  find 
repose  under  its  shadow.  So  it  rose 
as  the  fountain  rises, — a  spring  of  liv- 
ing water  gushing  forth ;  but  now  it 
is  a  '  river,  the  streams  whereof  make 
glad  the  city  of  our  God  ;'  and  in  the 
fulness  of  time,  its  healing  waters 
shall  flow  over  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world.  Its  voice  is  more  power- 
ful than  the  thunder,  to  w-hich  science 
can  easily  point  out  the  bounds  as- 
signed ;  and  it  is  softer  than  the  gale 
of  the  summer's  evening :  it  would 
seem  as  though  the  universe  were  con- 
structed to  convey  its  sound  into  all 
lands  :  it  was  whispered  in  the  east, 
and  rolled  round  to  the  west — it  is  re- 
peated in  the  west,  and  rolls  back  to 
the  east.  It  is  gentle  as  the  spring 
shower,  and  as  fructifying — '  the  Milder- 
ness  and  the  solitary  place  is  glad  because 
of  it,  and  the  desert  rejoices  and  blossoms 
as  the  rose.' — It  is  all-embracing,  vivify- 
ing, enlightening,  supplying,  controlling, 
as  the  sun  ;  but  the  sun  has  .his  period, 
and  '  shall  sleep  in  the  clouds  forgetful 
of  the  voice  of  the  morning.'  But,  we  re- 
peat, what  shall  the  end  be  "?  It  is  all- 
glorious  and  eternal  as  the  heaven  to 
which  it  leads — where  there  is  no  night 
— for  'the  Lord  God  and  the  Lamb  are 
the  light  of  it ;'  where  '  the  nations  of 
the  redeemed  shall  walk ;'  and  they 
shall  reign  with  the  Redeemer  for  ever 
and  ever.     Amen." 


Vol.  I.— 51 


2l2 


SERMON  XLIV. 

THE    FULNESS   OF    TIME. 
BY   THE     REV.   ROBERT    PHILIP, 

MABERLEY  CHAPEL,  KINGSLAND. 


"But  when  the  fulness  of  tJie  time  was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made 
under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  that  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons." 
—Gal.  iv.  4,  5. 


You  remember,  and  it  is  a  very  pleas- 
ing recollection,  that  the  first  promise  of 
a  Saviour  was  given  under  the  very  tree 
where  our  first  parents  sinned  and  fell. 
And,  when  you  consider  that  four  thousand 
years  elapsed  between  the  giving  of  the 
promise  and  its  fu]filment,the  question  can 
hardly  escape  being  asked,  why  was  the 
promise  so  long  being  fulfilled  1  Why 
was  Christ  born  at  so  late  a  period  of  the 
world  1  Why  was  Christianity  not  intro- 
duced sooner?  Infidels  have  often  said, 
with  a  sneer,  '*If  Christianity  issovalu-, 
able,  why  was  the  world  without  it  so 
long?  Why  were  four  thousand  years 
allowed  to  pass  away  without  its  intro- 
duction?" Now,  when  you  hear  this 
objection  started,  you  may  say  in  reply, 
Christianity  came  thus  late  into  the  world, 
in  order  that  infiJels  might  have  no  excuse 
for  their  unbelitf.  The  Son  of  God  came 
no  sooner,  because  men  were  not  before 
qualified  to  examine  his  claims,  or  to 
judge  of  his  pretensions.  God  delayed 
the  blessing  till  the  world  was  fitted,  by 
its  population,  and  by  its  general  state, 
to  receive  Christianity.  It  will  tend  to 
illustrate  this  fact  if  we  consider  more 
particularly  what  we  have  just  staled. 
Let  us,  therefore, 

I.  Consider  the  wisdom  and  pro- 
priety OF  DELAYING  THE  FULFILMENT  OF 
THE     PROMISE     OF     ChRIST      UNTIL     WHAT 

Paul  here  calls  "  the  fulness  of 

TIME." 

403 


He  intimates  that  there  was  the  same 
propriety  in  delaying  this,  as  there  is  in 
not  allowing  a  minor  to  possess  the  pro- 
perty of  an  heir.  Now,  I  say,  that  the 
heir,  as  long  as  he  is  a  child,  differeth 
nothing  from  a  servant,  though  he  be  lord 
of  all ;  but  is  under  tutors  and  governors 
until  the  time  appointed  of  the  father. 
Even  so  we,  when  we  were  children, 
were  in  bondage  under  the  elements  of  the 
world  ;  "  but  when  the  fulness  of  the  lime 
was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made 
of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law,  to  re- 
deem them  that  were  under  the  law,  that 
we  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons." 
Intimating  that  at  any  earlier  period  it 
would  have  been  as  unwise  to  have  sent 
his  Son  into  the  world,  as  to  make  any 
young  man  master  of  his  own  property 
till  he  came  of  age.  Let  us  consider  this 
subject. 

1.  At  no  period  before  ^^  the  fulness  of 
time'''  would  the  incarnation  of  Christ  have 
been  so  proper,  all  things  considered.  So 
far  as  it  regarded  the  redemption  of  the 
soul  by  his  blood,  the  coming  of  Christ 
could  neither  be  too  soon  nor  too  late  ; 
the  blood  of  Christ  would  have  been  a 
sufficient  atonement,  whether  shed  at  the 
beginning  or  at  the  end  of  the  world. 
The  virtue  of  that  atonement  depends  on 
his  divinity,  and  could  not  have  less  effi- 
cacy, be  presented  when  it  would.  But 
considering  the  coming  of  Christ  as  a 
whole,  taking  into  account  his  doctrines, 


THE  FULNESS  OF  TIME. 


403 


his  life,  his  miracles,  and  so  on,  it  would 
have  been  untimely  at  an  earlier  period. 

It  would  have  been  untimelj',  during 
the  antediluvian  age,  or  at  the  time  of  the 
flood  ;  because  there  was  no  man  then  liv- 
ing able  to  have  written  an  account  of  it, 
or  to  have  written  so  as  to  have  interested 
all  ages  of  the  world.  Even  Noah  could 
not  have  benefited  mankind  in  this  re- 
spect, as  a  writer.  If  he  had  written  to 
suit  us,  it  would  not  have  benefited  the 
men  of  his  age;  and  if  he  had  written  so 
as  to  suit  them,  it  would  have  been  of  no 
use  to  us.  But  by  not  appearing  in  the 
world  till  civilization  eaid  letters  had 
spread  to  a  very  considerable  extent,  the 
facts  were  all  carefully  examined  and 
recorded ;  and  the  New  Testament  is 
made  to  stand  out  beyond  all  other  writ- 
ings. 

The  period  from  the  Jlood  to  the  time  of 
Moses  would  not  have  been  so  suitable ; 
because  then  the  world's  population  was 
comparatively  small,  and,  for  the  most 
part,  uncivilized.  It  would  have  been 
unwise  to  have  sent  the  world's  Saviour 
when  there  were  but  few  to  see  him,  and 
but  few  to  appreciate  him.  We  say,  of 
a  man  of  great  genius,  who  resides  in  an 
obscure  village,  or  immures  himself  in 
solitude,  what  a  pity  it  is  that  he  is  placed 
in  a  situation  where  his  talents  are  buried 
— where  there  are  none  to  appreciate  his 
excellencies  !  And  when  we  consider  the 
sublime  doctrines;  the  salutary  precepts; 
the  beneficial  example ;  the  propitious 
miracles  ;  the  whole  life  of  the  Son  of 
God,  we  may  well  say,  it  would  have 
been  a  pity  they  should  have  been  given 
sooner,  when  they  were  intended  to  suit 
the  whole  population  of  the  civilized 
world. 

The  time  from  liloses  to  the  Prophets 
■would  have  been  too  soon.  Then  the 
Jews  were  not  sufficiently  familiar  with 
the  grounds  of  the  great  salvation.  They 
understood  them,  indeed,  but  very  imper- 
fectly at  the  time  Christ  came  :  how  much 
more  imperfectly  would  they  have  under- 
stood them  when  they  were  just  come 
raw  out  of  the  bondage  of  Egypt,  with  all 
the  associations  which  tlieir  minds  had 
formed  in  that  land  of  gross  idolatry.  It 
was  wise — it  was  kind,  that  Christ  came 


not  in  those  dark  ages.  0,  how  would 
infidelity  have  scoffed  and  triumphed,  if 
Christ  had  made  his  appearance  then! 
Infidels  would  have  said  that  he  made  his 
appearance  purposely  at  a  time  when  the 
world  was  peopled  by  barbarians — by 
weak,  ignorant,  credulous  men  !  His 
coming,  therefore,  was  reserved  for  the 
great  Augustan  age. 

The  period  of  four  great  monarchies 
would  have  been  equally  unfit  for  the 
coming  of  Christ.  War  was  then  so 
much  the  trade,  and  dominion,  and  rule, 
so  much  the  passion  of  men,  that  the  reli- 
gion of  Christ  would  not  have  gained  the 
public  attention  ;  or,  if  it  had,  infidels 
would  have  said  that  Christianity  was 
the  invention  of  the  Nimrods,  the  Nebu- 
chadnezzars,  and  other  tyrants  of  the 
day ; — a  mere  political  scheme  to  bring 
the  people  into  their  own  power,  and  to 
suit  the  views  of  despotic  governments. 
But  to  place  the  church  beyond  the  reach 
of  their  shafts  of  ridicule  and  scorn,  God 
delayed  the  coming  of  his  Son  to  the 
chief  period  of  peace,  of  civilization,  of 
philosophy,  that  was  ever  known  in  this 
our  world. 

And  if  you  have  not  turned  your  atten- 
tion to  this  subject,  and  considered  why 
four  thousand  years  were  suffered  to  pass 
away  before  the  Saviour  appeared,  I 
would  remind  you  that  the  people  of 
God  were  not  really  losers  by  the  delay. 
They  had  not  the  same  degree  of  light 
that  subsequent  ages  were  blessed  with; 
but  they  had  the  same  unqualified  pro- 
mise that  whoever  looked  to  the  Lamb 
of  God  who  was  to  be  slain,  should  be 
saved.  They  were  assured,  that  when 
the  Messiah  should  come,  he  would  make 
ample  atonement  for  the  sins  which  had 
been  committed  under  the  first  covenant; 
and  that  all  who  believed  should  have 
the  full  benefit.  And  hence  the  apostle 
says,  in  the  eighth  chapter  of  his  epistle 
to  the  Romans,  what  applies,  not  only  fo 
tis,  but  more  especially  to  those  who  had 
lived  before  his  coming,  the  history  of 
whose  experience  it  may  be  said  to  re- 
cord : — "  Whom  he  did  foreknov/,  he 
also  did  predestinate  to  be  conformed  to 
the  image  of  his  Son.  Moreover,  whom 
he  did  predestinate,  them  he  also  called? 


404 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


and  whom  he  called,  them  he  also  justi- 
fied ;  and  whom  he  justified,  them  he 
also  glorified."  Now,  though  this  ap- 
plies to  the  state  of  believers  in  the  pre- 
sent age,  it  is,  in  fact,  the  history  of  the 
conduct  of  God  towards  the  ancient  be- 
lievers. So  that  they  were  no  losers 
by  the  delay  of  Christ's  incarnation ; 
they  were  pardoned  and  renewed,  and 
finally  admitted  into  heaven,  upon  trust 
or  sufferance.  Hence  the  writer  to  the 
Hebrews  intimates  that  Christ  had  to 
make  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  first 
covenant,  that  they  might  be  ratified  in 
the  state  into  which  they  had  entered,  on 
the  ground  of  faith  in  him  who  was  to 
come  in  due  time. 

2.  The  Augustan  age  (the  period  in 
which  Ceesar  Augustus  lived,  known  in 
history  as  the  Augustan  age)  was  empha- 
tically "  the  fulness  of  time  ,•"  and,  of  all 
periods,  the  best  of  time  for  introducing 
Christ  and  his  system. 

1st.  The  world  was  then  prepared 
thoroughly  to  examine  the  claims  of 
Christ.  Both  Jews  and  Gentiles  were 
then  qualified  to  detect  an  impostor,  if 
Christ  had  been  an  impostor.  They  had 
POLITICAL  motives  to  urge  thsm  to  this. 
The  Jews  were  under  the  Roman  power, 
and  had  not  another  hope  of  deliverance 
but  from  their  Messiah.  He  was  as  a 
star  in  their  horizon ;  and  they  were  pre- 
pared with  the  greatest  nicety  to  scruti- 
nize his  claims.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Roman  government  was  very  jealous  of 
losing  any  portion  of  its  power;  and  they 
also  would  scrutinize  the  claims  of  Christ, 
till  they  saw  clearly  that  his  kingdom 
was  '•  not  of  this  world."  The  literary 
character  of  that  age  also  led  them  mi- 
nutely to  scrutinize  his  claims.  The 
celebrated  philosopher,  Cicero,  had  pre- 
viously introduced  the  system  of  argu- 
mentation which  doubted  and  disputed 
all  it  met  with ;  and  would  admit  nothing 
without  proof.  If  Bolingbroke,  and  Vol- 
taire, and  Hume,  and  Gibbon,  had  lived 
then,  they  could  not  have  brought  greater 
talent  into  the  field  than  then  existed. 
Christianity  then  threw  down  the  gaunt- 
let, and  boldly  dared  philosophy  to  inves- 
tigate  her  claims.  "These  things  were 
not  done  in  a  corner."    The  claims  of  the  i 


religion  of  Christ  were  submitted  to  the 
first  scrutiny  the  world  ever  saw  ;  and  it 
is  passing  strange,  that  the  puny  wits  of 
our  day  should  stagger  the  opinion  of  any 
man,  when  the  brightest  geniuses  of  which 
Roman  philosophy  could  boast,  were  not 
able  to  shake  the  system  they  attacked  ! 
The  religious  state  of  the  world,  also, 
enabled  men  to  make  such  a  scrutiny.  If 
you  read  the  Eclogues  of  Virgil,  and  ex- 
amine them  with  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah 
before  you,  you  will  find  the  representa- 
tions of  the  poet  to  be  almost  verbatim 
with  the  language  of  the  prophet.  And 
the  writers  of  that  age  were  well  able  to 
do  so : — for  Ptolemy  Philadelphus  had 
been  careful  to  secure  translations  of  all 
the  principal  Hebrew  writings ;  and  the 
learned  were  all  able  to  have  access  to 
them.  Hence  the  Jews  so  often  cavilled 
about  our  Saviour;  they  saw  so  many 
marks  of  Messiahship  in  him,  that  they 
sometimes  said,  "  Tell  us  who  thou  art;" 
— "If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us  plainly  ;" 
— "  Art  thou  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God  1" 
My  brethren,  these  are  not  questions  to 
be  settled  in  the  present  century ;  they 
were  settled — completely  settled,  in  the 
first  centuries  ;  and  though  the  enemies 
of  Christianity  had  all  their  emperors  and 
philosophers  to  put  it  down,  they  were 
not  able  to  put  it  down  for  a  moment ! 
O,  let  us  not  be  robbed  of  our  confidence, 
or  startled  by  the  objections  and  sarcasms 
of  vain  and  foolish  men.  Paul  has 
stated,  in  the  text,  that  it  was  "  the  ful- 
ness of  the  time"  when  Christ  appeared. 
The  collision  of  systems,  and  of  politi- 
cians, and  disputants,  have  only  rubbed 
the  diadem  into  brightness;  and  we  are 
not  about  to  surrender  its  glories  to  any 
of  the  puny  scoffers  of  our  day  ! 

2d.  The  world  was  then  fully  able  to  ap- 
preciate the  doctrines  of  Christ  by  comparison 
and  by  contrast.  They  might  not  be  able 
to  appreciate  them  spiritually  ^  but  they 
could  do  so  by  comparison  and  by  con- 
trast. Infidelity  says,  why  did  not  Christ 
come  sooner?  Had  he  come  a  century 
sooner,  philosophy  would  have  contended 
that  she  had  entire  empire  over  men.  In 
the  wisdom  of  God  she  was  allowed  to 
try  her  strength  ;  and  she  was  at  length 
compelled  to  hide  her  head  in  her  owii 


THE  FULNESS  OF  TIME. 


405 


shade,  when  Christ  came,  and  said,  "1 

AM  THE  WAY,  THE  TRUTH,  AND  THE  LIFE." 

At  the  time  Christ  came,  the  doctrine  of 
immortality  was  expunged  from  their 
creed,  and  the  practice  of  suicide  had  be- 
come most  popular.  But  though  philoso- 
phy could  blot  tbe  doctrine  of  immortality 
from  the  creed,  it  could  not  root  its  idea 
out  of  the  human  mind.  Life  was  too 
dear,  and  the  love  of  life  was  ton  ardent, 
to  be  readily  given  up;  and  at  the  precise 
period  when  immortality  was  so  longed 
for,  and  men  were  sick  of  the  doctrine  of 
annihilation,  Christ  came,  and  "brought 
life  and  immortality  to  light."  This 
hope  of  the  heart  became  one  of  the 
strongest  motives  to  induce  men  to  em- 
brace Christianity.  At  that  period,  too, 
the  doctrine  of  sacrifices  was  fully  under- 
stood. They  had,  indeed,  began  to  de- 
cline in  the  Jewish  temples,  but  they 
were  taken  up  with  eagerness  by  the 
heathen.  At  the  time  that  Christ  came, 
the  doctrine  of  vicarious  sacrifices  was 
most  popular,  and  the  offering  of  those 
sacrifices  at  its  highest  pitch.     The  altars 

.  of  Jupiter  blazed  incessantly — but  they 
blazed  in  vain  :  those  who  otfered  them 
found  that  "  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of 
goats  could  not  take  away  sin."  And  at 
the  precise  period  when  sacrificers  became 
tired  of  their  round  of  offerings,  at  the 
very  moment  when  hope  was  about  to 
give  up  the  ghost,  Christ  came  "to  put 
away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself." 
Yes  ;  at  this  solemn  crisis,  when  philoso- 
phy failed  to  teach  men  the  way  of  hap- 
piness, and  the  sacrifices  which  had  so 
long  been  confided  in  were  about  to  be 
put  away,  then  Christ  came  to  teach  men 
the  way  of  life  and  salvation,  and  then  was 
his  blood  shed  to  ransom  men  by  thou- 
sands and  by  millions. 

3.  The  Augustan  age  teas  ike  best  for 
the  revelation  of  Christ  and  his  gospel,  be- 
cause then  the  ivorld  was  prepared  for  the 
extension  of  Christianity.  Had  Christ 
come  into  our  world  sooner,  Christianity 

f  could  not  have  been  so  well  propagated. 
We  know,  from  our  own  experience  and 
observation,  something  of  the  truth  of 
this.  Our  Bible  and  Missionary  Socie- 
ties were  not  formed  till  our  commerce 
*»ad  linked  this  nation  with  all  the  nations 


of  the  world.  And  thus  God  did  not  send 
his  gospel  till  the  world  was  properly 
prepared  for  its  reception  and  diffusion. 
Little  did  the  Romans  think,  when  they 
were  forming  their  Appian  ways,  and 
opening  their  new  roads,  that  they  were 
forming  and  opening  paths  for  the  feet  of 
the  gospel  to  track  its  way  over  the 
known  world  I  Little  did  they  think, 
when  they  reduced  their  language  to  rule, 
that  that  language  should  be  the  means 
of  defrauding  their  own  temples,  and  of 
dethroning  their  own  gods  !  But  so  it 
was ;  and  there  was  no  period  but  that 
when  it  could  have  been  introduced  so 
suitably.  Hence,  Paul  says,  "  TVhen  the 
fulness  of  the  time  was  come,  God  sent  his 
Son."  These  are  only  hints  on  this  in- 
teresting subject ;  but  they  may  tend  to 
throw  some  light  on  a  very  important 
question  in  reference  to  Christianity,  and 
they  may  tend  to  furnish  the  minds  of  the 
young  with  an  answer  to  those  inf  dels 
who  ask,  sometimes,  with  a  triumphant 
sneer,  "  Why  was  it  that  Christ  came  so 
late  into  the  world  "?"  If  you  are  asked 
this  question,  my  young  friends,  turn 
round  to  the  man  who  asks  you,  and  say, 
"  Just  that  you,  sir,  might  have  no  excuse. 
Mightier  geniuses  than  you  have  exam- 
ined into  the  claims  of  Christ  and  Chris- 
tianity ;  and  that  at  the  very  time  when 
it  was  proper  to  do  so — when  they  had 
all  the  facts  and  circumstances  of  the  case 
before  their  eyes."  Thus  the  wisdom 
and  goodness  of  God  ordained  it,  that  our 
system  might  have  firm  footing,  and  that 
our  hopes  might  have  a  stable  foundation. 
Let  us, 

n.  Consider  the  ma'  ner  of  his  in- 
carnation. 

"  When  the  fulness  of  time  was  come, 
God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman, 
made  under  the  law." 

1.  "  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a 
woman.''^  There  is  something  very  pe- 
culiar in  this  expression,  "  made  of  a  wo- 
man ;"  it  is  generally  said  "  born  of  a 
woman ;"  it  is  only  in  reference  to  Christ 
that  the  word  "  made"  is  used.  The  fact 
is,  that  the  words  would  have  been  an 
absurdity,  had  Christ  been  the  son  of  Jo- 
seph. The  language  agrees  with  nothing 
in  nature,  because  the  fact  of  which  it 


,  ■•,■***»■ 


406 


THE  BRITISH  PULHT. 


speaks  is  out  of  nature,  is  altogether  a 
miracle.  The  expression  will  not  apply 
to  any  other  but  Christ.  On  the  same 
principle  it  was  said,  "the  word  was 
made,  flesh ;"  what  would  you  think  if  I 
were  called  to  baptize  a  child,  and  were 
solemnly  to  thank  God  that  the  child  was 
"made  of  a  woman,"  or  that  it  was 
"made  flesh]"  You  would  consider  it 
a  strange  mode  of  expression,  and  would 
naturally  say,  "  Why  what  else  could  it 
be  made  of]"  But  we  must  not  dwell 
on  this  point. 

There  is  something  peculiarly  striking 
in  the  fact,  that  "  God  sent  forth  his  Son" 
into  the  world  as  a  child.  To  me  there  is 
something  very  delightful  in  the  idea  that 
the  Saviour  was  first  presented  as  an  in- 
fant in  our  world.  Why  it  proves  at 
once  that  his  errand  was  one  of  mercy : 
it  is  an  affecting  illustration  of  what  is 
said  in  the  gospel,  "  God  sent  not  his  Son 
into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world," 
else  he  would  have  come  as  a  man  of  war, 
arrayed  in  all  the  attributes  of  power  and 
of  terror.  But  he  came  as  a  babe;  and 
this  was  permitted,  that  you  and  I,  who 
are  parents,  might  feel  as  much  comfort 
and  delight  in  his  nativity,  as  when  we 
folded  our  own  first  dear  infant  in  our 
arms.  God  has  thus  given  a  pledge  in 
the  very  sweetness  of  his  infancy,  how 
blessed  his  errand  to  the  world  was  ! 

He  sent  him  also  inhumble  life.  It  was 
said  to  the  shepherds,  "  Ye  shall  find  the 
babe  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  lying 
in  a  manger;"  and  in  similar  circum- 
stances of  poverty  we  find  his  whole  life. 
And  why  1  Why  to  show  that  the  poor- 
est and  humblest  are  welcome  to  him, 
and  to  all  his  benefits.  Had  he  been  born 
in  a  palace ;  had  he  dwelt  among  the  rich 
and  great ;  the  poor  might  have  feared  to 
approach  him.  But  he  took  the  lowest 
scale  in  society,  that  the  humblest,  the 
poorest,  the  most  dependent  might  not 
fear  rejection  when  they  came  to  him. 
Hence,  he  sent  the  plainest,  the  simplest, 
the  most  unlettered  men,  to  see  and  to 
worship  him  at  his  advent;  though  he 
sent  also,  some  great  and  wise  on  the 
same  errand.  This  teaches  us  that  while 
there  are  mysteries  in  the  incarnation  of 
the   Son  of  God,  which   angels   cauno't 


comprehend,  there  are  yet  in  it  features 
of  grace  and  glory  which  the  simplest 
may  understand.  Angels  sang  on  their 
visit  to  Bethlehem,  and  the  mysteries  of 
the  incarnation  did  not  prevent  their  song ;  | 
and  shepherds  did  so  too,  and  its  mysto  \ 
ries  did  not  prevent  their  song. 

2.  He  was  "  made  under  the  law.''^ 
That  is,  he  was  made  in  the  same  rela- 
tion to  the  law,  which  we  as  sinners  stand 
to  it — bound  to  obey  it,  and  also  to  bear 
its  curse.  This  Christ  did  ; — he  "  magni- 
fied the  law"  by  his  perfect  obedience,  i 
and  he  "  made  it  honourable"  by  bearing 
its  curse,  and  preventing  it  from  being  a  1 
curse  to  us.  | 

HI.  Consider  the   great  design  of 

HIS  INCARNATION. 

This  was  two-fold  : — "  to  redeem  them 
that  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might 
receive  the  adoption  of  sons." 

1.  "  Tb  redeem  them  that  were  under  the 
law.''^  "  To  redeem  them"  from  what  ? 
My  friends,  from  the  curse  of  tlie  law, 
and  not  from  the  obligation  of  it.  The 
death  of  Christ  would  not  have  been  an 
atonement,  if  it  had  set  aside  the  law  as  • 
a  rule  of  life  ;  this  would  have  disgraced 
and  destroyed  the  law,  instead  of  magni- 
fying and  making  it  honourable.  The 
death  of  Christ  has  made  the  law  a  rule 
for  our  working,  and  has  abolished  it  as  a 
covenant  of  works.  We  are  not  redeemed 
from  the  curse  of  the  law,  if  we  reject  the 
obligation  of  the  law.  That  man  has  not 
faith,  whatever  he  pretends  to,  who 
makes  void  the  law : — that  faith  is  not 
the  "  faith  of  God's  elect,"  if  it  make 
void  the  law  of  Christ;  and  while  a  man 
pretends  to  do  the  will  of  Christ,  if  I  hear 
him  deny  the  authority  of  the  law,  and 
declare  that  he  has  nothing  to  do  with  it, 
I  turn  at  once  from  him  to  the  apostle  of 
the  Lamb,  and  he  says,  "  Do  we  make 
void  the  law,  through  faith  ]  God  forbid  : 
yea,  we  establish  the  law;"  and  then  I 
know  which  side  to  choose. 

But  all  are  not  redeemed  from  the  cu)-se  - 
of  the  law  who  acknowledge  the  obliga- 
tion of  the  law.  If  there  be  a  man  here 
who  tries  to  obtain  -r^&nption  from  the 
gospel,  by  obedience  to  t!ie  law,  that  man 
jEt^f-^rstands  neither  law  nor  gospel.  My 
Ml;^  sinner,  if  you  are  concerned  about 


THE  FULNESS  OF  TIME. 


407 


salvation,  a  justifyinfj  riofhteousness  is 
your  object.  Now  "  Christ  is  the  end  of 
the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one 
that  believeth;"  and  relief  to  your  mind 
you  cannot  feel,  unless  you  go  to  him  for 
justification  before  God.  You  cannot 
obey  the  law  too  much  ;  but  you  must 
look  for  justification  to  Christ  alone. 

2.  "  That  we  might  receive  the  adoption 
of  sonsy  Mark  the  peculiarity  of  the 
language ;  not  the  adoption  of  nations. 
The  Jews  had  this  for  a  long  series  of 
ages;  "to  them  pertained  the  adoption, 
the  promises,"  and  so  on.  But  this  left 
them,  at  any  moment,  liable  to  be  cut  off. 
No;  he  says,  "the  adoption  of  sons,'''' 
that  we  might  be  part  of  the  divine  fami- 
ly, and  have  an  interest  in  all  its  bless- 
ings. I  cannot  now  dwell  on  this  inte- 
resting point;  but  I  would  say,  in  one 
word,  they  are  of  the  children  of  God,  of 
the  adopted  of  God,  who  have  fled  to 
Christ  for  complete  redemption.  I  know 
well,  by  experience,  how  many  agitations 
a  serious  mind  feels  after  it  becomes  ac- 
quainted with  the  gospel.  Often  is  it 
said,  "Ah,  I  have  not  the  spirit  of  adop- 
tion !  I  am  not  able  to  say,  Abba,  Fa- 
ther !  I  have  been  earnestly  looking  and 
groaning  for  this  spirit;  but  I  have  not 
yet  felt  that  which  warrants  me  to  say,  I 
am  a  child  of  God  !"  I  am  sure  those 
who  have  felt  such  emotions  know  how- 
great  is  the  anxiety  connected  with  them. 
Now  when  you  and  I  are  set  fast  here,  it 
arises  from  an  oversight : — the  fact  is, 
we  cannot  yeeZ  it  till  we  believe  it.  The 
word  of  God  says  that  he  is  a  child  of 
God  who  has  fled  for  refuge  to  Christ 
alone.  If  we  believe  this,  then  we  are 
warranted  to  believe  that  great  statement, 
that  "  to  as  many  as  believe  on  him,  to 
them  gave  he  power,  or  warrant,  to  be- 
come the  sons  of  God  ;"  and  it  is  not  by 
looking  beyond  the  word  of  God  for 
something  to  satisfy  us,  but  by  taking 
the  divine  testimony  as  it  stands,  that  we 
are  to  expect  comfort.  If  I  know  in  my 
conscience  that  I  need  salvation,  the  sal- 
vation that  is  to  be  found  in  Christ  alone, 
and  depend  on  him  alone  for  that  salva- 
tion, I  am  warranted  to  believe  that  I 
am  a  child  of  God  ;  and  I  may  spend  my 
life  in  looking  for  it  elsewhere.     It  is  in 


the  Bible,  and  not  out  of  it,  that  we  are 
to  look  for  our  warrant.  It  is  in  the  word 
of  God  we  are  to  search  for  it;  and  if  we 
find  that  warrant  there,  we  liave  a  right 
to  believe  that  we  are  children  of  God; 
and  then  we  come  to  enjoy  it,  and  then 
we  are  truly  happy. 


THE   PU1.PIT  GA-l^liERir. 

NO.    XIV. 


REV.    ROBERT    PHILIP, 

Maherley  Chapel,  Kingsland 


The  Rev.  Robert  Philip  was  former- 
ly minister  of  an  Independent  congrega- 
tion at  Liverpool,  at  which  place  he  re- 
sided many  years,  and  taught  the  people 
with  success.  What  circumstances  oc- 
casioned his  removal  to  London,  and  set- 
tlement at  Kingsland,  we  do  not  know. 

Mr.  Philip  in  person  is  rather  tall,  and 
inclined  to  corpulency.  His  face  is  pleas- 
ing, his  forehead  high,  and  denoting  ima- 
ginative power;  his  voice  is  weak,  and 
rather  shrill  in  its  tones  ;  his  action  is  in 
general  appropriate. 

As  a  preacher,  Mr.  Philip  is  distin- 
guished by  his  bold  and  energetic  pro- 
clamation of  what  he  conceives  to  be  the 
truth.  He  appears  neither  solicitous  to 
ascertain  whether  his  doctrine  be  palata- 
ble to  his  hearers,  nor  does  he  study  nice 
and  delicate  terms  to  convey  the  awful 
denunciations  of  the  gospel  to  the  tender 
consciences  of  well-bred  sinners.  He 
clothes  himself  in  the  dignity  of  his 
office,  and  speaks  as  one  having  authori- 
ty, and  not  as  the  scribes.  He  evidently 
studies  divine  truth  for  himself,  and  exa- 
mines "  systems  of  divinity"  by  the  un- 
erring standard  of  holy  writ.  He  does 
not  seem  to  be  one  who  would  tolerate 
error  because  of  its  antiquity,  or  because 
it  has  been  sanctioned  and  approved  by 
eminent  divines. 

His  imagination  is  powerful ; — hence 
his  language  is  figurative,  and  his  ser- 
mons abound  with  vivid  and  interesting 
pictures.  His  judgment  is  good,  and  hia 
taste   has   evidently   been    improved   by 


408 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


observation  and  reading-.  He  appears 
well  acquainted  with  the  human  heart, 
not  only  as  it  is  delineated  and  exposed 
in  the  Scriptures,  but  as  it  is  seen  in  the 
development  of  its  affections  in  society. 
This  gives  him  experience  to  detect  its 
latent  wishes,  and  to  counteract  its  evil 
propensities,  by  substituting  high  and 
noble  motives  to  action,  instead  of  low 
and  worldly  cares. 

His  ideas  are  sometimes  very  original, 
and  his  whole  discourses  very  far  re- 
moved from  the  tame  generalities  of  com- 
mon-place preachers.  Viewed  in  this 
respect,  he  is  certainly  entitled  to  rank 
high  amongst  his  contemporaries. 

The  following  is  a  specimen  of  his 
style,  selected  from  his  sermon  on  the 
death  of  the  lamented  princess  Char- 
lotte : — 

"  Aware,  as  I  was,  how  the  doleful 
tidings  must  affect  a  devoted  and  intelli- 
gent people,  still  I  could  not  have  con- 
ceived that  any  thing  short  of  a  universal 
eartliquake,  or  the  blast  of  the  archan- 
gel's trumpet,  would  have  produced  the 
gloom  and  consternation  which  now  sur- 
round us.  And  who  that  contemplated 
Britain  the  week  before  this  calamity, 
and  saw  her  vast  population  labouring  in 
their  respective  spheres  of  action,  as  if 
nothing  could  divert  them  from  gain  or 
gayety — as  if  every  individual  felt  only 
for  himself;  who  that  saw  this  could 
have  named  any  event,  not  miraculous, 
which,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of 
an  eye,  would  banish  mirth  from  all  the 
gay,  and  composure  from  all  the  serene ; 
make  the  merchant  lay  down  his  pen,  and 
the  mechanic  his  tools  ;  unrobe  the  bride 
of  her  ornaments,  and  the  bridegroom  of 
his  attire  ;  turn  the  house  of  feasting  into 
a  house  of  mourning;  and  command  a 
pause  to  pleasure  and  business,  like  the 
shaking  among  the  dry  bones  in  the  valley 
of  vision  !  Such  a  shock  was  inconceiv- 
able from  natural  impulse.  Sleep  de- 
parted from  the  fatigued  and  the  thought- 
less for  a  time  ;  honour  and  wealth  seemed 
to  be  insipid  ;  the  orphan  forgot  his  ex- 
posure, the  widow  her  desolation,  and 
Ihe  widower  the  '  w'fe  of  his  youth,'  in 


the  more  aggravated  woes  of  Claremont ; 
and,  by  an  instantaneous  movement,  the 
whole  community  seemed  to  discover 
that  their  personal  comfort  had  been  sus- 
pended on  the  princess.  '  One  dead'  in 
every  family  could  not  have  excited  more 
general  consternation." 

THE    MISSIONARY    CANDIDATE. — AN    ANECDOTES. 

A  PIOUS  young  man,  who  was  desirou 
of  devoting  himself  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry  among  the  heathen,  and  had 
been  recommended  with  that  view  to  the 
Committee  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society,  on  undergoing  the  usual  exami- 
nation, stated  that  he  had  one  difficulty: 
he  had  an  aged  mother  entirely  dependent 
upon  an  elder  brother  and  himself  for 
maintenance ;  and,  in  case  of  that  bro- 
ther's death,  he  should  wish  to  be  at 
liberty  to  return  to  this  country,  if  his 
mother  were  still  living,  to  contribute  to 
her  support.  Scarcely  had  he  made  this 
ingenuous  statement,  when  a  harsh  voice 
exclaimed,  "  If  you  love  your  mother 
more  than  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  you 
will  not  do  for  us."  Abashed  and  con- 
founded, the  young  man  was  silent. 
Some  murmurs  escaped  the  committee ; 
and  he  was  directed  to  retire  while  his 
proposal  was  taken  into  consideration. 
On  his  being  again  sent  for,  the  venera- 
ble chairman,  (Dr.  Waugh,)  in  tones  of 
unaffected  kindness,  and  with  a  patri- 
archal benignity  of  mien,  acquainted  him 
that  the  committee  did  not  feel  them- 
selves authorized  to  accept  of  his  ser- 
vices on  a  condition  involving  uncertainty 
as  to  the  term;  but  immediately  added, 
"  We  think  none  the  worse  of  you,  my 
good  lad,  for  your  dutiful  regard  to  your 
aged  parent.  You  are  but  acting  in  con- 
formity to  the  example  of  Him  whose 
gospel  you  wish  to  proclaim  among  the 
heathen  ;  who,  as  he  hung  upon  the  cross 
in  dying  agonies,  beholding  his  mother 
and  the  beloved  disciple  standing  by, 
said  to  the  one, '  Woman,  behold  thy  son  ;' 
and  to  John,  '  Behold  thy  mother.'  My 
good  lad,  we  think  none  the  worse  of 
you." 


SERMON  XLV. 

THE   CAUSE    AND    CHARACTER  OF    RELIGIOUS   JOY. 
BY  THE  REV.  WILLIAM  BROWN. 


"And  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing." — Acts  viii.  39. 


In  the  preceding  context  we  are  pre- 
sented with  some  brief  notices  concern- 
ing the  distinguished  individual  to  whom 
these  words  refer.  We  are  presented 
more  particularly  with  an  account  of  his 
conversion  to  God,  an  account  which, 
though  very  short,  must,  I  should  think, 
be  deeply  interesting  to  every  Christian. 
Attached  as  a  proselyte  to  the  Jewish 
church,  he  had  travelled,  it  should  seem, 
no  less  a  distance  than  from  Ethiopia  to 
Jerusalem,  for  the  purpose  of  worshiping 
God  within  that  church's  consecrated 
veil,  and  according  to  her  appointed 
ritual.  The  object  of  his  journey  being 
thus  accomplished,  he  was  now  on  his 
return,  it  appears,  to  the  court  of  Candace, 
the  queen  of  his  native  land,  to  whom  he 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  chamberlain  or 
treasurer ;  and  while  prosecuting  his 
homeward  way,  we  find  he  was  profitably 
employed  in  perusing  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures.  The  Bible,  we  learn,  was 
opened  before  him  in  the  fifty-third  chap- 
ter of  Isaiah ;  but  to  him,  in  his  circum- 
stances at  that  time,  it  was  a  dead  letter 
and  a  sealed  book.  That  impressive  pro- 
phecy respecting  our  Redeemer's  suffer- 
ings was  read  by  him  with  little  under- 
standing and  with  little  emotion ;  it 
might,  perhaps,  be  somewhat  interesting 
to  his  natural  feelings,  indeed  it  could 
scarcely  fail  to  be  so,  but  then  it  must 
have  appeared  to  him  dark,  unintelligible, 
and  obscure.  He  perceived,  no  doubt, 
that  it  referred  to  something  of  more  than 
usual  importance ;  but  he  had  no  accurate 
idea  either  as  to  the  dignity  of  the  suffer- 
VoL.  I.— 53 


er,  or  as  to  the  design  of  his  sufferings, 
or  as  to  the  persons  for  whom  he  suffered. 
His  mind,  accordingly,  appears  to  have 
been  upon  the  stretch  for  further  informa- 
tion on  the  subject ;  and  suspecting,  pro- 
bably, that  the  passage  which  he  had 
been  reading  in  Isaiah  had  reference  to 
some  vital  points  on  which  he  was  yet 
ignorant,  his  soul  would  most  likely  be 
seized  with  certain  painful  anxieties, 
which  would  not  be  easily  allayed,  either 
by  the  attractive  beauty  of  the  surround- 
ing scenery,  or  by  the  attentions  of  his 
official  retinue,  or  by  the  reveries  of  his 
own  imagination. 

It  was  at  this  crisis,  my  friends,  that 
he  was  accosted  by  the  disciple  Philip, 
who,  in  obedience  to  the  angel  of  the 
Lord,  had  recently  left  Jerusalem  for  the 
very  purpose,  and  soon  overtook  him  by 
the  way.  Unattended  and  unintroduced, 
this  faithful  servant  of  Christ  immediately 
entered  upon  his  commission,  by  one  of 
those  delicate  questions,  which,  without 
revolting  the  feelings  of  this  nobleman, 
was  yet  sufficiently  explicit  to  show,  that 
as  the  stranger  who  addressed  him  was 
evidently  acquainted  with  his  anxieties, 
so  he  had  in  all  probability  the  means  in 
his  power  to  relieve  them.  The  sub- 
sequent part  of  the  narrative,  my  friends, 
declares  to  us  the  issue.  "  Philip,"  it  is 
said,  "  opened  his  mouth,  and  began  at 
the  same  Scripture,  and  preached  unto 
him  Jesus."  The  remaining  events  of 
the  interview  now  followed  each  other  in 
rapid  succession;  in  short,  the  sermon 
was  blessed  and  sanctified — the  person  to 
2  M  409 


410 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


whom  it  was  addressed  believed  and  was 
baptized — the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  caught 
away  Philip — the  eunuch  saw  him  no 
more,  but  "he  went  on  his  way  rejoic- 
ing." 

In  order,  liowever,  to  give  the  greater 
unity  and  simplicity  to  our  subsequent 
observations  on  this  subject,  they  may 
suitably  be  comprised,  I  think,  under  the 
two  following  general  heads. 

I.  The  character  and  condition  of 

THE    PERSON    REJOICINO. 

II.  The  causes  of  his  joy. 

In  reference,  then,  to  the  condition 

AND  character  OF  THE  PERSON  REJOIC- 
ING, the  first  observation  which  naturally 
occurs  to  us  is,  that  he  was  a  person  af 
authority  and  rank.  It  has  frequently  and 
very  justly  been  remarked,  that  among 
those  who  cordially  embrace  the  gospel, 
there  "are  not  many  wise,  not  many 
mighty,  not  many  noble  ;"  and  it  must  be 
confessed  that  the  remark,  taken  as  a 
general  proposition,  is,  no  doubt,  a  true 
one.  It  must  be  confessed,  my  brethren, 
that  as  worldly  wisdom  is  often  addicted 
to  pursuits  which,  if  not  hostile  to  reli- 
gion, are  at  least  foreign  to  its  spirit,  and 
its  interests,  so  lofty  genius,  we  know, 
is  frequently  prostrated  to  many  ignoble 
purposes ;  while  high  station,  on  the 
other  hand,  instead  of  being  turned  to 
advantage  in  proportion  to  its  facilities  for 
usefulness  and  for  improvement,  is  often 
employed  in  subserviency  to  a  mere  secu- 
lar ambition,  or  the  gratification  of  the 
minor  passions  and  inferior  propensities 
of  our  nature. 

Butalthough  this  be  unquestionably  true 
as  a  general  proposition,  it  by  no  means 
excludes,  yon  observe,  particular  excep- 
tions :  on  the  contrary,  it  is  the  peculiar 
glory  of  the  gospel,  that  it  has  no  spirit- 
ual monopoly  among  us.  Destined  for 
universal  diffusion,  as  we  know  it  to  have 
been,  it  is  indeed  a  grand  and  compre- 
hensive scheme  of  redemption,  which  is 
fully  and  freely  offered  to  as  many  as  are 
willing  to  receive  it ;  and  as  God,  we 
know,  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  so  he 
occasionally  calls  to  a  participation  of  his 
grace,  individuals  of  every  rank,  of  every 
country,  and  of  every  age. 

Now,  of  this  very  fact,  observe,  the 


case  of  the  individual  in  the  text  affords 
us  a  most  striking  and  appropriate  exam- 
ple. Though  born  and  educated  an  idol- 
ater, he  was  successively  brought  first 
within  the  pale  of  the  Jewish  church,  and 
ultimately  to  a  participation  of  Christian 
privileges — though  raised  to  an  elevated 
rank  in  a  foreign  court,  he  did  not  per- 
mit the  splendour  of  his  station  to  dazzle 
and  delude  him  into  a  forgetful ness, 
either  of  God,  or  of  his  own  spiritual 
safety — though  surrounded  on  every  side 
with  all  that  could  tempt  him  to  sinful 
and  relaxed  habits, — the  whole  of  this 
narrative,  I  humbly  submit,  plainly  inti- 
mates that  the  care  of  his  soul  was  his 
principal  concern,  and  that,  though  occu- 
pied with  the  high  causes  and  occupa- 
tions of  state,  he  was  still  more  particu- 
larly engrossed  with  the  far  higher  con- 
cerns of  eternity.  And  while  all  this 
tends  most  powerfully  to  discredit  the 
excuses  of  those,  who  presume  to  plead, 
that  they  are  so  immersed  in  business  as 
to  have  little  or  no  leisure  for  religion,  it 
serves  also  most  distinctly  to  show  us, 
that  by  a  prudent  distribution  of  time,  and 
by  a  proper  improvement  of  opportunities, 
there  are  no  conceiveable  situations  and 
no  conceivable  pursuits,  whatever  be  their 
magnitude  and  importance,  which  may 
not  be  ably  and  honourably  performed  in 
due  subordination  to  those  other  and 
higher  duties  devolving  on  us  all  in  rela- 
tion to  an  eternal  world.  These  and  these 
only  should  have  a  permanent  place  in 
our  affections  ;  this  and  this  only  should 
form  the  paramount  object  of  our  lives ; 
and  this  was  pre-eminently  the  case  with 
the  distinguished  individual  here  alluded 
to.  He  had  high  temporal  duties  to  per- 
form, and  he  did  them  well ;  had  he  left 
them  undone,  or  had  he  performed  them 
only  in  an  indifferent  manner,  it  is 
scarcely  possible,  I  think,  that  he  could 
have  maintained  that  respectability  of 
character,  and  that  popularity  at  court, 
by  which,  very  likely,  he  obtained  leave 
and  leisure  to  visit  the  city  of  Jerusalem 
on  this  occasion.  On  the  contrary,  (that 
is,  on  the  supposition  of  his  having  been 
an  idle  and  inefficient  functionary,)  the 
probability  is,  that  he  must  have  resigned 
the  seals  of  office,  before  he  could  have 


THE  CAUSE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  RELIGIOUS  ^OY. 


41] 


undertaken  this  journey  ;  but  the  fact  is, 
he  retained  the  one  and  he  accomplished 
the  other;  his  worldly  avocations  were 
attended  to,  in  subordination  to,  and  in 
connexion  with,  his  spiritual  observances. 
His  piety  kept  pace  with  his  patriotism; 
while  he  honoured  his  queen,  he  did  not 
omit  to  fear  God  ;  and  according  to  the 
measure  of  light,  which  was  then  vouch- 
safed to  him,  we  find  from  this  passage 
that  he  undertook  and  travelled  a  very 
considerable  journey  to  worship  in  the 
Jewish  temple,  agreeable  to  the  faith 
which  he  professed. 

Now  you  will  observe  still  further,  that 
the  Ethiopian  alluded  to,  besides  having 
been  a  man  of  rank,  and  in  office,  was  a 
person  of  very  firm  and  decided  character. 
Born  as  he  was  in  a  country  where  the 
worship  of  the  true  God  was  little  known, 
and  still  less  attended  to,  it  is  more  than 
probable,  as  I  have  already  hinted,  that 
he  had  been  educated  in  heathen  idolatry, 
and  that  his  mind  had  been  early  imbued 
with  all  those  deep  and  inveterate  pre- 
judices which  usually  adhere  to  the  vota- 
ries of  an  ancient  superstition.  It  appears 
however  from  this  narrative,  that  in  this 
case  the  prejudices  in  question  had  been 
effectually  overcome,  and  that  in  spite  of 
all  those  ties  which  might  naturally  be 
supposed  to  have  bound  and  warped  his 
affecliins,  he  resolutely  forsook  the  reli- 
gion of  his  native  land,  and  became  a 
convert  to  Judaism.  Whether  this 
change  in  his  sentiments  was  effected 
instrumentally  by  his  having  procured  a 
copy  of  the  Scriptures,  which  we  find  he 
was  now  reading,  or  by  the  ministrations 
of  some  unknown  but  not  unhonoured 
preacher,  or  by  his  intercourse  with  those 
Jt^ws  who  were  accustomed  to  travel 
great  distances  on  the  enterprises  of  com- 
merce ;  whether  he  was  converted  to 
Judaism  by  the  instrumentality  of  any 
one  of  these  circumstances,  or  by  a  con- 
currence of  them  all,  is  a  point  which  it 
is  not  very  easy  to  determine,  and  of  no 
great  moment  to  be  ascertained  ;  the  fact 
is  certain,  that  he  abandoned  idolatry  and 
became  a  professor  of  Judaism.  But 
what  I  wish  more  particularly  to  advert 
to  is,  that  subsequently  to  this  his  first 
conversion,  the  firmness,  and   the  deci- 


sion, and  the  consistency  of  his  character 
was  altogether  such,  my  brethren,  as  not 
only  to  claim  our  respect,  but  even  to 
deserve  our  imitation.  To  repudiate  the 
religious  opinions  in  which  a  man  has 
been  educated  from  his  youth,  is  a  step 
which  it  is  at  all  times  painful  to  take, 
and  which  it  is  sometimes  dangerous  to 
avow.  On  the  one  hand  he  is  fronted 
and  opposed  by  the  venerated  example  of 
his  ancestors,  and  he  is  out-clamoured  on 
the  other  by  the  voice  and  the  violence  of 
a  contemporaneous  multitude.  Even  in 
nations  the  most  enlightened,  where  moral 
speculations  have  been  carried  to  the 
greatest  length,  and  where  freedom  has 
been  permitted  with  longest  and  largest 
liberty,  even  there  the  toleration  that  is 
usually  extended  to  difference  of  opinion 
on  all  other  subjects,  is  usually  withheld 
from  him  who  abandons  the  religion  of 
his  country  ;  the  man  who  ventures  to  do 
so  is  generally  covered  with  odium  and 
with  disgrace  ;  he  is  regarded,  for  the 
most  part,  as  an  offensive  excrescence  on 
the  face  of  society,  which  must  be  re- 
moved by  all  means,  by  foul  or  by  fair, 
and  which  is  sometimes  corrected  by  the 
strong  arm  of  the  law. 

But  if  such  be  the  feeling  of  the  en- 
lightened, and  the  professedly  liberal,  and 
the  worldly  wise,  what  might  we  expect 
from  heathen,  from  uneducated,  savage, 
barbarous  heathens,  in  circumstances 
precisely  parallel  ?  Attached  to  their 
idolatries,  neither  by  the  convictions  of 
reason,  nor  by  a  respect  for  the  Divine 
character,  but  by  a  blind  and  sensual 
fanaticism,  which  is  generally  stronger 
than  both,  it  is  natural  to  suppose,  that 
openly  to  discountenance  their  supersti- 
tion would  only  be  to  offend  their  preju- 
dices and  to  provoke  their  rage,  undis- 
ciplined as  they  are  to  any  thing  like 
close,  patient,  or  consecutive  reasoning ;. 
they  know  of  no  argument  to  support 
their  opinions  but  the  argument  of  physi- 
cal power,  therefore,  before  they  can  out- 
reason  a  man  of  firm  and  decided  charac- 
ter, and  of  superior  faculties,  and  of  better 
information  than  they  themselves  pos- 
sessed, they  must  first  of  all  consume  him 
to  ashes,  and  they  must  release  that  spirit 
from    its    mortal  bondage,  which    they 


412 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


found  it  impossible,  by  any  milder  means, 
to  silence  or  subdue. 

Applying  all  this,  therefore,  to  the  mat- 
ter before  us,  there  is  no  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  the  conduct  of  the  African  Ethi- 
opian idolaters,  in  reference  to  the  con- 
version, or,  as  they  would  conceive  it, 
the  apostasy  of  their  distinguished  coun- 
tryman, would  be  at  all  different  from 
the  conduct  of  other  nations,  in  circum- 
stances precisely  parallel.  Indeed,  it 
may  be  questioned  very  much,  whether 
the  superior  rank  of  this  convert  would 
not  give  a  greater  shock  to  their  preju- 
dices, and  a  darker  and  a  deeper  charac- 
ter to  their  fanaticism.  Of  this,  indeed, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  at  all,  that  if  in  our 
own  land  any  of  the  functionaries  of  go- 
vernment were  openly  disavowing,  syste- 
matically dishonouring,  the  religion  of  the 
country,  then  the  elevation  of  his  rank, 
and  the  extent  of  his  influence,  would 
only  give  a  greater  aggravation  to  his 
crime ;  and  his  deprivation  of  liberty,  of 
office,  and  of  character,  would  be  deemed 
all  too  little  to  atone  for  the  guilt  of  his 
apostasy. 

What  may  have  been  the  precise 
treatment  which  this  Ethiopian  nobleman 
met  with,  on  abandoning  idolatry  and 
embracing  Judaism,  we  cannot  presume 
positively  to  say.  These,  at  all  events,  are 
the  probable  difficulties  he  would  have 
to  contend  with — these  the  sacrifices  he 
would  be  required  to  make — these  the 
temptations  which  assuredly  he  would 
have  to  resist.  In  the  face  of  all  these 
things,  however,  we  find  that  he  made  an 
open,  an  honest,  and  undisguised  profes- 
sion of  his  new  sentiments ;  and  if,  not- 
withstanding this,  he  still  retained  his 
official  appointment  and  royal  favour,  and 
his  popularity  at  court,  it  just  shows  us, 
my  brethren,  practically,  though  our  reli- 
gious profession  should  expose  us  to 
many  perils,  and  dangers,  and  opposi- 
tions, and  difficulties,  those  difficulties, 
perils,  and  dangers  may,  after  all,  be 
overcome  by  real  force  of  principle,  and 
by  a  genuine  integrity  of  character. 

Though  this  distinguished  person  was, 
no  doubt,  strongly  tempted  to  conform  to 
the  superstitions  of  his  country  in  a  vast 
variety  of  shapes,  by  early  predilections, 


by  bias,  by  the  hope  of  preferment,  by 
the  patronage  of  the  great,  yet  we  find 
that  he  was  moved  by  none  of  these 
things  ;  he  had  appointed  a  higher  stand- 
ard of  duty,  he  followed  the  dictates  of 
his  own  conscience ;  and  if,  in  such  cir- 
cumstances as  these,  he  yet  maintained  a 
decided  and  unshrinking  profession  of  his 
Jewish  principles,  his  conduct  in  this 
respect  is  eminently  fitted  to  minister  to 
our  instruction,  and  is  full  of  reproof  to 
many,  and  is  replete  with  instruction  for 
all.  It  teaches  us,  my  brethren,  that  if 
our  religious  profession  be  attended  with 
difficulty  and  danger,  even  though  it 
require  from  us  an  abridgment  of  comfort, 
and  sacrifice  of  character,  still  it  is  oui 
imperative  duty  to  persevere ;  nor  are  we 
to  conform  to  this  world  in  its  practical 
idolatries,  in  its  sinful  pleasures,  or  in  its 
guilty  and  unlawful  pursuits,  even  though 
they  be  sanctioned  by  custom,  even 
though  they  be  hallowed  by  antiquity. 
In  the  case  of  the  Ethiopian  there  were 
many  temptations  on  every  side,  if  not  to 
forsake  his  profession  of  Judaism,  at  least 
to  conceal  it. 

But  with  us,  blessed  be  God,  brethren, 
there  is  little  or  nothing  of  the  kind. 
The  terror  of  making  an  open  confession 
of  our  religious  fidelity,  and  our  religious 
profession,  is  in  the  present  day  scarcely, 
if  at  all,  experienced  ;  nor  are  the  out- 
ward ordinances  of  religious  worship  con- 
fined any  longer  to  Jerusalem,  as  in  the 
time  of  this  nobleman,  who  travelled  so 
far  to  attend  them.  Instead  of  requiring 
us  to  perform  long  and  laborious  pil- 
grimages to  procure  the  means  of  grace, 
and  to  attend  upon  the  ordinances  of  the 
church,  it  has  pleased  God  in  his  abun- 
dant mercy,  to  bring  them  to  our  very 
door,  and  we  can  sit  each  man  under  his 
own  vine,  and  his  own  fig  tree,  and  none 
dare  to  make  us  afraid.  Let  us,  there- 
fore, improve  the  day  of  our  merciful 
visitation — let  us  hold  fast  the  beginning 
of  our  confidence  to  the  end — let  us  hold 
fast  our  profession,  and  be  strong  in  the 
Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  his  might,  and 
in  the  humble  confidence  and  assurance, 
that  if  we  confess  Christ,  and  that  if  we 
act  up  to  our  profession — if  we  confess 
Christ,  and  remain  steadfast  to  the  end-^ 


TSE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  RELIGIOUS  JOY. 


413 


we  shall  vvilh  lilin  overcome,  and  with 
him  possess  all  things. 

In  reference,  however,  to  the  character 
and  condition  of  the  person  alluded  to  in 
this  passage,  allow  me  to  remark,  in  the 
third  place,  on  this  part  of  the  subject, 
that  he  was  not  only  a  man  of  rank,  and 
a  person  of  firm,  and  decided,  and  con- 
sistent character,  but  he  was  also  n  serious 
and  diligent  inquirer.  If  it  be  a  fair  cri- 
terion to  judge  of  a  man's  attachment  to 
religious  knowledge  by  the  exertions  and 
sacrifices  which  he  makes  to  obtain  it, 
then  the  sincerity  of  the  Ethiopian  noble- 
man must  be  beyond  the  possibility  of 
doubt.  Previously  to  the  time  alluded  to 
in  this  passage,  he  must  have  acquired, 
unquestionably,  a  very  considerable  ac- 
quaintance with  the  Jewish  economy; 
out  not  being  content  with  the  informa- 
tion he  had  already  obtained,  he  had  tra- 
velled no  less  a  distance  than  from  Africa 
to  Jerusalem  to  obtain  more ;  and  even 
now  he  was  engaged  in  reading  the  Bible. 
Far  from  indulging  in  that  capricious  and 
superficial  kind  of  inquiry,  which  origin- 
ates in  no  better  principle  than  curiosity, 
and  which  subsides  the  moment  that 
principle  is  satisfied,  he  appears,  on  the 
contrary,  to  have  been  a  man  in  solemn 
and  sober  earnest.  A  man,  bending  the 
whole  power  of  his  faculties  to  the  appre- 
inension  of  divine  truth,  and  in  prosecut- 
ing this  great  object,  his  investigations 
were  at  once  diversified  and  laborious ; 
not  confined  to  general  statements,  or  to 
partial  views,  but  steadily  and  diligently 
directed  to  the  whole  counsel  of  God  ; 
nor  even  when  he  had  visited  Jerusalem, 
and  had  engaged  in  the  worship  of  the 
temple,  did  he  permit  himself  to  rest  sa- 
tisfied with  his  previous  attainments,  or 
with  the  teaching  of  the  Rabbles,  priests, 
and  scribes.  Anxious  as  he  seems  to 
have  been,  my  friends,  to  make  still  fur- 
ther improvement  in  knowledge,  he  re- 
solved to  inquire  for  himself,  he  deter- 
mined to  receive  no  second-hand  state- 
ments, he  consulted  the  oracles  of  truth, 
direct  he  went  to  the  fountain-head. 
Even  when  sitting  in  his  very  chariot, 
when  returning  home,  when  his  mind 
might  be  naturally  occupied  in  reflecting 
on  the  scenes  wliich  he  had  left,  when 


his  pride  might  have  been  flattered  by  th« 
cavalcade  which  accompanied  him,  the 
time,  in  his  estimation,  was  all  too  pre- 
cious to  be  wasted  on  any  such  trifles ;  at 
this  moment,  neither  Jerusalem,  with  her 
lofty  turrets,  which  he  was  leaving  be- 
hind him,  nor  nature  with  her  easlern 
loveliness ;  no,  nor  chariots,  nor  horse- 
men, were  of  any  present  interest  to  him  ; 
his  soul  was  occupied  with  infinitely 
higher  concerns,  his  mind  was  directed 
to  a  nobler  subject  of  contemplation,  his 
heart  was  engrossed,  in  short,  in  perusing 
the  Scriptures  of  truth.  \ 

Now,  the  improvement  that  all  this 
suggests  to  us,  is  as  obvious  as  it  is  im- 
portant. If,  in  the  adorable  sovereignty 
of  divine  grace,  we  have  been  brought 
into  circumstances,  and  favoured  with 
opportunities  favourable  for  our  advance- 
ment in  spiritual  things,  let  us  imitate 
the  diligent  searching  of  this  Ethiopian 
convert,  who  was  employed  in  consulting 
the  word  of  God.  Let  ns  improve  the 
precious  moments  as  they  pass,  let  us 
prosecute  our  religious  inquiries  with  an 
earnest  purpose  of  heart,  and  with  an 
humble  dependence  on  the  Spirit.  Instead 
of  resting  satisfied  with  the  measure  of 
knowledge  to  which  we  may  have  already 
attained,  let  us  throw  off  our  listlessness, 
and  set  ourselves  thoroughly  and  instant- 
ly to  peruse  this  blessed  book  with  more 
diligence,  and  with  more  interest,  than 
ever  we  have  hitherto  done.  If,  in  this 
way,  we  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord,  we 
have  in  the  text,  you  will  notice,  an  en- 
couraging precedent  to  show,  that  we 
shall  indeed  know  him,  that  our  labour 
shall  not  be  in  vain,  and  that  our 
inquiries  shall  be  savingly  blessed.  And 
whatever  be  the  temptations  to  which  we 
may  be  exposed,  whether  the  allurements 
of  worldly  society,  or  a  fondness  for  un- 
profitable reading,  or  an  undue  attach- 
ment to  the  luxuries  and  to  the  pride  of 
life,  or  a  grovelling  propensity  for  base 
and  degrading  indulgence;  oh!  let  us 
remember,  that  as  in  the  case  of  this  noble 
individual  who  was  now  leaving  Jerusa- 
lem in  his  carriage,  so  the  chariot  of  time 
is  rapidly  rolling  us  along ;  therefore,  it 
is  our  duty,  like  him,  to  read  and  to  think 
by  the  way — that  according  to  the  swift- 
2m2 


414 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


ness  of  its  motion  we  are,  like  him,  pro- 
portionably  receding  from  the  earthly 
side.  Like  him,  then,  let  us  avail  our- 
selves of  every  opportunity  for  receiving 
instruction  that  may  offer,  even  though  it 
may  present  itself  in  a  form  little  calcu- 
lated to  conciliate  our  carnal  pride,  re- 
membering the  beautiful  example  set  us 
by  this  distinguished  person,  who,  when 
the  humble  Philip  came  up  to  him,  when 
he  interrupted  him  in  his  reading,  was  so 
far  from  repelling  such  an  intrusion,  that 
he  received  it  with  humility  ;  he  listened 
to  his  instruction  without  any  feeling  of 
pride,  or  distrust,  or  suspicion  ;  he  even 
invited  him  to  come  up  into  his  chariot, 
and  to  expound  to  him  the  word  of  God — 
he  condescended  to  be  as  a  little  child, 
and  to  receive  with  meekness  the  in- 
grafted word,  which  was  able  to  save  his 
soul. 

Oh,  dear  brethren,  "  go  and  do  like- 
wise ;"  receive  the  word  of  truth  as  it  is 
offered  to  you,  in  whatever  form,  so  as  it 
be  the  truth.  In  one  word,  believing  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  this  Ethiopian 
did,  let  us  follow  his  example  by  making 
a  profession  of  our  faith — by  not  conceal- 
ing our  principles — by  not  being  ashamed 
to  avow  ourselves  to  the  church  and  to 
the  world.  No  sooner  had  he  received 
this  instruction,  than  he  exclaims  the 
very  first  opportunity  that  presented, 
"  Here  is  water,  what  doth  hinder  me 
from  being  baptized  1"  If  we  know 
Christ,  let  us  confess  him  before  men, 
and  he  will  confess  us  before  his  Father 
in  heaven  ;  and  let  us  confess  him  not 
merely  by  attending  to  the  ordinances  of 
religion,  not  merely  by  being  seen  keep- 
ing our  customary  places  in  the  church, 
not  merely  by  associating  with  God's 
people,  but  confessing  him  by  joining  his 
visible  church,  by  doing  this  according  to 
his  own  command  and  in  remembrance 
of  his  name.  In  that  case  we  are  en- 
couraged to  hope  that  we  shall  partake 
of  the  blessedness  of  the  Ethiopian,  and, 
like  him,  "  go  on  our  way  rejoicing." 

To  some  the  rejoicing  of  this  distinguish- 
ed foreigner  may  possibly  appear  to  he 
someichat  unnatural  and  even  unlovely. 
According  to  the  narrative  given  to  us, 
the  gladness  of  the  Ethiopian  seems  to 


have  been  immediately  consequent  on  his 
final  separation  from  Philip ;  and  as  be- 
lievers usually  delight  in  the  society  of 
those  by  whom  they  have  been  spiritually 
benefited,  his  conduct  may  seem  to  betray 
either  a  callousness  of  feeling  or  defici- 
ency of  gratitude ;  and  it  may  perhaps, 
be  thought  that  the  circumstance  of  his 
having  quitted  such  a  valuable  instructer, 
ought  rather  to  have  excited  on  his  part 
an  emotion  of  sorrow,  and  that  had  he 
dropped  a  tear  at  parting,  it  would  have 
been  at  once  a  credit  to  his  sensibility 
and  a  better  proof  that  he  rightly  appre- 
ciated the  nature  and  extent  of  his  obliga- 
tions. It  must  be  confessed,  indeed, 
that  to  see  Philip  caught  away  from 
his  view  by  a  sudden  and  miraculous 
interposition,  was  of  itself  fitted  to  in- 
spire him  with  the  most  solemn  and  reve- 
rential ideas ;  and  when  to  this  it  is  add- 
ed, that  the  person  so  removed  was  one 
to  Avhom,  of  all  others,  he  had  been  in- 
debted, and  to  whose  company  he  must 
have  attached  associations  of  the  tender- 
est  kind ;  then  the  rejoicing  of  this  Ethi- 
opian nobleman  may,  perhaps,  appear  to 
some  persons  to  indicate  either  that  he 
had  set  no  great  value  on  what  he  had 
recently  heard,  or  that  he  felt  so  confident 
of  Philip's  former  instructions,  as  actually 
to  pursue  his  journey  without  requiring 
his  aid,  and  without  deploring  his  ab- 
sence. But  though  this  objection  may, 
perhaps,  very  readily  present  itself,  there 
is  really  nothing  in  it  to  entitle  it  to  much 
consideration.  It  is  founded  entirely  upon 
an  imperfect  acquaintance  with  the  prac- 
tical effects  of  divine  grace,  nor  can 
there  be  a  doubt  that  the  vindication  of 
the  Ethiopian's  joy  on  this  occasion  may 
be  triumphantly  grounded  on  the  simpli- 
city and  sincerity  of  his  faith.  To  sup- 
pose, indeed,  that  he  was  unawed  by  the 
supernatural  interposition  of  God  in  re- 
moving Philip  frfim  his  view,  or  that  he 
felt  no  regret  at  the  loss  of  his  spiritual 
instructer,  is,  in  point  of  fact,  a  gratuitous 
assumption,  which  there  is  nothing  in 
this  narrative  to  justify ;  and  though  it 
may  be  true  that  notwithstanding  both  of 
these  events  he  actually  did  go  on  his 
way  rejoicing,  this  fact  only  proves  the 
power  and  the  efficacy  of  those  doctrines 


THE  CAUSE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  RELIGIOUS  JOY. 


415 


which  he  had  recently  embraced — it  only 
proves  that  the  gift  of  faith  which  he  had 
received,  had  had  the  double  effect,  not 
only  for  preparing  him  for  extraordinary 
manifestations  of  the  divine  power,  but 
of  consoling  him  even  under  the  loss  of 
a  spiritual  privilege — it  only  proves,  in 
short,  that  though  his  present  circum- 
stances may  appear  to  us  sufficient  to 
overwhelm  him  with  the  most  painful 
regret,  yet  that  the  grace  given  to  him 
was  far  more  than  adequate  to  counterba- 
lance all  such  feelings,  and  to  fill  his 
whole  soul  with  absorbing  emotions  of 
gratitude,  and  with  an  inexpressible  feel- 
ing of  joy. 

But  this,  I  trust,  will  appear  more  evi- 
dently by  considering  at  greater  length 
the  second  division  of  our  subject,  namely, 

the  CAUSKS  OR  REASONS  OF  HIS  JOY.   In 

the  first  place,  it  may  be  inferred  that  he 
will  go  on  his  way  rejoicing,  on  account 
of  the  new  information  he  had  obtained. 
Though  previously  to  the  period  alluded 
to  in  this  passage  this  eminent  person 
had  for  some  time  been  a  convert  to  the 
Jewish  religion,  the  probability  is,  that 
his  attachment  to  Judaism  was  little  less 
than  simply  giving  it  a  preference  above 
the  gross  and  absurd  idolatries  of  Ethio- 
pia, and  that  his  acquaintance  with  it 
was  limited  entirely  to  a  knowledge  of 
its  forms  and  ceremonies,  without  any 
direct  perception  either  of  their  spiritual 
meaning  or  of  their  ulterior  end.  During 
his  late  visit  to  Jerusalem,  his  usual  in- 
tercourse would  be  confined  very  proba- 
bly to  the  scribes  and  to  the  Pharisees, 
who  constituted  at  that  time  the  higher 
orders  of  Jewish  society,  and  from  them, 
we  know,  he  would  derive  no  other  kind 
of  information  than  that  which  related 
exclusively  to  the  ceremonial  ritual,  the 
only  effect  of  which  would  be  to  fortify 
him  more  and  more  in  his  self-depend- 
ence, and  in  his  spiritual  pride.  It  is 
true,  1  acknowledge,  he  did  indeed  pos- 
sess a  copy  of  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures, but  then  that  he  could  neither  un- 
derstand nor  apply  them,  is  sufficiently 
evident  from  his  own  acknowledgment; 
for  when  Philip  inquired  of  hiin,"Un- 
derstindest  thou  what  thou  readest]" 
he  repliefl,  with  a  frank  and  straight-for- 


ward ingenuousness,  "  How  can  I  unless 
some  man  should  guide  mel" 

Now,  my  friends,  in  such  a  state  of 
ignorance  as  this,  there  can  be  no  doubt, 
I  think,  that  to  his  reflecting  and  intelli- 
gent mind,  the  worship,  the  forms,  and 
the  ceremonies  of  the  Jewish  church  must 
have  appeared  extremely  perplexing  and 
dark.  In  the  absence  of  that  light  which 
has  been  thrown  upon  them  by  the  gos- 
pel, the  only  consideration  that  could 
commend  them  to  his  judgment,  that  of 
rendering  obedience  and  adoration  to  one 
infinite  and  eternal  Spirit,  was  incompa- 
rably more  rational  than  to  countenance 
the  absurd  idolatries  of  Ethiopia;  but,  so 
far  as  the  grand  question  of  his  own  per- 
sonal acceptance  with  God  was  con- 
cerned, he  was,  in  reality,  not  one  whit 
more  forward  than  before,  and,  as  long  as 
he  was  ignorant  of  the  Saviour,  in  whom 
all  the  Mosaic  ceremonies  and  all  the 
Scripture  promises  were  to  be  fulfilled, 
his  attachment  to  the  Hebrew  worship 
was,  in  truth,  only  a  different  form  of 
superstition,  which,  though  less  revolting 
to  a  cultivated  mind,  was  in  his  case 
equally  powerless,  as  well  for  pacifying 
the  conscience  as  for  purifying  and  re- 
newing the  heart.  In  the  providence  of 
God,  however,  the  period  of  his  spiritual 
darkness  was  now  brought  to  a  close  by 
his  having  recently  received  a  clear  exhi- 
bition of  the  divine  Redeemer,  from 
whose  sacrifice  the  Mosaic  ritual  derived 
all  its  efficacy  and  all  its  worth  ;  Philip, 
we  are  told,  "  preached  unto  him  Jesus  ;" 
and  in  what  did  such  preaching  consist] 
Was  it  to  tell  him  that  God  was  a  being 
of  infinite  mercy,  who  would  overlook  his 
sins  and  short-comings,  and  who  would 
regard  such  obedience  as  he  might  be 
competent  to  render  as  constituting  a 
meritorious  title  to  the  divine  favour  1 
Was  it  to  inculcate  upon  him  that  obser- 
vance of  external  rites,  and  that  venera- 
tion for  vain  traditions,  which  constituted 
so  exclusively  the  religion  of  the  Phari- 
sees and  scribes'?  Was  it  to  tell  him, 
in  the  absence  of  a  confiding  faith,  and  a 
perfect  conformity  to  the  Divine  will,  the 
Lord  would  be  satisfied  with  a  sincere 
but  a  perfect  obedience  on  his  part?  No, 
1  my  brethren,  no  such  thing  ;  to  "  preach 


416 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


unto  him  Jesus,"  was  to  set  before  him 
earnestl}%  and  clearly,  and  faithfully,  the 
infinite  holiness  of  his  nature,  the  guilt  and 
malitrnity  of  sin,  the  deep  depravity  of  his 
own  heart,  the  awful  curse  under  which  he 
laboured  as  a  guilty  and  condemned  crea- 
ture, as  well  as  his  absolute  need  of  a 
Saviour,  and  then  to  follow  up  those 
statements  with  a  broad,  full,  and  clear 
exhibition  of  the  only  method  of  the  sin- 
ner's justification,  not  by  the  works  of 
the  law,  but  only  through  faith  in  the 
righteousness  and  the  blood  of  Christ. 

Now,  observe,  as  such  preaching  as 
this  is  seldom  unaccompanied  with  a 
blessing,  so  we  find  in  the  case  before  us 
that  it  was  made  abundantly  effectual,  in 
opening  the  eyes  of  this  Ethiopian's  un- 
derstanding, and  in  opening  up  to  him  the 
glory  of  that  mystery  which  had  been 
hid  from  generations,  "  God  manifest  in 
the  flesh."  In  the  course  of  one  single  ser- 
mon, it  appears,  this  distinguished  Ethi- 
opian found  himself  not  only  convinced 
of  sin  and  summoned  to  repentance,  but 
reconciled  to  his  heavenly  Father  through 
faith,  and  blessed  in  a  very  considerable 
degree  with  the  gracious  influence  of  the 
Spirit.  Having  been  previously,  then, 
in  a  state  of  ignorance,  of  perplexity,  and 
doubt,  having  been  in  a  state  of  distrust 
respecting  his  spiritual  condition,  and  his 
personal  acceptance  with  God,  he  saw 
now  in  Jesus,  whom  Philip  preached  to 
him,  the  very  Saviour  whom  he  needed, 
and  the  only  Saviour  that  could  give  any 
comfort  to  him.  From  the  thraldom  of 
Jewish  rites,  therefore,  he  now  emerged 
into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  church  of 
God  ;  and  instead  of  continuing  any  long- 
er as  an  alien  and  an  outcast,  he  now  re- 
ceived, in  great  mercy,  the  privileges 
of  an  adopted  son.  The  rejoicing,  there- 
fore, of  this  eminent  individual,  you  will 
notice,  was  not  without  a  just  and  direct 
cause.  He  had  found  a  physician  for  his 
diseased  soul — he  had  found  a  balsam  for 
his  wounded  conscience — he  had  received 
light  into  his  darkened  mind — he  had 
found  in  short,  a  great  and  precious  boon, 
which,  while  it  purified  and  cheered  his 
earthly  course,  taught  him  to  look  for- 
ward with  hope,  and  brightened  his  pros- 
pects for  eternity. 


Nor  was  the  joy  experienced  upon  such 
an  occasion  iu  any  degree  peculiar  to 
the  Ethiopian.  It  is,  indeed,  the  com- 
mon happiness,  generally  speaking,  of 
every  believer,  who  has  been  made  to 
participate,  like  him,  in  the  riches  of 
divine  grace.  From  the  moment  that  the 
Christian  is  enabled  to  look  to  the  Sa- 
viour with  that  undoubting  confidence, 
we  fully  and  firmly  believe  in  his  perfect 
atonement  for  sin — from  the  moment  that 
he  sees  Immanuel  exalted  to  his  mediato- 
rial throne  in  the  heavens,  as  an  advocate 
for  his  people,  and  as  dispensing  those 
blessings  which  he  died  to  purchase — 
from  the  moment  he  feels  the  divine  influ- 
ence come  over  his  soul  with  an  enlighten- 
ing, and  quickening,  and  convincing,  and 
transforming  power — from  that  blessed 
moment  he  is  a  new  creature.  He  sees 
that  the  work  of  his  salvation  is  accom- 
plished independently  of  himself — he  is 
no  longer  under  the  dread  of  death,  or  the 
fear  of  hell,  or  the  pains  and  penalties  of 
the  law — he  is  filled  with  joy  and  peace 
in  believing,  and  he  abounds  in  hope 
through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Instead  of  fretting,  and  murmuring,  and 
repining  under  the  divine  dispensations, 
he  rejoices  in  the  divine  goodness,  and 
he  submits  with  acquiescence  to  all  the 
appointments  of  his  heavenly  Father. 
Instead  of  turning  away  from  the  world 
with  disgust,  as  a  scene  only  of  turmoil, 
and  misery,  and  sin,  and  instead  of  cling- 
ing to  it  unduly  on  the  other  hand  as  his 
only  and  ultimate  portion,  he  regards  it 
as  his  appointed  place  of  probation,  as 
his  appointed  place  of  discipline  and  trial, 
where  his  capacity  is  to  be  cultivated 
and  improved — where  he  is  to  redeem  the 
time — where  he  is  to  receive  grace  to 
prepare  for  a  future  and  eternal  world. 
Like  the  Ethiopian  nobleman,  he  goes  on 
his  way  rejoicing,  even  though  his  mind 
may  occasionally,  as  undoubtedl)'^  it  some- 
times will,  be  overshadowed  with  sorrow 
and  with  doubts,  it  is  only  like  a  passing 
cloud  which  leaves  behind  it  a  purer  at- 
mosphere, a  warmer  sun,  and  a  brighter 
sky  ;  and  he  gathers  a  varied  revenue  of 
enjoyment  from  nature,  from  Providence, 
from  the  words,  and  works,  and  the  ways 
of  God ;  and  he  is  constrained  to  the  dis 


THE  CAUSE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  RELIGIOUS  JOY. 


417 


charge  of  duty,  not  by  a  feeling  of  terror, 
but  from  a  principle  of  love  ;  and  he  is 
enabled  to  look  upon  God,  not  as  a  slave- 
master  driving  with  the  lash,  but  as  an 
affectionate  parent  whom  he  delights  to 
honour  from  a  high  sense  of  obligation, 
and  with  a  happier  spirit  of  alacrity. 

In  the  second  place,  we  may  infer  that 
the  Ethiopian  went  on  his  way  rejoicing, 
on  account  of  his  recent  admission  to  Chris- 
tian privileges.  In  obedience  to  the  di- 
vine appointment,  it  was,  you  know,  the 
practice  of  the  primitive  preachers  of  the 
gospel  to  introduce  new  converts  into  the 
bosom  of  the  church,  by  administering  to 
them  the  ordinance  of  baptism.  That 
Philip  had  already  instructed  this  new 
disciple  respecting  the  nature  and  the 
obligations  of  that  initiatory  sacrament, 
is  evident  from  the  fact,  that  the  proposal 
to  receive  it  originated  with  the  Ethio- 
pian himself — "  Here  is  water,"  said  he, 
"  what  doth  hinder  me  from  being  bap- 
tized]" And  Philip  said,  "If  thou  be- 
lievest  with  all  thine  heart,  thou  mayest." 
And  on  the  Ethiopian  replying,  "I  be- 
lieve that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of 
God," — "  he  commanded  the  chariot  to 
stand  still :  and  they  went  both  down 
into  the  water  together,  both  Philip  and 
the  eunuch,  and  he  baptized  him." 

Now,  my  brethren,  the  administration 
of  this  sacrament  to  the  individual  in 
question,  constituted,  I  doubt  not,  one  of 
the  principal  reasons  of  his  joy,  and  a 
rational  one  too.  Not  that  either  he  or 
his  teachers  would  regard  this  ordinance 
as  essentially  necessary  to  salvation — not 
that  he  attached  to  it  any  mystical,  or 
miraculous,  or  superstitious  virtue — not 
that  he  mistook  the  mere  sign  for  the 
thing  signified — not  that  he  considered 
that  to  be  regeneration  which  was  only 
its  appointed  symbol,  the  rejoicing  of  his 
heart  was  based  upon  more  enlightened 
principles,  and  established  upon  firmer 
ground.  He  rejoiced  in  his  baptism, 
because  it  afforded  him  the  first  opportu- 
nity since  his  conversion  of  conforming  to 
the  express  will  of  his  Redeemer.  He 
rejoiced  in  his  baptism,  because  it  pre- 
sented him  with  a  sacrament  by  which  he 
could  seal  his  adherence  to  the  cause  of 
Christ,  and  by  which  he  could  testify  his 
Vol.  1—53 


resolution  to  serve  him  in  the  face  of  his 
dependants,  in  the  face  of  bis  country- 
men, in  the  face  of  the  world.  He  re- 
joiced in  his  baptism,  in  short,  because  it 
paved  the  way  for  his  admission  into  the 
remaining  privileges  of  Christian  disci- 
pleship,and  because  it  gave  him  a  pledge 
of  those  gracious  influences  of  the  Spirit 
by  which  he  might  make  still  further 
advances  in  knowledge,  and  still  higher 
attainments  in  holiness. 

And  here  I  would  observe,  my  friends, 
with  reference  more  particularly  to  the 
solemn  ordinance  of  the  supper  which  we 
have  in  prospect,  that,  though  in  the  sub- 
sequent ages  of  the  church's  history,  and 
in  the  more  advanced  stage  of  the  Chris- 
tian dispensation,  we,  being  admitted  to 
baptism  in  our  infancy  by  virtue  of  our 
conjunction  with  professing  Christian 
parents,  have  at  that  early  period  of  life 
neither  the  capacity  nor  the  means  of 
making  a  Christian  profession  in  the 
same  way  as  the  Ethiopian  had;  yet  we 
are  not,  on  that  account,  the  less  favoured 
with  equally  appropriate  opportunities  of 
a  similar  kind  ;  for  what  the  ordinance 
of  baptism  was  to  him,  the  sacrament  of 
the  supper  is  to  us.  If,  therefore,  on 
believing  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  he  felt  anx- 
ious to  take  the  first  opportunity  of  tes- 
tifying the  sincerity  of  his  faith  by  con- 
formity to  the  Saviour's  will,  in  the  initi- 
atory ordinance  of  baptism  ;  how  strong 
and  how  irresistible  is  the  reproof,  which 
his  conduct,  in  this  respect,  offers  to  those, 
who,  though  outwardly  professing  it,  and 
even  inwardly  cherishitig  the  same  faith 
with  him,  have  hitherto  neglected  to  give 
a  similar  testimony  in  the  conformatory 
ordinance  of  the  supper. 

To  believe  in  the  Son  of  God  with  full 
purpose  of  heart,  and  yet  to  continue  in. 
the  habitual  neglect  of  those  solemn  and 
edifying  ordinances,  is  in  reality  a  prac- 
tical contradiction  in  terms.  It  is  at  any 
rate  an  evidence  of  a  very  inadequate 
estimate  of  religious  duty,  and  of  a  very 
imperfect  conformity  to  the  divine  will ; 
for  while  it  is  obvious  you  live  in  the 
violation  of  an  express  command,  "  Do 
this  in  remembrance  of  me,"  it  is  at  the 
same  time  a  neglect  of  one  of  the  appoint- 
ed means,  in  the  use  of  which  God  is 


418 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


especially  pleased  to  meet,  to  bless,  and 
to  edify  his  people,  and  which  of  all 
others  is  fitted  in  its  very  nature  and 
design  to  encourage  our  Christian  profes- 
sion, to  revive  our  languishing  graces,  to 
promote  our  personal  holiness,  and  to 
increase  the  divine  light  in  our  hearts  and 
in  our  minds. 

If,  therefore,  any  of  us  be  in  such  a 
condition  as  this,  it  becomes  us  to  pause 
and  ponder  well  the  culpable  incongruity 
of  our  conduct,  and  if,  in  sincerity  of 
heart,  we  do  believe  in  Christ  as  our  only 
hope,  all  our  salvation,  and  all  our  desire 
—if  we  do  feel  that  in  some  humble  mea- 
sure we  put  no  confidence  in  the  flesh, 
but  trust  implicitly  in  his  precious  blood, 
and  in  his  perfect  righteousness,  it  is  at 
once  our  privilege  and  our  duty  to  mani- 
fest our  faith,  and  to  evince  our  gratitude 
by  joyfully  obeying  the  commands  of  the 
Redeemer,  as  this  Ethiopian  nobleman 
did,  in  earnestly  desiring  to  receive  the  or- 
dinance of  baptism — it  is  our  duty  in  like 
manner,  in  the  holy  ordinance  of  the  sup- 
per, to  give  a  public  testimony  that  we 
are  one  with  Christ  in  that  ordinance 
which  he  has  instituted  as  a  festival  for 
his  people's  refreshment,  and  as  a  memo- 
rial of  the  Saviour's  love. 

But  in  the  third  place,  we  may  fairly 
conclude  that  the  Ethiopian  went  on  his 
way  rejoicing,  on  account  of  his  au gmeiHed 
means  of  usrfitlness.  Occupying,  as  he 
did,  a  high  and  responsible  place  in  the 
civil  administration  of  his  country,  as  be- 
ing chamberlain  or  treasurer  to  the  queen, 
it  may  naturally  be  supposed  that  he 
would  be  proportionably  zealous,  not 
merely  for  his  temporal  welfare,  but  also 
for  his  spiritual  improvement.  To  a 
mind  like  his,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the 
idolatry  of  Ethiopia  would  be  considera- 
bly distressing,  not  so  much  as  it  was  a 
proof  of  the  intellectual  degradation  of 
his  countrymen,  as  because  it  afforded  a 
lamertable  evidence  of  their  moral  and 
spiritual  degeneracy.  Even  under  his 
former  profession  as  a  Jew,  before  he  was 
converted  through  the  preaching  of  Phi- 
lip, it  is  highly  probable,  1  think,  that  the 
abolition  of  idolatrous  worship  would  be 
to  him  the  cause  of  many  an  anxious 
thought,  and,  perhaps,  the  object  of  many 


a  benevolent  scheme,  as  it  certainly 
would  be  the  ground  of  many  a  fervent 
prayer.  How  much  more  ardently  would 
those  views  and  designs  be  strengthened 
within  him,  now  he  became  enlightened 
with  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  now  he  be- 
came admitted  into  the  liberty  of  the  sons 
of  God,  now  that  his  heart  wrfs  enlarged 
with  all  the  kindly  sympathies,  and  cha- 
rities, M'hich  the  gospel  of  Christ  never 
fails  to  impart.  Accordingly,  it  is  stated 
in  ecclesiastical  history,  though  it  is 
impossible  to  avouch  for  the  fact  in  the 
most  satisfactory  way,  it  is  recorded  that 
on  his  return  home  into  Ethiopia,  he  was 
the  means,  under  God,  of  planting  a 
Christian  church  ;  and  depend  upon  it, 
my  brethren,  that  the  very  moment  we 
arrive  at  a  clear,  and  full,  and  personal 
appreciation  of  divine  truth,  it  is  like 
good  seed  in  the  soil,  it  must  germinate, 
and  quicken,  and  disseminate  itself 
throughout  all  the  influences  which  we 
have,  in  our  family  circle,  in  our  immedi- 
ate neighbourhood,  and  in  the  society  in 
which  we  live.  It  is  the  very  nature  of 
the  grace  of  the  gospel,  when  it  is  re- 
ceived into  the  heart,  to  extend  its  influ- 
ence to  others — it  is  the  very  nature  of 
the  grace  and  love  of  the  gospel  to  desire 
to  impart  its  influence  to  those  in  whom 
we  feel  an  interest,  or  with  whom  we 
may  come  into  contact ;  and  this  ha 
been  the  case,  not  merely  with  the  Ethi- 
opian alluded  to  in  the  text — but  with 
many  other  Scripture  characters;  look  at 
David,  for  example,  wlien  he  exclaimed, 
"Restore  unto  me  the  joys  of  thy  salva- 
tion, and  uphold  me  with  thy  free  Spi- 
rit ;"  what  did  he  immediately  rejoin, 
as  a  natural  and  necessary  consequence, 
"  then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy 
ways,  and  sinners  shall  be  converted  unto 
thee."  Therefore,  when  we  receive  the 
truth  in  the  love  of  it,  and  in  all  its  prac- 
tical and  purifying  power,  one  of  its  very 
first  eflfects  on  the  soul,  will  be  to  lead  us 
to  take  a  deep,  and  tender,  and  aflfectionate 
interest  in  the  condition  of  our  fellow- 
creatures;  and  therefore,  knowing  this  to 
be  the  case,  is  it  not  clear  to  a  demon- 
stration, when  the  Ethiopian  thus  saw 
his  way  to  usefulness  opened  up,  he  felt 
his  means  of  usefulness  were  extended— 


THE  CAVS7.  AND  CHARACTER  OF  RELIGIOUS  JOY. 


419 


when  his  spiritual  information  was  in- 
creased— when  he  had  ijnparted  that 
liorht  to  others, whicli  he  had  enjoyed  him- 
self, is  it  not  clear  that  this  would  be  one 
of  the  grounds  of  his  rejoicing,  and  that 
he  would  "  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable, 
and  full  of  glory  T' 

That  you,  brethren,  may  go  on  your 
way  rejoicing,  let  it  be  your  constant  and 
anxious  care  to  cultivate  a  holy  nearness 
unto  God,  a  close  living  with  God,  a  firm 
and  unwavering  faith  to  comply  with  the 
will  of  Christ;  to  seek  to  be  crucified 
unto  the  world,  and  to  have  the  world 
crucified  unto  you,  and  never  forget  that 
it  is  sin  alone  and  unbelief  which  can 
wound  the  believer's  conscience,  or  damp 
the  ardour  of  his  joy.  Let  it  be  as  ardent 
in  your  case,  as  it  was  in  the  case  of  the 
Ethiopian — let  the  exercises  of  faith  and 
holiness  produce  a  glad  heart  and  a  cheer- 
ful countenance ;  and  in  order  that  you 
may  exhibit  religion  in  an  amiable  and 
practical  view — in  order  that  you  may 
exhibit  it  for  your  own  comfort,  and  for 
the  encouragement  of  others,  I  would  say, 
in  the  language  of  the  apostle,  "  Rejoice 
in  the  Lord  always  ;  and  again,  I  say, 
rejoice."  Rejoice  if  you  have  been  made 
a  partaker  of  the  grace  of  God — rejoice  in 
that  you  have  been  delivered  from  the 
'earful  pit,  and  from  the  miry  clay — re- 
joice in  the  access  which  is  opened  to 
you  of  daily  communication  between 
earth  and  heaven,  to  a  throne  of  grace, 
through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  in 
the  rent  vail  of  the  Redeemer's  blood — 
rejoice  in  the  privileges  that  are  opened 
up  to  you  as  the  professing  people  of 
God,  admission  to  his  table,  association 
with  his  people,  fellowship  Avith  the 
saints,  and  all  the  high  and  countless  pri- 
vileges of  the  church — rejoice  in  the  pre- 
cious blood  of  Christ,  which  cleanseth 
from  all  sin — rejoice  in  the  agency  and 
work  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  given  to  you 
to  be  your  comforter,  your  enlightener, 
and  your  sanctifier. 


To  you  who  have  neither  received  the 
truth,  in  the  love  of  it,  nor  are  living 
according  to  the  grace  of  the  gospel — to 
you  who  are  contenting  yourselves  with 
a  mere  pharisaical  profession,  a  name  to 
live,  while  in  reality  you  are  dead — to 
you  who  are  acting  the  hypocrite  among 
men,  and  palming  a  cheat  upon  God,  I 
have  no  such  exhortation  to  give;  for 
"  there  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the 
wicked."  In  your  experience  you  must 
already  have  found,  if  you  will  speak  out, 
that  a  life  of  sin  and  a  life  of  joy  are  alto- 
gether incompatible.  Then  I  would  ask, 
why  will  you  persevere  in  that  way; 
that  way,  broad  and  apparently  beautiful 
though  it  be,  which  leadeth  down  to  de- 
struction. Oh,  pause,  I  beseech  you, 
before  you  proceed  another  step  in  unbe- 
lief and  iniquity,  before  you  permit  an- 
other Sabbath  to  pass  without  pausing 
to  consider  of  your  actual  condition  in 
the  sight  of  God,  guilty  and  condemned 
under  his  law,  without  hope  and  without 
faith— pause  and  consider  before  you  pro- 
ceed another  step,  which,  for  any  thing 
you  know,  may  precipitate  your  ruin,  and 
seal  for  ever  your  doom.  The  free  offer 
of  an  unconditional  pardon  is  once  more 
made  unto  you.  Believe,  then,  the  testi- 
mony of  God  concerning  the  only  Saviour, 
Jesus  Christ;  and  if  you  receive  that 
Saviour,  as  he  is  offered  to  you  in  the 
gospel,  as  all  your  portion  and  all  your 
hope — if  you  receive  him  as  having 
wrought  out  an  everlasting  righteousness, 
with  which  he  is  willing  to  clothe  you, 
as  having  made  a  perfect  atonement  for 
sin,  whose  provisions  and  benefits  he  is 
willing  to  impart  to  you,  then,  my  breth- 
ren, you  also  may  take  part  with  the 
Ethiopian  nobleman,  and  instead  of  being 
in  sadness  and  in  sorrow,  you  may  go  on 
your  way  rejoicing;  and  so,  when  you 
come  to  the  end  of  your  journey,  an  en- 
trance shall  be  ministered  unto  you  into 
the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. — Amen. 


SERMON  XLVI. 

EPHRAIM'S    IDOLATRY,    AND   ITS    CONSEQUENCES. 

PREACHED 

BY  THE  REV.  W.  B.  WILLIAMS,  M.A. 

AT     MARBffiUF      CHAPEL,     CHAMPS     ELYSEES,     PARIS. 


"  Epkraim  is  joined  to  his  idols:  let  him  alone." — Hosea  iv.  17. 


"  Art  thou  he  that  troubleth  Israel  ?" 
said  the  fretful  Ahab  to  the  faithful  pro- 
phet, who  had  done  an  act  of  kindness  in 
the  path  of  duty,  when,  in  boldly  reprov- 
ing him  for  his  guilt,  he  likewise  warned 
him  of  his  danger. 

But  thus  it  is  in  every  age,  that  the 
messengers  of  God  have  almost  always 
found  "  hatred  for  their  good-will,"  and 
contempt  and  scorn,  indignity  and  out- 
rage, as  the  return  for  their  benevolent 
endeavours.  Could  they  condescend  to 
flatter,  sought  they  only  how  to  please, 
dare  they  cry,  "  Peace,  peace  !"  to  all 
who  listen  to  their  speech,  and  admit  the 
necessity  of  their  labour ;  no  doubt  but 
the  reception  of  their  message  would  be 
very  different  from  what  it  really  proves  : 
strange,  however,  as  it  may  seem,  and 
while,  in  other  circumstances,  persons 
will  prefer  upright  dealing  to  deception 
of  any  kind,  and  submit  to  temporary 
inconvenience  and  present  suffering,  in 
order  to  their  future  good,  in  spiritual 
concerns  it  is  precisely  the  reverse  ;  here, 
as  the  apostle  predicted,  "  men  will  not 
endure  sound  doctrine;"  in  other  words, 
they  will  bear  with  cold  ethics,  and  "  the 
calm  terms  of  mild  philosophy  ;"  they 
will  not  object  to  legal  teneis,  and  will 
be  content  to  rest  in  lifeless  foims:  but 
for  "  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,"  and  as  it 
intimately  affects  themselves  ;  for  a  reli- 
gion that  shall  probe  their  consciences, 
and  control  their  life,  they  have  no  ear 


nor  heart.  "Let  us  alone,"  say  they; 
or  if  you  preach,  "  Prophecy  unto  us 
smooth  things ;  prophecy  deceits,  (only 
do  not  call  them  so;)  say  nothing  to  us 
as  to  the  state  and  condition  of  our  souls 
that  shall  '  torment  us  before  the  time.'  " 
Nay,  such  is  the  infatuation,  that,  not- 
withstanding the  Scripture  invariably  re- 
presents those  souls  as  morally  defiled, 
incurably  diseased,  yea,  as  spiritually 
dead,  and  drawing  near  to  the  bitter 
pains  of  an  everlasting  death,  (and  them- 
selves acknowledge  all  this  in  their  for- 
mularies of  devotion,  and  not  unfrequently 
feel  this  "  witness  of  death  in  them- 
selves," from  the  aspic  poison  of  the  old 
serpent  preying  on  their  vitals,  and  rank- 
ling in  their  veins,)  they  will  rather  die 
of  their  complaint,  than  have  their  con- 
sciences disturbed  upon  the  subject ! 

And  sometimes  they  have  what  they 
desire :  as  in  the  days  before  the  flood, 
God's  Spirit  does  "  not  always  strive  with 
man  ;"  even  long-suffering  itself  has  been 
exhausted  ;  and  the  despisers  and  mock- 
ers, who  so  much  the  more  presumed 
and  hardened  their  hearts,  because  God 
waited  to  be  gracious,  have  been  either 
suddenly  destroyed,  or  given  over  to  im- 
penitence and  insensibility — a  state,  if 
possible,  yet  more  dreadful  (as  will  be 
shown  presently),  though  its  sorrows 
should  be  more  remote. 

The  precise  period,  or  closing  of  what 
has  been  called  "  the  day  of  grace,"  being 
420 


EPHRAIM'S  IDOLATRY. 


421 


mercifully  concealed  from  man,  its  exist- 
ence can  form  no  rule  or  guide  for  his  pro- 
cedure :  hence  a  Simon  INIagus,  though 
"  in  the  gall  of  bitterness,"  and  under  the 
strongest  of  all  bonds,  is  yet  to  be  ex- 
horted to  "  repent ;"  for,  until  the  night  of 
death  arrives,  we  believe  that  the  great- 
est sins  may  be  forgiven.  Who,  meeting 
even  an  Iscariot  rushing  from  the  judg- 
ment-hall, would  have  said  to  the  traitor, 
"  Now  there  is  no  hope  ■?"  Who  would 
not  rather  have  said,  "VVhile  life  exists,  O 
let  not  hope  expire  !  Wretch  as  thou  art, 
"  a  Saviour  to  the  uttermost"  can  relieve 
in  circumstances  though  atrocious,  and 
horrible,  and  peculiar,  and  unparalleled, 
and  indefensible,  and  degraded,  and  des- 
perate, and  damnable  as  thine  I 

But  whatever  be  the  dismal  cloud,  the 
more  than  midnight  or  Egyptian  dark- 
ness involving  such  sad  scenes,  our  state, 
thanks  be  to  God,  is  not  thus  wretched 
and  forlorn ;  yet  be  it  remembered  that 
every  day  of  vanity  and  dissipation,  of 
trifling  unconcern,  and  "  neglecting  our 
great  salvation,"  is  an  approximation 
towards  it ;  for  it  is  a  "  provoking  Jeho- 
vah to  swear  in  his  wrath  that  we  shall 
not  enter  into  his  rest ;"  and  to  say  to  us 
in  effect,  individually,  what  was  once 
said  nationally,  "  Ephraim  is  joined  to 

IDOLS :    LET    HIM    ALONE." 

There  are  doubtless  many  ways  of 
treating  the  text :  we  might  expound  the 
words,  and  then  deduce  the  doctrines ; 
or  we  might  qualify,  establish,  and  im- 
prove it ;  or  it  might  be  proposed  in  va- 
rious different  lights  for  inference  or  dis- 
cussion: we  confine  ourselves,  however, 
to  two  general  and  leading  particulars,  in 
order  to  a  direct  application  of  the  subject 
to  ourselves  ;  and  in  this  attempt  may  God 
the  Holy  Ghost  succeed  it  by  his  bless- 
ing!    Consider  we. 

First,  The  sin  of  Ephraim;  and,  Se- 
condly,  The  punishment  that  followed. 

I.  The  sin  of  Ephraim  —  "Ephraim 
is  joined  to  idols."  By  "Ephraim," 
in  this  place,  we  are  not  to  understand 
the  single  tribe  so  called,  and  to  which 
Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat,  that  great 
inciter  to  evil,  belonged ;  but  the  whole 
of  the  nation  who  had  revolted  from  Re- 
hoboam,  the  son  of  Solomon :  it  stands, 


therefore,  for  the  ten  seceding  tribes,  and, 
as  is  more  generally  expressed,  for  Israel 
at  large,  the  terms  being  confessedly 
synonymous. 

Now,  whatever  iniquities  were  com- 
mon both  to  the  kingdom  of  Judah  and 
of  Israel,  it  is  certain  that  this  last  was 
most  especially  prone  to  idolatry ;  and 
which,  in  part,  may  be  accounted  for 
from  the  circumstance  of  their  having 
excluded  themselves  from  the  temple  ser- 
vice at  Jerusalem.  To  gratify  them  for 
their  supposed  loss  in  separating  from 
the  house  of  David,  and  fearing  the  con- 
sequence of  their  again  mingling  with 
their  brethren,  their  crafty  leader  set  up 
an  idol  worship  in  their  coasts ;  and  to 
which  association  or  symbolic  adoration 
of  the  creature,  together  with  the  Crea- 
tor, (notwithstanding  their  severe  disci- 
pline in  the  wilderness,)  they  appear  to 
have  been  exceedingly  addicted  —  "  to 
wit,  the  calves  that  were  in  Dan  and 
Bethel  :"  a  repetition  this  of  the  molten 
calf  which  Aaron  made  in  Horeb,  and 
the  remains  of  an  Egyptian  bondage  on 
their  minds,  in  regard  to  the  god  Apis, 
and  a  blind  reverence  to  Osiris  and  Isis, 
the  tutelary  divinities  of  the  land  in 
which  their  ancestors  had  so  long  so- 
journed. 

Though  here,  again,  we  do  not  exactly 
imitate  "  the  children  of  Ephraim"  in  our 
general  disposition  and  desire,  and  per- 
haps stand  directly  opposed  to  them  in 
these  outward  and  leading  particulars, 
let  us  not  from  hence  conclude  that  there 
can  be  no  need  of  our  being  cautioned 
against  their  abominable  sin  ;  nor  vainly 
imagine,  because  all  of  us  assembled  here 
this  day  are  professedly  Christians,  and 
worshippers  of  the  one  true  Jehovah,  and 
have  just  heard  and  avowed  our  belief  in 
and  obedience  to  the  second  command- 
ment, that  we  are  necessarily  divorced 
from  idols,  and  the  haters,  and  enemies, 
and  demolishers  of  all  false  gods :  true, 
if  a  man  place  at  once  "  the  stumbling- 
block  of  iniquity  before  our  face,"  we 
become  offended,  and  are  ready  to  tram- 
ple it  and  him  indignantly  beneath  our 
feet:  if  he  should  raise  an  image  on  a 
public  pedestal  in  any  of  our  squares  or 
plains,  though  the  statue  be  of  gold,  we 
2N 


422 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


are  content  that  it  should  be  overthrown  : 
but  if  deities  like  these,  or  of  any  other 
kind,  will  take  a  different  form,  or  bear 
another  name ;  if  they  will  take  our  level, 
and  first  stoop,  that  they  may  rise,  and 
serve,  that  they  may  henceforth  govern ; 
"  Ephraim,  that  silly  dove,"  falls  into 
the  net  of  the  skilful  fowler,  and  gives 
them  all  they  ask.  Admitted  once  into 
the  human  heart,  that  temple  of  the  Deity, 
how  soon,  "  when  sitting  in  the  place  of 
God,"  are  they  "  worshipped  as  God  !"  j 
Obtaining  the  citadel,  who  ever  dreams 
of  dispossessing  of  his  stronghold  him  i 
who  ever  is  to  us  a  strong  man  armed,  I 
and  who  keeps  his  prisoners  in  what  may 
be  termed  a  state  of  peace,  though  slum- 
bering on  destruction's  brink'?  a  peace 
resulting  from  the  absence  of  thought, 
the  torpor  of  feeling,  and  the  assistance 
received  from  his  auxiliary,  the  world  ; 
and  which  arises  from  the  delusion  of  its 
promises,  the  delirium  of  its  dreams,  the 
intoxication  of  its  pleasures,  and  the  in- 
fatuation of  its  pursuits. 

Without  entering  at  present  into  any 
detail  as  to  these  several  objects  to  the 
sight,  offerings  to  the  sense,  and  opiates 
to  the  mind,  it  may  be  sufficient  to  re- 
mark that,  generally  speaking,  idolatry 
is  represented  in  Scripture  as  being 
two-fold,  it  being  outward  and  inter- 
nal, public  and  retired ;  and  that  it  does 
not  consist  chiefly  in  acts  of  religious  ho- 
mage. Whether  in  open  or  private  devo- 
tion, we  are  sure  that  there  are  idols  in 
the  heart ;  there  may  be  also  idols  in  our 
families,  idols  in  our  houses,  we  had  al- 
most said  idols  in  our  churches ;  all 
which  are  neither  of  wood,  nor  iron,  nor 
brass,  nor  stone;  there  are  found,  too, 
idols  in  our  legitimate  callings,  permit- 
ted relaxations,  and  enjoyed  pursuits.  In 
a  word,  "  loving  and  serving"  tlie  crea- 
ture more  than  the  Creator  is  idolatry, 
■whatever  be  the  object  on  which  that  su- 
premacy is  placed,  and  that  preference  be 
shown.  Hence  covetousness  and  sensu- 
ality (Eph.  V.  5.  Phil.  iii.  19)  are  classed 
under  the  degrading  term  equally  with 
the  genuflection  of  the  body,  or  the  more 
abject  prostration  of  the  superior  faculty 
of  mind. 

It  is,  then,  a  present  and  existing  evil, 


and  will  be  seen  farther  as  a  prevailing,  a 
constitutional,  a  besetting,  and  a  most 
abhorrent  sin.  For,  ah  !  who  hath  never 
yielded  that  love,  fear,  duty,  fidelity,  pre- 
ference, zeal,  and  confidence  to  some- 
thing earthly,  which  heaven  alone  should 
claim  ■?  Shall  we,  dare  we,  prevaricate 
with  Ephraim,  and  say,  respecting  this, 
"  I  am  pure  from  sin  ]" 

"  Ephraim  is  joined  to  iduh  /"  and 
true  it  is  of  many,  whether  called  Israel- 
ites or  Christians,  in  this  and  every  place. 
Far  be  it  from  us  to  contend  for  the  se- 
clusion of  the  hermit,  the  rigours  of  the 
anchorite,  the  superstition  of  the  scribe,  or 
the  formality  of  the  Pharisee.  We  are 
not  at  all  disposed  to  be  cynical  our- 
selves, in  principle  or  practice ;  we  know, 
too,  it  is  forbidden  us  to  be  censorious  as 
to  the  peculiarities  and  failings  of  others; 
and  least  of  all  would  it  become  any 
preacher  of  the  gospel  to  abuse  his  liberty 
of  preaching  it,  by  hurling  the  thunder  of 
his  anathemas  on  the  land  in  which  he  is 
not  a  subject,  but  only  a  stranger  privi- 
leged ;  but  no  supposed,  though  mistaken 
tenderness  to  others  should  render  him 
indifferent  or  treacherous  to  his  trust. 
We  must  be  faithful  to  you,  my  brethren, 
and  to  ourselves,  though  here  ;  and  re- 
member that  we  cannot,  dare  not  sink, 
commute,  transfer,  or  even  lessen,  be- 
cause we  are  here,  one  particle  due  to  our 
heavenly  King,  any  more  than  that  we 
owe  to  our  earthly  sovereign.  Reside 
we  where  we  may,  we  are  not  less  Bri- 
tish. Why  then,  or  how,  can  we  be  less 
Christian  ?  "  We  cannot  go  where  God 
is  not;"  and  whoever  reigns,  "we  have 
another  king,  one  .Tesus."  Suffer  me, 
then,  my  fellow-christians,  and  my  fel- 
low-subjects, to  ask  of  you  this  day, 
"  Who  is  on  the  Lord's  side,  who  ?'* 
Whose  harness  have  you  girded  on,  and 
whom  is  it  you  serve  1  Can  any  thing 
be  more  palpable  (we  repeat  it)  than  that 
"  the  multitude  follow  evil,"  or  any  thing 
more  plain  than  that  we  are  forbidden  so 
to  do  ?  In  proof,  what  are  the  societies 
in  which  our  countrymen,  (answering  in 
the  text  to  Ephraim,)  yea,  so  many  of 
them  are  enrolled'?  Who  are  the  per- 
sons with  whom  they  more  intimately 
associate,  and  where  are  the  places  in 


EPHRAIM'S  IDOLATRY. 


423 


which  they  feel  themselves  most  delight- 
ed and  at  homel  We  speak  not  now  of 
any  spot  distingnished  from  the  rest :  it 
does  not  become  us  to  select  "  Chorazin, 
Bethsaida,  or  Capernaum  ;"  but  we  might 
say  of  these,  and  we  may  assert  of  every 
metropolis  especially,  be  its  meridian  that 
of  Judea,  or  London,  or  Paris,  or  Rome, 
what  a  prelate  of  our  own  church  (Bishop 
Watson)  observed,  (and  the  thunders  of 
a  Bossuet,  and  the  tears  of  a  Fenelon, 
would  liave  attended  him,)  that  "every 
such  great  city  is  the  hot-bed  of  vice, 
and  the  sepulchre  of  virtue  ;  the  grave  of 
the  noblest  feelings,  civil,  moral,  and  re- 
ligious." 

And  who,  standing  on  some  eminence, 
and  but  noticing  the  heat  and  turmoil  of 
the  day,  and  not  least  on  this  most  holy 
day,  ordained  to  be  the  Christian's  rest ; 
whose  spirit  but  mnst  be  "  stirred  up," 
as  was  St.  Paul's  at  Athens,  at  seeing 
places  so  populous,  so  elegant,  so  exalt- 
ed, so  renowned,  and  sometimes  so  high- 
ly favoured  too,  almost  "  wholly  given  to 
idolatry  !"  And  equally,  perhaps,  in  the 
sight  of  the  omniscient  Being  with  those 
who  erected  an  altar  to  the  unknown  God, 
or  to  Israel  of  old,  when  they  "joined 
themselves  to  Baal  Peor,  and  ate  the 
meat-offerings  of  the  dead  !" 

^'■Ephraim  is  joined  to  tdnls ,-"  and  it  is 
both  a  natural  and  captivating  sin  ;  we 
mean  by  it  one  which  falls  in  so  easily 
with  our  inbred  and  corrupt  propensities 
— "  the  evil  heart  of  unbelief,  and  that  so 
readily  departeth  from  the  living  God." 
Evidences  of  what  this  abomination  that 
maketh  desolate  really  is,  have  been  al- 
ready given  ;  we  only  add,  ourselves  will 
afford  further  proof  of  the  witchcraft  and 
stubbornness  of  idolatry,  whenever  we 
become  at  all  unchristianized,  and  un- 
christianized  we  are  if,  forgetting  our 
baptismal  vow  to  "  renounce  the  devil 
and  all  his  works,  the  pomps  and  vani- 
ties of  this  wicked  wo  Id,  and  all  the  sin- 
ful lusts  of  the  flesh,"  either  here  or  in 
any  other  place,  we  live  not  according  to 
the  gospel,  but  forsake  the  God  of  our 
fathers,  and  the  sanctuary  of  our  God. 
In  fact,  by  so  doing,  men  are  already  pre- 
pared for  every  evil  work  ;  nor  can  it,  we 
think,  be  a  question  but  that  the  gross- 


est idolatry  which  either  distinguished 
Greece,  or  disgraced  Rome,  would  be 
more  acceptable  to  thousands  than  the 
pure  and  self-denying  doctrines  of  the 
gospel.  For  though  we  find  no  employ- 
ment for  Demetrius  and  his  craftsmen  to 
polish  the  "  silver  shrines  of  the  goddess 
Diana,"  have  we  no  agents  to  whom  this 
kind  of  traffic  may  refer  1  What,  though 
no  fanes  arise  to  Jupiter  Olympus,  nor 
do  any  seek  shelter  beneath  the  aegis  of 
Minerva;  yet  if  we  find  men  saying  "  to 
the  work  of  their  hands,  ye  are  our 
gods;"  if  we  see  them  turning  with  dis- 
gust from  the  Scriptural  embassage  of 
peace,  and  scarcely  troubling  themselves 
to  frame  an  excuse  from  attending  "  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb ;"  if  they 
will  openly  profess  they  discern  no  beau- 
ty in  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  and  disco- 
ver no  melody  in  the  praises  of  Zion ;  if 
there  be  contempt  poured  on  all  Chris- 
tian mysteries,  and  they  who  so  strive  oi 
serve  are  considered  as  hypocrites,  or  bi- 
gots, or  fanatics,  or  fools,  then  can  wo 
doubt  that  those  very  men  who  now  drink 
in  the  very  spirit,  adopt  the  very  terms, 
and  pursue  the  very  vices  by  which  pa- 
ganism was  distinguished,  would  be 
among  the  first  to  agonize  for  the  garland 
in  the  Isthmian  games,  to  seek  advice 
from  the  Pythian  oracle,  to  water  anew  the 
laurels  of  the  god  of  war,  and  to  listen 
entranced  to  the  lyre  of  Apollo? 

"  Ephraim  is  joined  to  idols  ,•"  and  this 
is  itself  a  besetting  sin,  especially  in  a 
strange  and  foreign  land.  In  ancient 
times  we  read  that  the  "sons  of  God" 
were  ensnared  by  "  the  daughters  of  the 
land"  through  which  they  passed ;  as,  in 
after-date,  many  were  "  beguiled  by  those 
enchantresses  of  Midian  ;"  and  is  there  not 
reason  to  fear  that  there  are  those  (pro- 
fessed Christians  too)  who  in  like  man- 
ner "have  made  shipwreck  of  faith," 
and  yielded  here  to  those  temptations 
which  heretofore  they  had  the  fortitude 
to  resist  1  Not  so  much  that  the  tempta- 
tions were  really  greater,  but  because 
the  restraints  were  fewer,  and  former 
assistances  were  distant  and  removed. 
And,  ah!  (to  the  younger  part  of  my  au- 
ditory I  more  directly  address  myself) 
if  any  of  you  should  here  throw  up  the 


424 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


reins  on  the  neck  of  your  impetuous  de- 
sires, how  bitter  will  be  the  regret,  even 
should  any  discipline  hereafter  reclaim 
you  !  But  the  more  usual  result  is,  that 
tlie  bank  being  broken  down,  the  inunda- 
tion follows,  and  that  you  will  proceed 
"  adding  iniquity  to  sin !"  Thus,  if 
Ephraim  be  joined  to  idols,  after  their 
idols  they  will  go.  So  that  neither  mer- 
cies vouchsafed,  nor  blessings  manifold, 
nor  vengeance  threatened,  nor  visitations 
dire,  nor  heights  of  exaltation,  nor  low- 
est depths  of  wo,  have  ever  aroused  them 
from  their  fatal  slumber,  dissolved  the 
enchantment  on  their  senses,  or  burst  the 
fetters  on  their  mind !  Rather  have  not 
such  shut  to  the  door  of  their  prison-house 
(or,  as  a  late  high-priest  of  fashion  more 
elegantly  rendered  it,*  "  have  drawn  up 
the  blinds  of  their  carriage,  and  deter- 
mined to  sleep  the  remainder  of  the  jour- 
ney") the  better  to  shroud  themselves 
in  darkness,  and  shield  themselves  from 
interruptions'?  or,  having  "eaten  and 
drank,  and  rose  up  to  play,"  have  they 
not  taken  "the  sackbut  and  psaltery,  and 
sackbut  and  flute,"  and  issued  forth  with 
modern  arts  or  "  antique  pomp  and  pa- 
geantry," that,  as  "at  Tophet  of  old," 
the  melody  of  the  strains  may  overpower 
the  cries  of  the  expiring  victim,  and  the 
splendour  of  the  drapery  may  conceal  the 
deformity  of  the  image. 

"  Ephraim  is  joined  to  idols  ,•"  and  it  is 
a  most  horrible  and  destructive  sin  !  All 
sin,  indeed,  is  abhorrent  and  dangerous ; 
but  this  has  of  all  others  the  heaviest 
sentence,  as  it  has  the  least  excuse;  so 
that  the  inflictions  upon  Ephraim  for  this 
one  thing  form  a  continued  commentarj'^ 
of  this  truth.  For  this  the  divine  arrows 
have  so  often  been  sent  abroad  ;  for  this 
the  firm  earth  hath  been  shaken  to  its 
centre,  hath  opened  her  mouth,  and  such 
numbers  of  its  inhabitants  have  gone 
down  quick  into  hell,  wickedness  being 
among  them;  for  this  "the  floods  have 
lift  up  their  voice,  the  floods  have  lift  up 
their  waves,"  and  overwhelmed  those  who 
thought  they  stood  beyond  its  highest 
mark ;  for  this  "  the  pestilence  hath  often 
walked  in  darkness,"  and  hand  in  hand 

*  Lord  Chesterfield.  Vide  his  Letters,  ad 
finem- 


with  "  the  sickness  that  destroyeth  at 
noonday,"  gorging  even  the  voracity  of 
death,  and  more  than  peopling  "the 
house  appointed  for  all  living;"  and  for 
this  war  hath  also  depopulated  their 
crowded  cities,  and  desolated  the  once 
fertile  plains,  while  pale  famine,  in  its 
rear,  hath  exterminated  the  small  residue 
of  what  "  these  locusts  had  spared." 
All  these  things  happened  unto  them  be- 
cause He  was  wroth ;  and  they  were,  as 
the  psalmist  expresses  it,  "  the  blasting 
of  the  breath  of  his  hot  displeasure." 

And  when  these  "  woes  are  past,"  say 
ye  with  the  uplifted  trumpets,  and  the 
full-charged  vials  of  the  Almighty's 
wrath,  (Rev.  viii.  2  ;  xvi.  1,)  is  there  yet 
"  another  wo  to  come  ?"  Supposing  all 
your  visitations  over ;  is  it  possible  for 
us  to  conceive  any  thing  to  exceed  the 
visible  and  felt  judgments  of  an  almighty 
God  ■?  Yes  !  there  is,  as  to  its  ultimate 
effect,  a  "sorer  punishment  for  sin,"  a 
sadder  proof  of  righteous  indignation,  and 
something  more,  perhaps,  to  be  depre- 
cated than  the  heaviest  inflictions  of  his 
hand.  And  what  is  that  ?  It  is  the  clos- 
ing of  his  heart,  the  saying,  "  Do  not 
strike,  alarm,  or  threaten;  chastise  him 
not ;  give  him  not  over  into  the  will  of 
his  enemies  ;  but  give  him  up  (which  is 
worse)  give  him  up  to  his  own  heart's 
lusts,  and  to  follow  his  own  desires  ;" 
give  him  up  to  himself.  ^^  Ephrai/n  is 
joined  to  idols:  let  him  alone  !" 

We  shall  notice, 

II.  The  JUDGMENT  upon  Ephraim,  or 
the  PUNISHMENT  of  hts  crime. 

In  its  primary  signification,  the  text  is, 
perhaps,  to  be  understood  as  an  admoni- 
tion to  Judah  not  to  hold  any  familiar 
intercourse  with  idolatrous  and  backslid- 
ing Israel,  similar  to  the  injunction  of 
our  Lord  to  his  disciples,  respecting  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees  in  his  day — "  Let 
them  alone;  they  be  blind  leaders  of  the 
blind,"  &c. 

But  it  is  of  most  importance  to  con- 
sider the  words  (what,  in  fact,  they 
eventually  proved  to  be)  as  a  sentence  of 
dereliction,  and  which  still  hangs  over 
this  once  highly  favoured  nation.  God 
hath  left  them  alone,  and  with  an  hitherto 
impenetrable  "  veil  upon  their  hearts," 


EPHRAIM'S  IDOLATRY 


425 


for  a  long  night,  now  approaching  to 
near  two  thousand  years.  As  a  people 
they  have  "  dwelt  alone,  and  not  been 
numbered  among  the  nations :"  tribes  of 
"  the  wandering  foot  and  weary  breast," 
ye  have  no  country,  no  place  to  call  your 
home  !  Yet,  O  Israel,  though  "  thy  house 
be  left  unto  thee  desolate,"  gross  as  is 
thy  ignorance,  inveterate  as  is  thy  pre- 
judice, incurable  as  seems  thy  blindness, 
stubborn  as  is  thy  pride,  and  invincible 
thine  unbelief,  yet  thou,  even  thou,  "wilt 
not  be  left  alone  for  ever  :"  there  is  hope 
in  thy  latter  end,  and  great  shall  be  the 
peace,  and  high  will  be  the  privilege  of 
all  thy  children  ! 

To  ourselves,  however,  as  we  are  show- 
ing, the  subject  has  an  aspect,  and  the 
threatening  has  a  voice  no  less  than  to 
the  Jews.  For,  notwithstanding,  and 
considered  as  a  nation,  so  far  from  leaving 
us  alone,  it  cannot  be  forbidden  us  to 
think  or  say,  God  hath  not  dealt  so  with 
any  other  nation  ;  sometimes  indeed,  dis- 
ciplining us  by  afflictions,  but  far  more 
generally  following  us  with  mercies,  and 
"  drawing  us  by  the  cords  of  love."  Yet 
from  these  very  circumstances,  if  we 
feel  inclined  to  strengthen  ourselves  in  a 
false  security,  we  shall  but  bring  upon 
ourselves  increased  punishment,  as  the 
added  culture  of  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord 
of  hosts  appears  to  be  the  assigned  cause 
why  "its  hedge  also  should  be  broken 
down,"  and  why  "  the  clouds"  from 
above  were  forbidden  to  communicate 
their  invigorating  influences.  (Isaiah  v. 
3—6.) 

Let  him  alone  !  The  phrase  is  evi- 
dently elliptical,  and  leaves  something  to 
be  supplied.  It  is  addressed  to  some  one 
or  more,  but  to  whom  expressly  is  not 
said.  It  is  spoken  to  intelligences  we  do 
not  see,  and  it  is  heard  and  attended  to, 
probably,  by  those  of  whom  we  have  no 
knowledge — invisible  agencies  and  un- 
earthly forms !  Suppose  we  stand  amidst 
the  hallowed  circle  and  obedient  hosts,  and 
notice  only  such  as  we  either  know  or 
have  been  instructed  to  consider  or  perso- 
nify as  the  instruments  of  the  Almighty's 
purpose,  hearkening  to  the  word,  and 
accomplishing  all  his  will  and  pleasure  1 
Suppose  it  said, 

Vol.  I.— 54 


Angels !  let  him  alone.  Stand  no 
longer  "  in  the  path  of  this  son  of  Bozor, 
who  so  loveth  the  wages  of  unrighteous- 
ness." Let  not  his  foot  be  crushed 
against  the  wall,  but  let  him  reap  the 
harvest  that  he  soweth.  Let  him  pro 
ceed  "  as  the  ox  to  the  slaughter,"  and  as 
the  fool  to  the  correction  of  the  stocks ; 
let  his  way  be  dark  and  slippery,  and  let 
his  steps  take  hold  on  hell. 

And  thus  those  sacred  watchers  heard, 
and  answered,  and  obeyed,  who  had 
hitherto  attended  in  the  temple  at  .Jeru- 
salem. The  historian  of  the  Jews  relates, 
that  a  little  before  its  final  overthrow  by 
Titus,  and  while  the  priests  were  minis- 
tering, who  "  by  night  stood  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord,"  that  at  that  solemn  mid- 
night hour,  strange  voices  were  heard 
within  the  holiest  place,  when  no  forms 
were  seen,  and  where  no  human  agency 
might  enter.  And  that  they  said,  "  Let 
us  go  hence  !"  intimating  that  now  their 
angelic  guard  was  fled,  and  "  Ichabod, 
their  glory,  was  departed." 

Providences !  let  him  alone.  Adverse 
and  afflictive  as  ye  are  esteemed  when 
often  "kind  heralds  sent  in  love,"  ye 
shall  no  longer  call  him  "  in  the  day  of 
adversity  to  consider."  Break  not  upon 
the  slumber  of  his  soul ;  let  him  no  more 
be  scared  by  visions,  nor  disquieted  by 
dreams;  let  no  terrors  make  him  afraid, 
nor  corrections  make  him  humble,  nor 
disappointments  keep  him  safe.  Let  him 
alone  to  pull  down  his  barns  and  build 
greater,  and  interrupt  him  not  in  the  re- 
quiem he  is  singing  to  his  soul.  Let  him 
alone  to  "  prosper  upon  the  earth,  and 
gain  riches  in  possession."  Let  him 
alone  to  riot  by  day  in  the  palaces  of 
luxury,  and  repose  at  night  in  the  pavilion 
of  magnificence.  Let  him  alone  to  "  crown 
himself  with  rose-buds,  and  chant  to  the 
sound  of  the  viol,  and  boast  himself,  that 
to-morrow  shall  be  as  this  day,  and  yet 
more  abundant." 

Ministers  of  the  sanctuary!  let  him 
alone.  "  Moses  and  Aaron  among  his 
priests,  and  Samuel  among  his  prophets." 
And  to  you  it  hath  been  so  spoken — 
"  Pharaoh's  heart  is  hardened  ;"  there- 
fore ye  may  say  to  him  at  your  last  inter- 
view, "  Thou  hast  well  (or  truly)  said ; 
2n3 


426 


TriE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


for  I  will  see  thy  face  no  more."  And 
again,  "  How  long  wilt  thou  mourn  for 
Saul,  seeing  I  have  rejected  him  from  be- 
ing king  of  Israel  1  And  Samuel  came 
no  more  to  see  Saul  until  the  day  of  his 
deatli !" 

And  though  with  the  prophet,  they 
cannotcease  to  mourn  for  "the  ungodly," 
and  (not  having  received  an  injunction  so 
particular  and  express)  we  must  continue 
to  warn  the  unruly,  to  reprove  the  disobe- 
dient, to  resist  the  gainsaying,  no  less 
than  to  invite  the  unworthy,  and  entreat 
even  the  rebellious  ;  yet  if  the  holy  and 
blessed  Spirit  of  God  shall  cease  to  strive 
with  man  through  these  appointed  means  ; 
if  God  himself  deny  his  aid,  though  the 
arrows  of  conviction  should  still  continue 
to  be  discharged  in  a  rich  profusion,  and 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit  be  wielded,  and 
we  should  still  cry,  the  sword  of  the 
Lord  and  Gideon,  these  weapons  will  not 
enter  between  the  joints  of  the  harness, 
nor  penetrate  the  shield  of  the  mighty ! 
The  trumpet  of  our  jubilee  may  not  cease 
to  sound,  but  the  captive  will  not  be 
awakened  from  his  slumber,  nor  leap  to 
lose  his  chains  !  The  alarm  in  Zion  may 
still  be  heard,  and  the  wind  that  shall 
shake  the  mountains,  and  the  fire  that 
can  rend  the  rocks,  may  attend  it;  but  if 
the  Lord  be  not  in  these,  oh,  Avho  shall 
make  the  sinner  tremble;  what  shall 
bring  him  from  his  cave,  and  "  covered 
with  his  own  confusion,"  as  with  a  man- 
tle ! 

Especially,  when,  under  circumstances 
like  these,  we  suppose  the  interdiction  to 
be  addressed  to  what  is  put  within  the 
man  as  well  as  what  stands  without  the 
citadel ;  for  we  conceive  it  spoken,  too, 
to  what  has  been  aptly  termed  God's 
vicegerent  in  the  breast.  It  has  been 
said, 

Conscience!  let  him  alone.  And  the 
deputy  hath  heard,  and  answered,  and 
acquiesced.  It  hath  retired  from  its 
post,  it  hath  demolished  its  reverberating 
echo,  it  hath  lost  its  former  voice.  Thus 
Felix  found  conscience  let  him  alone ;  for 
often  as  he  heard,  it  should  seem  that  he 
trembled  only  once. 

Or,  like  another  deputy,  henceforth  it 
is  "  a  Gailio,  caring  for  none  of  -these 


things."  Even  for  a  season  we  find,  that 
the  heart  of  David,  lately  so  tender,  trou- 
bled and  smote  him  when  he  offered  the 
least  indignity  to  the  worthless  Saul, 
only  because  he  had  been  the  Lord's 
anointed,  now,  "  let  him  alone"  for  many 
months  under  those  complicated  crimes, 
the  remembrance  of  which  so  embittered 
the  remainder  of  his  days. 

Many  other  characters  or  agencies 
might  be  introduced,  had  not  our  time 
been  already  much  exceeded  ;  such  as  af- 
fectionate friends,  pious  relatives,  honour- 
able feelings,  &c.  We  only  add,  and  it 
may  include  the  means  of  grace. 

Ordinances.'  let  him  alone.  Ye  moun- 
tains of  Zion,  and  whither  the  tribes  go 
up  to  worship,  and  thou  little  hill  Her- 
mon  or  Mizar  among  the  rest,  be  ye 
henceforth  to  this  hypocrite  in  heart  as 
the  mountains  of  Gilboa,  on  which  there 
shall  be  no  dew.  Or  when  it  shall  copi- 
ously descend  on  others,  let  it  be  to  him  as 
what  Gideon  saw,  that  his  fleece  continues 
dry !  Let  the  fruitful  land  become  a 
wilderness,  and  to  him  let  the  well  of  sal- 
vation be  without  water,  and  the  cloud 
that  returns  have  neither  refreshment  nor 
rain  !  Need  we  seek  for  instances  to 
illustrate  this  ?  We  refer,  once  for  all, 
and  beyond  all  this,  to  the  head-astound- 
ing and  heart-appalling  malediction  on  the 
sacrifices  of  Doeg  and  of  Judas — "  And 
let  his  prayer  be  turned  into  sin."  Ps. 
cix.  7. 

And  now,  my  Christian  brethren,  with- 
out enlarging  further,  you  cannot,  me- 
thinks,  but  come  to  this  conclusion,  that, 
what  some  seem  to  have  been  labouring  for 
all  their  lives,  and  others  venture  only  to 
desire  (for  it  is  the  secret  wish  of  many  a 
heart)  is,  that  in  some  way  or  other,  they 
could  sin  decently  and  yet  with  more  impu- 
nity ;  proceed  to  greater  lengths,  with  fee- 
bler checks  and  fewer  fears  ;  that,  instead 
of  this  being  a  consummation  devoutly  to 
be  wished,  we  have  proved  it  to  be  the 
most  dreadful  calamity  that  could  possi- 
bly befall  them  ;  and,  to  adopt  the  strik- 
ing words  of  a  modern  author,  it  may 
eventually  be  "  worse  than  instant  death 
and  an  immediate  hell,  because  the  longer 
life,  the  longer  sin;  and  the  longer 
course  of  sin,  the  heavier  curse !"     And 


EPHRAIM'S  IDOLATRY. 


427 


this  witness  is  true,  for  it  is  the  award 
of  the  heapcd-up  wrath  against  the  day 
of  wrath,  and  the  curse  upon  the  Aniorite, 
whose  iniquity  is  full. 

On  the  one  hand,  then,  let  none  rejoice, 
in  consequence  of  any  truce  with  their 
afflictions,  any  victory  over  their  fears, 
or  any  exemption  from  their  former  ap- 
prehensions, unless  it  arise  from  truly 
scriptural  grounds.     And, 

On  the  other,  let  none  despair,  because 
they  are  so  troubled  and  perplexed  ;  or 
that  since  Jehovah  seems  to  have  a  con- 
troversy with  them,  that  therefore  he  must 
hate  them.  O,  no ;  the  convictions  of 
sin,  when  under  the  influences  of  his  most 
holy  and  gracious  Spirit,  are  preparatory 
to  sweetest  consolations  from  the  same. 
Despair  of  salvation  by  any  other  way 
than  through  the  atoning  blood  and  jus- 
tifying righteousness  of  our  God  and 
Saviour,  is  the  day-spring  from  on  high 
visiting  us,  and  which  always  dawns  on 
the  darkest  hour  of  our  former  night !  O, 
if  we  are  but  chastened,  surely  it  is  that 
we  should  not  be  condemned  with  the 
world.  "  Correct  me,  then,  O  Lord,  but 
not  in  thine  anger;  rebuke  me,  but  not 
in  thy  hot  displeasure."  Psalm  vi.  3. 
Say  any  thing  of  or  to  thy  servant,  rather 
than  let  him  alone. 

Therefore,  and  to  conclude,  that  our 
meditations  may  not  sit  beneath  a  cloud  ; 
while  we  congratulate  real  Christians  on 
the  happy  choice  they  have  made,  and 
exhort  all  to  walk  worthy  of  the  high  and 
holy  prefession  into  which  they  have 
been  called,  we  will  not  renounce  all  hope 
even  as  to  this  Ephraim,  no,  not  wliere 
otherwise  his  state  might  seem  most 
dangerous.  So  far  from  it,  that  were  the 
reference  made  (which  it  is  not  intended 
that  it  should  be  made)  to  ourselves  only, 
as  British  subjects,  and  members  of  that 
pure  and  apostolical  part  of  Christ's 
church  established  in  the  British  realm,  I 
bless  God  for  the  very  different  and  cheer- 
ing prospect  this  day  seen,  and  in  this  very 
place,  from  what  myself  witnessed,  above 
three-and-thirty  years  ago !  We  are 
warranted  to  hope  that  already  at  least  a 
sheaf  or  two  are  suffered  to  intimate,  that 
one  day,  even  these  fields  (the  Champs 
Elysees)  will  be  white  unto  a  future  and 


a  glorious  harvest.  Already  are  several 
excellent  men  of  different  denominations 
labouring  in  the  word  and  in  doctrine, 
and  through  the  good  providence  of  our 
God,  and  his  putting  it  into  the  heart  of 
"  a  brother,  whose  praise  is  in  all  the 
churches,"  for  "  devising  liberal  things" 
(the  Rev.  Lewis  Way,)  you,  my  re- 
spected hearers,  are  here  supplied  by  the 
regularly  and  episcopally-ordained  min- 
isters of  your  own  establishment,  and 
may  and  do  "sing  the  Lord's  song," 
though  in  a  strange  land.  O  neglect  not 
such  advantages ;  turn  not  away  from 
such  a  service  ;  "  forsake  not  the  assem- 
bling of  yourselves  together,  as  the  man- 
ner of  some  is."  Let  it  not  be  said  that 
you  have  left  your  religion  (if  you  had  a 
religion  to  leave)  on  the  other  side  the 
channel.  The  land  of  your  fathers  you 
cannot  forget;  you  are  no  doubt  pleased 
with  the  recollection  this  day  of  "the 
sound  of  her  church-going  bell,"  her  in- 
fant schools,  her  villages  spires,  and  her 
rustic  minstrelsy,  as  well  as  of  her  clois- 
ters pale,  her  lofty  temples,  and  her  full- 
voiced  choir;  but,  and  above  all,  rejoice 
in  her  religious  privileges,  as  a  land  of 
Bibles,  and  for  her  so  signally  possessing 
that  treasure,  even  the  glorious  gospel, 
which  alone  ennobles  what  is  mean,  and 
consecrates  what  is  exalted.  Show, 
then,  that  you  remember  them  still ! 
Say,  with  the  devout  psalmist,  "  If  I  for- 
get thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand 
forget  her  cunning  :  if  I  do  not  remember 
thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of 
my  mouth ;  yea,  if  I  prefer  not  Jerusa- 
lem above  my  chief  joy."  Ps.  cxxxvii. 
5,  6. 

Here  we  thought  to  end.  But  where 
have  we  left  Ephraim  1  We  must  tres- 
pass yet  a  very  little  longer,  and  however 
otherwise,  as  much  against  our  will,  as 
it  can  be  against  any  of  your  wishes  :  for 
concerning  this  very  Ephraim,  we  will 
not  despair,  but  rather  hope  that,  "  at 
evening  time  it  may  be  light  to  him  !" 
For  we  know  that  he  who  spake  from 
Sinai,  ever  speaks  to  us  from  Calvary ; 
that  he  long  "whets  his  glittering  sword," 
before  he  gives  it  leave  to  smite ;  as  his 
distant  thunders  threaten,  that  his  nearer 
,  lightnings  may  not  harm. 


428 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


If  one  of  these  children  of  Ephraim  be 
here  present,  though  "  grey  hairs  be  upon 
him,"  and  he  is  thus  old  in  sin,  it  is  a 
proof,  we  trust,  that  even  he  is  not  left  to 
himself,  or  to  reap  the  wages  of  his  work  ! 
God  forbid  that  he  should !  And  to  this 
end  may  he  especially  bless  this  final 
application  of  the  subject,  by  permitting 
and  sanctioning  the  transferring  or  inver- 
sion of  its  terms ! 

Go  yet  again,  (we  think  we  hear  him 
say,)  and  proclaim  my  words — "  O  Israel, 
thou  hast  destroyed  thyself,  but  in  me  is 
thy  help  found" — "  how  shall  I  give  thee 
up,  Ephraim  1  how  shall  I  deliver  thee, 
Israel  1  How  shall  I  make  thee  as 
Admah  1  how  shall  I  set  thee  as  Zeboim  ? 
My  heart  is  turned  within  me,  my  repent- 
ings  are  kindled  together  !" 

Go  yet  again,  (he  seems  to  saj'  to  all 
his  hosts,)  clad  with  new  zeal,  and  armed 
with  fresh  power  !  Let  my  Spirit  strive, 
my  servants  plead,  my  ministers  attend, 
my  dispensations  teach,  and  my  appoint- 
ments strengthen  !  Therefore,  "  go  yet 
again." 

Ye  angels !  who  excel  in  strength,  go 
return  to  your  encampments,  as  Maha- 
naim,  or  God's  host,  and  "having  minis- 
tered, still  do  minister."  Ye  who  so 
exult  over  the  returning  prodigal,  ye  shall 
rejoice  over  the  repentant  Ephraim. 
Again  shall  Gabriel  sing,  and  Ilaphael 
strike  his  golden  harp  ! 

Earth,  earth,  earth  !  hear  ye  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  in  all  my  providences,  which. 


like  "  seed-time  and  harvest,  shall  not 
fail,"  but  continually  teach  mankind. 
The  voice  of  judgments  shall  sound 
abroad,  and  the  lessons  from  my  merciea 
will  be  obeyed. 

Preachers  of  my  loord !  "  Watchmen 
on  the  walls,  give  me  no  rest  until  I  esta- 
blish Jerusalem,"  and  restore  again  the 
outcasts  of  Israel !  resume  your  stations, 
plead  and  weep  between  the  porch  and 
altar.  Intermit  not  your  labours,  neither 
be  weary  of  your  work.  "  Go  yet  again, 
and  preach  the  preaching  that  I  bid  you." 
Erect  the  glorious  standard,  unfurl  the 
bloodstained  banner,  bear  aloft  the  con- 
secrated sign.  Set  the  trumpet  to  your 
lips,  proclaim  the  gladly  solemn  sound ! 
Seals  shall  be  given  to  your  ministry, 
and  souls  awarded  for  your  hire! 

And  thou,  Omscience  !  Be  thou  "  sprink- 
led with  atoning  blood,"  to  keep  thee 
pure ;  active  in  thy  office,  and  faithful  to 
thy  trust ;  preserved  from  evil,  and  pre- 
pared for  bliss  !  While  to  the  worship- 
pers in  Zion  it  is  also  said, — "  I  have  not 
forsaken  the  place  where  mine  honour 
dwelleth :  go  up  to  Bethel,  that  I  may 
meet  and  bless  thee  there.  Let  not  the 
fire  upon  mine  altar  be  extinguished,  nor 
the  symbols  of  my  presence  be  any  more 
withdrawn  ;  but  let  refreshing  from  the 
same  be  vouchsafed,  and  the  inscription 
read  on  this  and  every  sanctuary  erected 
to  the  glory  of  my  name — Jehovah 
Shammah  !  the  Lord  thy  God  is  there." — 
"To  whom,"  &c.   Amen. 


CONTRASTS. 


There  was  strange  pomp  and  revelry 

In  the  chieftain's  splendid  hall : — 
Sweet  song — gay  dance — and  minstrelsy 

At  the  gorgeous  festival. 
Pride  kindled  in  the  noble's  eye, — 

"  What  power  shall  dare  endeavour 
To  mar  our  bliss — guests,  pledge  we  high, 

Our  pleasures  live — for  ever!" 
There  was  gloom,  and  \yant,  and  suffering 

In  the  peasant's  lowly  cot, 
Hard  fare,  keen  pain,  and  sorrow's  sting, 

Were  the  inmate's  daily  lot. 
Faith  cheered  the  peasant's  humble  breast, — 

"  Poor  though  I  be — whenever 
I  think  of  yonder  heavenly  rest, 

I  feel  I'm  blest  for  ever!" 


I  saw  the  lake  of  quenchless  fires, 

And  souls  on  its  billow  tost, — 
Despair — remorse  which  ne'er  expires, 

The  worm  of  the  deathless  lost. 
Grief  fdled  my  bursting  heart, — I  cried, 

"  Shall  this  distress  end  never?" — 
The  shrieks  of  millions  loud  replied, 

"These  pangs  endure — for  ever  I" 
I  saw  the  countless,  happy  throng 

In  the  blissful  regions  high  ; — 
White  robe.s — gold  crowns — and  lofty  song 

With  tlieir  harps  in  harmony. 
Hope  brightened  at  that  dazzling  sight — 

"  Shall  aught  from  heaven  sever  ?" 
And  myriads  sung — "  Our  peace,  joy,  light 

And  glory,  last  for  ever." 


SERMON  XLVII. 

THE    INQUIRING    LAWYER. 
BY   THE    LATE    REV.  ADAM   CLARKE,  LL.D. 


"  And,  behold,  a  certain  lawyer  stood  tip,  and  tempted  him,  saying,  Master,  what  shall  I  do  to 
inherit  eternal  life  ?  He  said  unto  him.  What  is  written  in  the  law  ?  how  reudest  thou  ?  And  he 
answering  said.  Thou  shall  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and 
with  all  thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind  ;  and  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.  And  he  said  unto  him. 
Thou  hast  answered  right:  this  do,  and  thou  shall  live." — Luke  x.  25 — 28. 


You  see  that  our  blessed  Lord  has  put  [ 
the  creed  of  a  Christian  into  a  very  nar- 
row compass :  and  in  such  phiin  words, 
that  it  is  impossible  for  the  very  plainest 
Christian  not  to  understand  the  meaning] 
of  it.  And  yet  there  is  a  depth  in  these 
words  that  requires  the  deepest  attention, 
and  the  exercise  of  the  most  extensive 
powers.  So  it  is,  indeed,  with  all  the 
words  of  God;  and  especially  with  those 
in  which  he  sums  up  our  duty  and  our 
interest,  our  prosperity  in  this  world,  and 
our  glory  in  that  which  is  to  come.  If 
these  words  be  correct,  we  may  judge  at 
once  of  the  spirit  in  which  we  should 
receive  them :  and  though  we  may  sup- 
pose the  words  to  have  been  used  by  a 
captious  person,  yet  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  words  were  not  framed  by 
that  person,  but  are  a  quotation  of  the 
words  of  the  Most  High;  and  words 
which  Christ,  in  the  most  solemn  man- 
ner, has  incorporated  with  his  gospel. 

L  Let  us  look  into  the  circumstances 

CONNECTED  WITH  THESE   WORDS. 

We  find  that  our  Lord  was  nearly 
alone,  or  engaged  in  private  conversation 
with  his  disciples.  He  speaks  as  one 
struck  with  the  astonishing  provision 
made  by  God  for  the  welfare  of  mankind  ; 
and  it  was  well  known  to  him,  for  it  was 
through  him  that  such  provision  had  been 
made,  and  he  was  now  engaged  in  giving 
instructions  as  to  that  provision.  "  And 
he  said,  Blessed  are  the  eyes  which  see 


the  things  that  ye  see  !"  They  had  seen 
the  Messiah :  he  it  was  that  now  con- 
versed with  them.  They  had  beheld  his 
miracles,  and  were  convinced  that  "  in 
him  dwelt  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead 
bodily,"  for  none  could  do  what  he  did, 
who  had  not  unlimited  power.  They  had 
heard  also  the  words  that  dropped  from 
his  gracious  lips ;  and  especially  that 
new  commandment,  which  was  con- 
tained indeed  in  the  Old  Testament,  but 
which  had  now  come  to  them  in  a  way 
it  had  not  come  to  their  fathers  ;  namely, 
that  they  should  love  God  with  the  whole 
of  their  powers;  and  also,  that  they 
should  love  one  another. 

And  yet,  my  friends,  our  eyes  and  our 
ears  have  been  more  blessed  still !  We 
have  heard  more  of  the  nature  of  the  dis- 
pensation of  blessedness,  and  of  the  sal- 
vation of  hundreds  and  millions  of  souls 
by  means  of  that  dispensation,  than  they 
ever  heard.  Many  things  were  after- 
wards made  known  to  them,  of  which 
they  had  no  previous  conception  ;  and  it 
appears  as  though  it  were  necessary  that 
only  general  outlines  of  truth  should  be 
given  them,  till  Christ  had  filled  up  the 
scheme  of  prophecy,  till  he  had  offered 
himself  as  the  great  atonement,  till  he 
had  opened  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all 
believers,  and  till  his  Spirit  had  been 
sent  down  in  such  copiousness  as  had 
never  before  been  known  in  any  age  of 
the  world. 

429 


430 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


He  tells  them  that  "kings  and  great 
men  desiied  to  see  these  things,  and  did 
not  see  them  ;  and  to  hear  these  things, 
and  did  not  hear  them."  And  I  have 
often  been  much  afi'ected  while  reading 
what  Peter  says  on  this  subject.  He  in- 
timates that  the  prophets  were  sent  to 
publish  glad  tidings  which  should  be 
made  known  to  the  nations  of  the  earth. 
"  Of  which  salvation,"  he  says,  "  the 
prophets  have  inquired  and  searched  dili- 
gently. Searching  what  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  which  was  in  them  did  signify, 
when  it  testified  beforehand  the  sufferings 
of  Christ  and  the  glory  that  should  fol- 
low." And  the  part  that  affected  me 
most  was  this;  that  they  understood  that 
"?!(;/  unto  themselves,  but  unto  us  they  did 
minister"  those  things,  when  they  pro- 
claimed the  coming  of  .Tesus  Christ,  his 
passion  and  death,  and  the  glory  that 
should  follow  his  manifestation  in  the 
flesh.  So  that  with  all  their  wisdom  and 
all  their  inquisiliveness,  though  they 
knew  enough  for  their  own  individual 
salvation,  they  had  not  that  full  revela- 
tion which  we  enjoy.  And  the  apostle 
goes  on  to  say,  "  Which  things  the  angels 
desire  to  look  into."  The  original  ex- 
pression is  very  strong;  it  is  a  stooping 
down  towards  the  object,  so  as  to  take 
the  full  advantage  of  the  strongest  sight 
— an  opening  and  expanding  of  the  pupil 
of  the  eye  as  far  as  possible.  It  is  ex- 
pressive of  their  desire  to  have  the  most 
distinct  conception  of  the  things  which 
God  had  revealed,  and  was  about  to 
reveal,  to  the  world.  So  that  ive  compre- 
hend the  scheme  of  salvation,  and  all 
that  is  necessary  to  our  individual  salva- 
tion, in  measures  beyond  what  was  known 
to  them.  Well,  then,  may  a  preacher 
say  to  a  congregation  of  believing  Chris- 
tians, Blessed  are  your  eyes  and  your  ears, 
for  you  have  seen  and  heard  such  things 
as  prophets  and  kings  had  not  seen  and 
heard ;  and  you  have  had  such  views  of 
God's  love  in  its  extent,  and  in  its  power- 
ful influence  on  the  souls  of  naen,  as  none 
ever  had  before,  and  I  am  apt  to  think 
were  not  felt  by  any  of  those  good  men ; 
God  having  reserved  these  full  displays 
for  the  tiaie  when  his  Spirit  should  be 
poured  out,  and  the  followers  of  Christ 


be  taught  those  things  wliicL  were  not  io 
be  learned  even  under  his  own  ministry. 
"  A  certain  lawyer,''^  it  is  said,  "  stood 
up,"  &c.  The  word  "  lawyer"  is  not 
understood  by  most  readers  :  it  means  a 
man  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
law  of  Moses,  and  all  the  rites  and  cere- 
monies connected  with  it;  and  also  with 
all  those  laws  and  instructions  which 
were  added  by  the  chief  doctors  of  the 
Jewish  church.  They  knew  not  only  the 
precepts  of  the  law  of  Moses,  which  was 
written,  but  also  all  the  particulars  of  the 
oral  law, — that  part  which  was  supposed 
by  the  Jews  to  have  been  delivered  by 
God  to  Moses,  and  by  Moses  to  Aaron, 
and  by  Aaron  to  his  sons,  by  word  of 
mouth ;  and  which  the  Jews  believe  to 
exist  in  the  Mishnah  and  the  Talmuds. 
The  lawyers  had  not  only  to  tell  the  peo- 
ple that  there  were  such  and  such  laws ; 
they  had  also  to  unfold  their  true  import. 
For  this  purpose,  the  book  of  Deutero- 
nomy was  given :  this  teaches  plainly 
the  spirit  and  design  of  the  law;  contain- 
ing, as  it  were,  a  second  edition  of  that 
law.  The  letter  of  the  law  was  first 
given  ;  and  then  the  book  of  Deuteronomy, 
to  illustrate  and  show  the  spiritual  mean- 
ing of  that  law  :  and  it  is  remarkable, 
among  other  things,  that  the  rite  of  cir- 
cumcision was  interpreted,  in  that  second 
edition,  in  such  a  spiritual  way,  that  all 
who  attended  to  it  were  reminded  of  the 
necessity  of  having  all  that  was  impure 
and  unholy  removed  ;  so  that  the  seeds  of 
holiness  might  be  well  rooted,  and  abun- 
dant fruit  be  brought  forth  to  the  praise 
and  glory  of  God. 

I  have  observed  that  this  man  is  often 
spoken  of  as  a  captious  person — as  one 
that  lay  at  the  catch,  and  wished  to  entrap 
our  Lord.  But  I  believe  that  scheme 
had  long  since  been  given  up.  The  Jews, 
generally  speaking,  were  convinced  that 
he  was  "  a  teacher  come  from  God ;"  and 
that  all  attempts  to  entangle  him  in  his 
talk  would  be  utterly  vain.  The  opinion 
I  have  referred  to  is  entertained  of  this 
lawyer,  because  it  is  said  that  he  "  stood 
up,  and  tempted"  Christ.  But  that  word 
means  also  to  try — to  examine — to  ascer- 
tain how  far  his  knowledge  and  his  piety 
went;  how  his  temper  would  bear  out 


THE  INQUIRING  LAWYER. 


i3l 


and  so  on.  I  should  rather  conceive  of 
him  as  a  humble  inquirer  after  truth.  He 
asks  one  of  the  most  important  questions 
which  a  man  could  ask,  who  knew  that 
he  had  an  immortal  spirit,  who  was  con- 
scious that  he  had  sinned  against  his 
Maker,  and  who  knew  that  he  could  not 
cleanse  that  impure  fountain  from  whence 
the  various  streams  of  evil  had  flowed. 
I  think  it  quite  impossible  that  such  a 
man  could  ask  such  a  question  in  a  tri- 
fling or  in  a  captious  manner.  He  said, 
"  Master,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eter- 
nal life  1"  My  brethren,  have  you  a  more 
important  question  to  put  to  your  God  T 
"  Master,  I  acknowledge  thy  wisdom  ;  I 
submit  to  thy  authority.  I  come  to  thee, 
though  I  am  a  teacher,  and  have  to  ex- 
plain the  law  to  the  people.  I  declare 
my  willingness  to  come  to  thee,  that  I 
may  learn  the  way  of  salvation  for  my 
immortal  soul." 

And,  mark  again: — he  speaks  as  one 
who  knew  that  there  was  an  eternal  state  ; 
that  in  that  eternal  state  his  immortal 
spirit  might  be  wretched  or  happy  ;  and 
that,  in  that  state,  the  misery  must  be  ex- 
treme, and  the  happiness  also  extreme.  It 
was,  therefore,  very  important  to  know 
how,  in  that  state,  a  man  might  have  the 
happiness  of  which  heart  could  not  con- 
ceive ;  and  escape  that  wretchedness  and 
misery  which,  from  being  eternal,  must 
be  extreme. 

But  let  us  not  look  at  this  man  merely. 
I  have  a  right  to  believe  this  of  you  also. 
You  are  seriously  inquiring,  I  would 
hope,  "  What  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal 
life  ■?  I  am  a  creature  of  a  day;  I  know 
not  what  an  hour  may  bring  forth  ;  I  am  a 
mere  tenant  at  will  under  the  supreme 
governor  of  the  creation  :  I  cannot  bear  the 
thought  of  dwelling  in  eternal  burnings  ! 
What  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  V 

Objections  have  been  raised  against 
this  man,  because  he  said,  "  What  shall 
I  rfo?"  "  Oh,  yes!"  say  a  certain  class 
of  people,  "  he  was  a  work  monger — he 
wanted  to  merit  eternal  life?"  And  who 
warranted  them  to  say  so  1  Before  per- 
sons make  such  objections  as  these,  it 
would  be  well  for  them  to  examine  care- 
fully th^ir  Bibles,  and  endeavour  to  as- 
certain their  meaning ;  and  not  hastily  to 


suppose,  because  a  man  cannot  pronounce 
the  shibboleth  of  their  creed,  that  his 
inquiries  proceed  from  a  guilty  hard- 
ness and  indifference  of  heart.  I  have 
heard  many  such  things  said,  and  I  pity 
those  who  say  them  :  they  display  but 
little  of  the  spirit  of  Christians.  "  What 
shall  I  do,"  said  this  man,  "  to  inherit 
eternal  life?"  The  very  words  show 
that  the  mind  of  the  man  was  enlightened. 
He  knew  that  he  must  have  meetness  for 
that  eternal  life,  or  he  could  not  inherit 
it ;  that,  if  he  would  inherit  it,  he  must 
first  be  one  of  the  family  :  that  it  belonged 
only  to  the  children ;  and  that,  if  he  were 
not  of  the  family  of  heaven,  he  could  not 
inherit  the  kingdom  of  God.  "  What 
shall  I  do  to  inherit  this  life  ?  I  am  con- 
scious that  I  cannot  have  it  otherwise;  it 
must  come  to  me  in  consequence  of  my 
being  united  to  the  family  :  I  know  that  I 
do  not  belong  to  the  family,  in  a  way  of 
natural  holiness,  or  by  having  walked  in 
all  the  statutes  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord 
blameless;  I  know  that  I  have  sinned, 
and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God,  and 
that  1  can  only  have  this  title  to  the  in- 
heritance of  eternal  life  in  the  way  of 
adoption,  I  want,  therefore,  to  be  taken 
into  the  family,  to  be  associated  with  it, 
incorporated  into  it,  and  share  the  kind- 
ness and  love  of  the  Father  of  this  family." 
This  is  what  we  call  adoption  :  when,  in 
consequence  of  the  merits  of  Christ,  who 
died  for  sinners,  and  was  given  for  the 
salvation  of  men,  he  who  believes  is  ac- 
counted one  of  the  family  of  God,  receives 
the  forgiveness  of  his  sins,  and  has  the 
Spirit  of  holiness  implanted  in  his  heart. 
Such  persons  God  puts  among  the  chil- 
dren, and  they  become  interested  in  all 
the  promises  God  has  made  to  such. 

Observe  :  this  man  does  not  ask, "  W"hat 
shall  /  believe  to  inherit  eternal  life  ?" 
And  yet,  if  some  hao  found  him  using 
these  words,  how  would  they  have  been 
struck  with  wonder  at  his  correctness  and 
wisdom  !  "  It  shows,"  they  would  say, 
"  that  he  was  well  aware  of  his  own  state ; 
that  he  knew  well  he  could  do  nothing; 
and  therefore  he  asks.  What  shall  I  be- 
lieve ?"  But  I  believe  that  if  he  had  done 
so,  he  would  have  spoken  incorrectly. 
And  who  is  he  that  dares  intimate,  that 


432 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


he  meant  "What  shal  I  do  to  merit  iti" 
No  :  I  will  venture  to  pledge  myself,  that 
no  such  idea  ever  entered  into  this  man's 
heart !  No  :  he  came  to  the  teacher,  and 
he  says,  "  What  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eter- 
nal life]  How  shall  I  go  about  it?  I 
feel  myself  eternally  undone  if  I  get  not 
this  meetness  ;  and  how  shall  I  obtain 
it]"  We  often  use  the  words  in  this 
way ;  and  the  language  denotes  illumi- 
nation of  mind,  and  intention  of  heart. 
"  What  shall  I  do]  I  know  that  I  must 
have  it ;  and  what  means  shall  I  use  to 
get  it]  How  shall  I  act]"  Now,  if  we 
were  to  hear  a  man  inquiring  in  this  way, 
we  should  say,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ" — "  Lay  hold  on  the  hope 
set  before  you  in  the  gospel" — "  Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unright- 
eous man  his  thoughts,"  And  all  this 
we  are  fully  justified  in  saying;  and  all 
this  is  necessarily  implied  in  the  answer 
made  by  our  Lord  to  this  man. 

H.  And  now,  brethren,  are  you  pre- 
pared to  fix  your  minds  fully  on  that  an- 
swer ]  I  am  aware  that  it  requires  much 
reasoning — much  argumentation  and  im- 
pressive speaking,  to  get  a  man  to  enter 
fully  into  the  scope  and  design  of  any 
particular  subject.  He  hears  the  truth, 
but  he  does  not  feel  it.  I  say,  then,  we 
are  all  on  the  verge  of  eternity ;  we  must 
soon  "  die,  and  be  as  water  spilled  upon 
the  ground,  which  cannot  be  gathered  up 
again."  We  have  all  "  sinned  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God  ;"  and  we  may 
be  assured,  that  if  God  has  given  us  a 
time  of  probation,  and  we  do  not  use  it  to 
the  end  for  which  God  has  given  it,  we 
shall,  without  doubt,  perish  everlastingly! 
It  is  not  a  vain  thing,  therefore.  And 
again,  our  hoping  and  trusting  that  the 
inheritance  will  be  ours,  can  do  \)ut  little 
good  ;  we  must  have  a  right  to  the  inhe- 
ritance, or  we  shall  never  see  God's  hea- 
ven. We  have  no  natural  right :  we  must 
have  it  by  adoption  ;  and  this  can  be  alone 
through  the  endless  mercy  of  God  in 
Christ.  Right  and  meetness  are  both 
necessary.  There  was  a  good  thought  in 
the  mind  of  a  strange  man,  who  a  few 
years  ago  flourished  in  this  city.  He 
imagined  that  all  souls,  when  they  left 
this  world,  would  go  to  heaven;  but  that 


the  souls  of  the  wiched,  astounded  at 
what  they  saw,  would  immediately  flee, 
and  tumble  themselves  headlong  into  the 
pit  of  corruption  ;  and  because  they  wera 
not  prepared  for  happiness,  they  would 
plunge  themselves  into  misery.  And 
really,  if  an  unregenerate  man  could  enter 
heaven,  he  would  have  no  heart  for  it: 
his  mind  is  not  framed  for  its  enjoyments, 
but  the  reverse.  The  being  in  such  a 
place  would  be  hell  to  him ;  it  may  be  a 
heaven  to  the  blessed,  but  its  happiness  is 
of  a  nature  that  he  cannot  enjoy. 

The  question,  then,  is,  how  are  we  to 
be  regenerated  ]  How  are  we  to  get  this 
title — this  meetness  for  eternal  life  ]  Our 
Lord  answers,  1.  "What  does  the  law 
say]"  and  2.  "How  dost  thou  under- 
stand what  the  law  says  on  this  point]" 
"  What  does  thy  Bible  say,  and  how  dost 
thou  read  it  ]  What  are  thy  views  and  ap- 
prehensions on  this  subject]  How  dost 
thou  suppose  thyself  to  be  concerned  in 
all  this  ]"  The  man  most  intelligibly 
answered,  "  Thus  it  is  written  ;  thus  I  un- 
derstand it : '  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  strength, and  with  all 
thy  mind  ;  and  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.' 
This  I  understand  to  be  the  highest  privi- 
lege, the  bounden  duty,  of  a  rational  crea- 
ture." And  our  Lord  said  unto  him, 
"Thou  hast  answered  right;  this /s the 
sum,  the  substance,  ofall  true  religion;  this 
do,  and  thou  shalt  have  this  eternal  life." 
He  was  "  willing  to  justify  himself.''^  In 
this  he  showed  the  ardent  working  of  his 
mind  towards  this  title,  this  meetness  for 
eternal  life.  He  could  not  bear  the  idea  of 
being  destitute  of  this.  We  may  see  from 
this  what  a  difficult  thing  it  is,  humanly 
speaking,  for  the  Spirit  to  bring  us  to  see 
our  real  state :  to  the  very  last  we  are 
prone  to  indulge  a  hope  that  our  case  is 
not  so  desperate  as  the  representations  of 
the  gospel  seem  to  imply  ;  it  is  long  be- 
fore we  can  be  brought  to  see  and  feel 
that  we  are  totally  lost.  He  was  ready 
and  "willing  to  justify  himself;  and  he 
said  unto  Jesus,  And  who  is  my  neigh- 
bour ]  I  know  my  God,  the  Being  whom 
I  should  love  with  all  my  heart,  and  soul, 
and  mind,  and  strength  ;  and  who  is  this 
other  being,  whom  I  should  love  even  as 


THE  INQUIRING  LAWYER. 


433 


I  love  myself]"  Our  Lord  then  gives 
him  the  little  history  which  is  generally 
known  by  the  name  of  "  The  good  Sama- 
ritan ;"  and  leads  him  on  to  conclude  what 
was  his  real  state,  both  in  reference  to 
his  God,  and  in  reference  to  his  neigh- 
bour. 

Now  further,  brethren ;  for  there  is 
much  remains  behind.  Here  is  a  Being 
set  before  us  in  these  words,  who  is  called 
"  God"  —  "  the  Lord" — Jehovah  —  the 
High  and  Holy  One  ;  and  so  on.  He  is 
the  Creator  of  the  earth,  and  of  all  crea- 
tures. He  is  the  Sovereign,  who  pro- 
duced all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power, 
and  who  upholdeth  all  things  by  the  same 
word.  He  is  your  Creator;  and  he  is 
also  the  great  cause  of  your  preservation. 
He  is  the  self-existent — the  Eternal — the 
independent.  All  that  is  made  is  pro- 
duced by  him,  and  depends  upon  him  ; 
and  therefore  all  should  acknowledge 
him  as  the  source  of  all,  the  Creator  of 
body  and  soul,  the  Preserver  of  both.  As 
your  Creator,  he  has  shown  the  riches  of 
his  wisdom  and  power  in  both ;  and  he 
has  shown  his  benignity  and  kindness  in 
preserving  you.  You  are  not  to  forget 
to  think  on  him  in  reference  to  his  oiun 
infinite  excellencies  and  perfections  :  but 
you  are  not  now  called  upon  to  take  these 
views  of  him ;  but  rather  to  consider  this 
sacred  Being,  so  incomprehensible  both 
to  men  and  to  angels,  in  reference  to  your- 
selves. He  is  your  Creator ; — the  cause 
of  your  being.  He  is  your  Supporter ; — 
upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of  his 
power.  There  is  not  a  morsel  of  bread 
that  you  eat,  which  comes  not  from  him 
as  the  Creator  and  Preserver.  He  alone 
"  causeth  the  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle, 
and  herbs  for  the  service  of  man."  He 
alone  produces  the  rich  varieties  of  fruits 
and  of  vegetables  for  the  benefit  of  man. 
He  alone  causes  the  same  soil  to  produce  at 
once  verdure,  and  odours,  and  fruitfulness. 
He  alone  causes  the  sun  to  shine;  and 
whatever  we  ascribe  to  its  influence  in 
causing  trees  and  plants  to  grow  to  matu- 
rity, his  power  gives  the  sun  that  ability. 
And  whatever  it  may  have  contributed  to 
the  comfort  and  support  of  man,  all  comes 
from  him  alone  ;  and  if  for  one  moment  he 
were  to  take  his  hand  from  that  sun,  it 

Vol.  I 55 


would  sink  into  its  primitive  state — that 
state  out  of  which  God  called  it  by  his 
omnific  word.  And  if  God  had  not  sup- 
ported and  upheld  all  according  to  the 
counsel  of  his  own  will,  men  could  not 
have  had  that  suitable  food  and  clothing, 
in  the  various  climates,  with  all  their  va- 
rious temperatures,  with  which  they  are 
so  blest.  God  made  and  supports  all  ; — 
so  that  wherever  a  human  being  is  found, 
that  human  being  owes  his  life  to  God, 
and  his  continuance  in  being  to  that  great 
Preserver.  Even  in  redemption,  it  is  im- 
possible to  conceive  of  greater  favour  on 
the  part  of  God.  There  we  see  the  proofs 
of  his  mercy  in  pardoning  our  sin,  and  so 
on  ;  but  I  will  not  say  that  this  is  greater. 
It  was  a  proof  of  his  love,  that  he  created 
beings  capable  of  holding  converse  with 
himself;  and  when  man  fell,  that  same 
power  and  love  which  created  him  form- 
ed a  plan  for  preserving  and  saving  him. 
Hence  Christ  was  made  manifest  in  the 
flesh,  and  became  "  man  with  men" — not 
a  prophet,  not  an  angel,  not  a  seraph,  but 
a  being  such  as  God  had  never  before 
made  ;  to  manifest  the  highest  effects  of 
his  eternal  power,  and  to  display  the 
highest  benefits  that  could  he  possessed. 
He  comes  into  the  world,  and  teaches 
men  what  God  only  could  have  revealed ; 
and  exercises  a  power  which  God  only 
could  exercise,  and  which  God  could  not 
communicate ;  for  an  omnipotent  being 
to  appoint  an  omnipotent  delegate  is  im- 
possible ;  because  he  who  delegates  it 
must  cease  to  be  omnipotent,  and  so  cease 
to  be  infinite  and  eternal.  In  God,  as 
the  Creator,  therefore,  we  see  the  proofs 
of  infinite  skill  and  power ;  and  we  behold 
his  unrivalled  beneficence,  in  his  meeting 
and  supplying  all  the  wants  which  his 
creatures  may  feel.  When  we  come  to 
consider  the  redemption  of  man,  we  be- 
hold, indeed,  a  greater  extension  of  the 
divine  love  ;  but  we  discover  no  new  feel- 
ing. 

Now,  on  this  very  consideration  is  es- 
tablished the  command  before  us,  "Thou 
shall  love  the  Lord  thy  God — this  very 
Being,  who  is  thy  Creator  and  Preserver." 
And  if  a  sense  of  the  highest  obligation 
is  allowed  to  affect  those  who  are  under 
that  obligation;  if  we  should  love  that 
20 


434 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


Beingwhose  kindness  is  so  great — whose 
commands  have  reference  to  an  object 
that  is  eternal — and  whose  fovour  is  the 
source  of  all  blessedness ;  then  there  is 
reason  in  the  command,  "  Thuu  shall  lure 
the  Lord  fhy  God." 

But  what  does  this  mean  1  I  believe 
not  one  man  in  ten  thousand,  or  in  ten 
million,  can  explain  this  !  I  have  studied 
the  subject  most  closely,  and  I  cannot 
express  its  meaning;  I  cannot  explain  the 
feeling  of  love;  I  cannot  explain  the  way 
in  which  it  is  produced — the  mode  of  its 
internal  operation — the  way  in  which  it 
catches  hold — in  which  it  seizes  on  all 
the  powers  of  the  mind.  It  is  an  affec- 
tion of  the  soul  which  ought  to  go  out 
after  God  ;  which  should  confess  him  to 
be  supreme;  which  should  lead  us  to 
give  up  our  souls  and  our  bodies,  with  all 
their  powers,  whatever  they  are,  to  him  ; 
thus  giving  him  evidence  that  we  are  not 
altogether  insensible  of  our  infinite  obli- 
gations. 

Love  has  been  defined  as  a  disposition 
of  mind  which  leads  a  person  to  be  intensely 
satisfied  tcith  the  oljcd  of  his  affections. 
Now,  if  this  can  be  said  of  love  to  man, 
how  much  more  may  it  be  said  of  love  to 
God.  This  Being  has  all  that  I  can  pos- 
sibly want:  all  good,  all  kindness,  all 
perfection,  flows  from  him.  I  want  this 
Being  for  my  portion  ;  and  if  I  can  have 
him  for  my  portion,  I  want  no  more. 
Here  I  can  rest;  and  if  I  can  say,  "  Thou 
art  my  portion,  O  Lord  !"  this  is  the 
highest  word  that  I  can  speak — the  high- 
est word  that  ever  was  spoken  by  mortal 
man.  The  conviction  that  he  must  be 
such,  or  that  we  are  lost,  is  much  ;  but  to 
feel  that  he  is  so,  this  is  a  great  thing 
indeed  !  Then,  "  thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God, 

1.  With  all  thy  heart .''^  Whatever  can 
be  called  by  the  name  of  heavenly  feel- 
ino-,  holy  aspiration,  spiritual  wishes,  is 
all  included  here.  All  divine  breathings, 
all  holy  and  benevolent  purposes,  all  in- 
tense adoration  and  delight ;  and  this  feel- 
ing must  be  supreme  :  it  is  the  love  of  the 
whole  heart.  Love  has  all  here,  and 
leaves  nothing  behind.  All  the  hopes, 
and  inclinations,  and  desires,  relate  to 
jGod,  and  are  regulated  by  him.  But  then, 


2.  This  love  does  not  consist  in  mere 
feeling;  else  we  should  be  led  into  nu- 
merous errors  :  all  the  affections  and  de- 
sires of  the  soul  might  be  taken   up  in 
heavenly  raptures,  to  the  neglect  of  grand 
and  important  parts  of  Christianity.  This 
induced   a  good  man,  who  differed   from 
us  in  many  points,  to  say,  "  What  will 
it  avail  in  the  sight  of  the  Most  High,  to 
go  and  fall  down  upon  your  knees  before 
him,  and  to  look  up  to  him  and  say,  0, 
how  excellent  thou  art,  how  pure,  and 
how  glorious  !     Here  let  me  worship  and 
adore  thee !     Here  let  me  gaze  for  ever 
in    admiration    of    thine    excellencies  ! 
Once  feeding  the  hungry,  or  clothing  the 
naked,  or  visiting  the  sick,  would  be  in- 
finitely more  acceptable  to  God,  and  avail 
able  in  his  sight,  than  all  the  idle  adora- 
tion you  can  offer  him  !"      How,  then,  is 
the  love  of  the  heart  to  be  proved  ]  Why, 
it  is  added,  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
inith  all  thy  soul"  or  rather,  "with  all  thy 
life."      This   means,  not  only  that   the 
whole  of  our  life  should  be  employed  in 
the  service  of  God,  but  that  the  life  itselt 
should   be   dedicated    to   God;    that    it 
should  be  given  up  to  him,  to  employ  it 
as  he  may  see  fit;  and  that  we  should 
be  ready  to  finish  our  life  in  his  service, 
should  it  be  required.     It  is  on  this  prin- 
ciple alone  that  there  ever  was  a  martvr 
in  the  church:  they  "loved  not  their  lives 
unto  the  death,"  but  freely  yielded  them 
up,  when  they  were  called  to  do  so  for 
the  sake  of  God.      We  are  not,  at  this 
moment,  very  far  from  the  place  where 
many  of  our  forefathers  and  foremothers 
suffered  in  this  way,  at  a  stake,  which  I 
have  seen,  though  the  complaisance  of  our 
times  has  induced  us  to  take  it  away,  be- 
cause it  seemed  a  reflection  on  the  cruelty 
of  our  ancestors ;  but  at  a  stake  in  Smith- 
field,  in  the  midst  of  flames,  many  yielded 
their  lives  to  Him  who  was  the  object  of 
their  love,  and  the  Father  of  their  spirits. 
This  is  the  very  principle  of  martyrdom  ; 
they  dedicated  their  lives   to  God,  and 
gave  those  lives  up  when  it  seemed  ne- 
cessary— not  only  when  they  were  called 
to  die  in  the  common  way,  but  when  their 
death  seemed  to  be  required  by  peculiar 
circumstances. 

3.    Fut  forth  all  ihtKC  energies ;  love 


THE  INQUIRING  LAWYER. 


435 


God  "  with  all  th}'  strength."  Tliort:  is  !  chamber  to  chamber,  to  see  the  imager 
a  great  force  in  Ihougftf  .■  sometimes  it  ,  that  are  set  up ;  I  will  reveal  to  thee  all 
will  lead  a  man  to  go  from  one  place  to  that  is  abominable;  and  then  I  will  tell 
anotlier,  to  accomplish  a  particular  object;  !  thee  that  I  will  famish  all  the  false  gods: 
at  anothef  time,  all  the  various  powers  of  j  but  thou  must  make  an  effort;  thou  must 


the  man  will  be  gathered  up,  and  all  will 
be  brought  into  a  focus,  as  it  were,  to  act 
on  a  particular  point ;  and  the  man,  fear- 
ing neither  men  nor  devils,  will  trample 
Satan  under  his  feet,  and  serve  his  God 
alone.  Now,  put  forth  all  the  energies 
of  your  minds  thus  in  God's  service :  be 
not  cold-hearted  in  God's  work.  If  the 
devil  can  ever  love,  he  loves  such  men  ; 
and  considers  those  as  the  most  valuable 
supporters  of  his  cause,  who,  while  they 
profess  to  love  God,  put  forth  their 
strength  for  every  thing  but  the  service 
of  God.  Be  careful,  then,  to  exert  all 
thy  powers  of  body  and  soul  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Lord  thy  God.     Then, 

4.  Thou  hast  a  mind  also.  "  Love 
God  with  all  thy  mind.''''  The  mind  is 
that  gate  of  the  soul,  by  which  God 
admits  that  light  by  which  the  judgment 
is  able  to  decide  positively  and  rightly. 
Thou  shalt  keep  this  gate  open  to  receive 
that  light  which  alone  can  teach  thee 
what  is  right;  and,  what  is  also  of  high 
importance,  thou  shalt  put  out  what  is 
not  proper  or  profitable.  O,  how  much 
lumber  have  we  laid  up  in  that  reposi- 
tory ! — how  much  trash  that  is  unprofita- 
ble ! — how  much  impurity  that  we  are 
afraid  to  mention  I  Labour  to  get  rid  of 
all  this.  One  of  the  finest  effects  of  the 
Holy  Spirit's  influence  on  the  human 
mind,  is  expressed  in  that  fine  sentence 
in  the  communion  service — "  Cleanse  the 
thoui^hts  of  our  hearts  by  the  inspiration 
of  thy  Holy  Spirit,  that  we  may  perfectly 
love  thee,  and  worthily  magnify  thy  holy 
name."  O,  go  to  God,  that  he  may 
cleanse  thy  mind !  God  says  that  he 
will  "  purge  away  the  filth  of  Zion,  by 
the  spirit  of  judgment,  and  by  the  spirit 
of  burning."  Li  other  words,  I  will  pour 
light  into  thy  soul ;  I  will  lead  thee  from 


loathe  these  abominations;  thou  must 
cast  away  these  idols  to  the  moles  and  to 
the  bats.  Thou  must  give  them  up — not 
as  a  sacrifice  to  thy  God,  that  is  a  most 
awful  idea — but  give  them  up  to  God, 
that  they  may  be  burned  and  destroyed 
for  ever.  Thus  God  condemns  them  as 
"  a  spirit  of  judgment,"  and  destroys  them 
as  "  a  spirit  of  burning." 

Then  it  is  added,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbour  as  thyself. '^^  Mark  !  it  is  not 
said,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as 
thy  God.  This  is  interesting  :  there  is  an 
intensity  of  thought  and  feeling  in  refer- 
ence to  the  love  of  God,  that  it  would  be 
evil,  unholy,  sacrilegious,  to  apply  to  our 
fellow-men.  I  am  very  glad  that  those 
thoughtless  and  profane  words,  which  it 
was  once  very  common  to  apply  to  wo- 
men, cease  to  be  employed.  To  answer 
wicked  ends,  and  to  delude  them  in  many 
cases  to  their  ruin,  poor  women  were  set 
up  in  the  place  of  God,  and  worshipped 
accordingly.  This  is  nearly  laid  aside. 
"  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thy- 
self.^'' "  Love  worketh  no  ill  to  his  neigh- 
bour; therefore  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the 
law."  But  what  love  do  I  owe  to  my 
neighbour?  I  owe  him  the  love  oi equity 
— of  succour — of  benevolence — of  charity. 
I  must  aim  to  do  him  all  the  good  I  can  ; 
to  advance  his  interests ;  to  sympathize 
in  his  joys  and  sorrows ;  to  promote  his 
welfare.  "  Love  thy  neighbour  as  thy- 
self:" whatever  thou  wouldst  wish  him 
to  do  for  thee  in  ignorance — in  weakness 
— in  sorrow — in  want — in  danger, — that 
do  thou  fur  him  ;  thy  turn  may  be  next. 
And  again,  God  is  the  Father  of  all ; 
therefore  we  should  love  as  brethren  of 
the  same  family.  He  is  the  Lord,  the 
Creator,  the  Judge  of  all ;  and  all  are 
alike  before  him. 


SERMON  XLVIII. 

AN    IMPORTANT    INQUIRY. 
BY   THE    REV.    HENRY   R  AI  KE  S,  A.  M. 

CHANCELLOR   Of    THE    DIOCESE    OF    CHESTER. 


"  What  do  ye  more  than  others  ?" — Matt.  v.  47. 


It  has  sometimes  been  asserted  that 
there  was  a  difference,  a  difference  which 
was  capable  of  being  perceived,  a  differ- 
ence which  it  was  important  and  neces- 
sary to  mark,  between  the  statements  of 
divine  truth  which  are  contained  in  the 
several  parts  of  the  New  Testament. 

In  agreement  with  this  notion,  the  gos- 
pels have  been  held  up  in  distinction  to 
the  epistles.  The  discourses  of  our  Lord 
have  been  described  as  differing  in  tone 
from  the  writings  of  his  apostles.  A  se- 
parate and  peculiar  character  has  been 
ascribed  to  each,  and  the  excellencies  of 
one  have  been  used  to  depreciate  the  glo- 
ries of  the  other.  Moral  truth  has  been 
claimed  for  one,  doctrinal  accuracy  has 
been  ceded  to  the  other;  and  though  it 
might  seem  hard  to  say  how  one  of  these 
qualities  could  be  separated  from  the 
other,  or  how  truth  could  be  independent 
of  itself,  the  pride  of  human  reason  has 
endeavoured  to  avoid  the  homage  which 
was  required  by  faith,  by  professing  an 
earlier  attachment,  a  more  implicit  devo- 
tedness  to  moral  obedience;  and  by  as- 
serting a  preference  of  that  which  was 
practical  in  statement  to  that  which  was 
doctrinal.  To  favour  this  subterfuge  the 
morality  of  the  gospel  has  been  held  up 
to  the  admiration  of  the  world  by  those 
who  shrink  from  belief  in  its  doctrines ; 
and  men  have  acknowledged  in  our  Lord 
"  the  teacher  sent  from  God,"  who  could 
not  or  who  would  not  perceive  in  him  the 
'  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the 
436 


sins  of  the  world."  In  other  cases,  an 
attempt  has  been  made  to  represent  the 
instruction  contained  in  the  gospel  narra- 
tives, as  more  simple  and  appropriate 
than  that  which  is  laid  down  in  the  epis- 
tles ;  and  that  portion  of  Scripture,  from 
which  our  text  is  taken,  the  sermon  on 
the  mount,  has  been  described  as  includ- 
ing all  that  was  necessary  for  man  to 
know.  We  need  not  shrink  from  the 
conclusion.  Let  but  this  portion  of 
Scripture  be  interpreted  as  it  ought  to  be  ; 
let  it  but  be  read  with  that  spiritual  mind 
and  that  eye  of  faith  which  is  necessary  ; 
and  we  may  admit,  that  all  that  is  need- 
ful for  man  to  know  may  be  discovered 
and  discerned  in  it,  or  at  least  may  be 
deduced  from  it.  But  because  the  expe- 
rienced eye  may  perceive  in  one  part  of 
Scripture  the  forms  of  that  wisdom  which 
is  specifically  revealed  in  other  places, 
it  is  neither  wise  nor  dutiful  to  reject  the 
residue ;  nor  if  one  part  of  revelation  sup- 
poses or  anticipates  the  remainder,  can 
that  be  a  reason  why  the  part  should  be 
used  to  supersede  the  whole. 

But  we  are  also  told  that  there  are  dif- 
ferences in  men  which  require  a  different 
mode  of  teaching;  that  there  is  a  child- 
hood in  the  spiritual  life  which  requires 
milk  for  its  nourishment,  as  Avell  as  a 
manhood  or  maturity  of  life  which  re- 
quires strong  meat;  and  it  is  asserted 
that  the  former  species  of  nourishment  is 
to  be  found  in  the  simpler  statements  and 
plainer  exhortations  which  are  contained 


AN  IMPORTANT  INQUIRY. 


437 


in  the  gospel  narratives.  It  is  there  said  1 
undoubtedly,  and  it  should  be  read  with  ] 
thankfulness  and  praise,  that  our  Lord 
"  taught  the  people  as  they  were  able  to 
bear  it;"  that  he  adapted  his  instruction 
to  the  state  of  his  hearers,  and  communi- 
cated the  truths  which  he  came  to  teach, 
in  the  way  of  gradual  disclosure.  Some- 
thing of  this  process  we  may  probably 
perceive  in  the  tone  of  his  discourses ; 
and  whatever  we  may  think  of  the  re- 
corded statements  of  those  discourses, 
such,  we  may  confidently  suppose,  would 
have  been  the  character  of  his  ordinary 
teaching. 

But  little  does  he  know  of  the  word 
of  God  or  of  the  power  of  God,  who  can 
doubt  the  possibility  of  combining  the 
simplest  moral  truth  with  the  profoundest 
doctrinal  verity  ;  of  making  the  person 
taught  "  wiser  than  his  teachers  ;"  and 
of  "  perfecting  praise  even  out  of  the 
mouths  of  babes  and  sucklings."  In  the 
wisdom  of  God  it  is  easy  to  accomplish 
that  which  seems  impossible  to  man. 
He,  who  in  the  twilight  of  the  morning 
opens  that  flood  of  light  which  is  to 
spread  the  splendour  of  noon  over  the 
world  ;  he,  who  encloses  in  the  infant 
the  germ  of  those  talents  which  are  to 
wield  the  reins  of  empire;  he,  who  once 
concealed  the  very  glories  of  the  Creator 
of  the  universe  in  the  child  Jesus ;  he, 
can  surely  give  instruction  in  a  way, 
which  shall  adapt  itself  to  every  state  of 
man  ;  can  form  out  of  the  same  material 
milk  for  babes,  and  strong  meat  for  those 
of  maturer  age;  and  offer  in  his  word  a 
spiritual  manna,  which  shall  be  suited  to 
the  taste,  as  well  as  adapted  to  the 
wants  of  all  who  feed  upon  it. 

Let  it  be  admitted  then,  that  in  this 
memorable  discourse  there  are  truths 
presented  of  the  simplest  character  and 
in  the  simplest  form.  That  hinders  not, 
but  that  truths  of  the  profoundest  nature 
may  be  likewise  found  there.  Let  it  be 
supposed  that  our  Lord  addressed  him- 
self on  this  occasion  to  a  multitude  of  sim- 
ple and  uninstructed  hearers,  and  "  spake 
as  they  could  bear  it."  That  hinders  not, 
but  that  the  most  advanced  Christian 
may  find  room  for  meditation,  and  im- 
provement in  the   words  ;    or   that   the 


wise  man  may  be  overwhelmed  by  truths 
which  he  meets  with,  and  which  his  rea- 
son is  unable  to  comprehend  ;  while  the 
child,  who  reads  in  faith  and  in  the  spirit 
of  prayer,  shall  be  made  "  wise  unto  sal- 
vation" by  what  he  learns. 

The  text  before  us,  the  text  to  which 
your  attention  is  to  be  drawn,  presents 
an  instance  of  this  sort.  It  contains  an 
appeal  which  might  be  made  with  pro- 
priety to  the  simplest  hearer  of  the  sim- 
plest gospel  truths;  an  appeal,  which 
we  might  make  to  any  one,  who  had  but 
the  slightest  acquaintance  with  the  ele- 
ments of  religion  :  and  still  it  is  an  ap- 
peal, which  I  humbly  believe  may  be 
made  with  profit  to  the  most  enlightened, 
the  most  advanced  Christian.  It  is  an 
appeal,  which  rises  with  the  condition 
of  the  hearer ;  and  which  grounded  on 
the  perpetual  and  necessary  connexion 
between  privilege  and  duty,  follows 
man  through  all  the  degrees  of  his  ad- 
vancement; and  reminding  him  at  every 
stage,  "  of  the  rock  from  which  he  was 
hewn,  of  the  hole  of  the  pit  from  which 
he  was  digged,"  subdues  the  pride  and 
self-sufficiency  of  his  nature  by  the  me- 
morials of  his  dependence  and  responsi- 
bility. 

It  is  to  this  text  then  I  have  now  to 
beg  your  attention  ;  and  conscious  that 
it  involves  an  application  of  truth  most 
important  and  most  extensive,  I  entreat 
the  prayers  of  those  who  hear  me,  that 
the  weakness  of  man  may  be  supplied  by 
the  teaching  of  the  Spirit,  and  that  the 
word  may  be  blessed  to  all  our  souls. 

"  What  do  ye  more  than  others  1" 
Thus  spake  our  Lord,  at  that  time,  to 
those  who  professed  themselves  his  fol- 
lowers ;  who  had  come  to  him  out  of 
Judea  and  Galilee ;  who  had  expressed 
a  resolution  to  renounce  the  sins  of  their 
former  life,  and  to  live  as  his  disciples, 
"  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in  this 
present  world."  The  appeal  he  made 
was  founded  on  a  principle  which  no  man 
ventures  to  impugn;  that  increase  of 
knowledge,  larger  measures  of  convic- 
tion, involve  the  necessity  of  more  exact 
obedience ;  that  much  is  required  from 
him  to  whom  much  has  been  given  ;  and 
that  increase  of  means  implies  increase 
2o2 


438 


THE  BRITISH  PULHT. 


of  responsibility.  This  truth,  simple  as 
it  seems,  bears  on  itself  the  marks  of 
eternity.  It  extends  to  every  degree  of 
state.  It  belongs  to  every  age.  The 
Jew,  just  awakened  from  the  darkness 
which  covered  his  people,  heard  it  then; 
and  the  apostle,  who  had  "  seen  things 
which  it  was  not  lawful  for  man  to  utter," 
might  have  heard  it  afterwards ;  and 
each  might  have  bowed  under  the  sense 
of  a  responsibility  which  they  could  not 
deny.  The  Christian  child  feels  its 
power  now  when  a  mother's  exhortations 
are  based  upon  its  application ;  and  the 
Christian  minister  must  not  hope  to  soar 
above  its  reach,  however  elevated  he 
may  be  above  others  in  spiritual  or  intel- 
lectual advancement. 

As  such  then  I  would  use  it  first  in  re- 
ference to  Christians  generally,  in  refer- 
ence to  all  those  who  profess  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  are  in  name  and  pri- 
vileges considered  as  his  disciples ;  I 
would  use  it  first  in  this  sense,  and  say 
to  all  who  hear  me,  "  What  do  ye  more 
than  others'?" 

If  God  has  chosen  you  from  all  the 
nations  of  the  world,  to  be  a  peculiar  peo- 
ple to  himself;  if  we  are  justified  by  the 
name  you  bear,  and  the  knowledge  you 
possess,  and  the  covenant  relations  in 
which  you  stand,  in  addressing  you  as 
"  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priest- 
hood, a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people  :" 
If  God  has  opened  to  you  things  hidden 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world  ;  if  your 
eyes  see,  and  your  ears  hear,  the  things 
which  prophets  and  kings  desired  to  see 
and  did  not  see,  and  to  hear  and  did  not 
hear  :  nay,  if  we  may  say  to  some,  "  eye 
hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath 
it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that 
love  him  ;  but  God  hath  revealed  them 
unto  us  by  his  Spirit :"  If  we  are  permit- 
ted to  address  a  Christian  congregation,  a 
Christian  people,  in  terms  like  these ; 
then  must  we  not  add  ;  if  God  has  done 
so  much  for  you  above  all  the  other  chil- 
dren of  Adam,  what  do  ye  more  than  they  1 

In  the  heathen  world,  amidst  much 
that  was  evil,  much  that  was  loathsome, 
there  were  not  wanting  "  things  lovely 
2nd  of  good   report."     They   had   their 


splendid  sins.  They  had,  it  is  true,  but 
a  faint  and  clouded  light  to  walk  by  ;  the 
dim  light  of  human  reason,  darkened  by 
all  the  exhalations  from  the  corrupt  na- 
ture of  man  ;  and  it  was  by  this  faint  and 
feeble  help  they  endeavoured  to  discern 
amidst  the  tumult  of  the  world,  the  es- 
sential diflTerences  between  right  and 
wrong.  But  to  the  guidance  that  they 
had,  some  of  them  were  faithful.  The 
natural  affections  were  not  extinguished  ; 
a  sense  of  truth  was  felt ;  the  excellence 
of  purity  was  admitted ;  and  in  the 
midst  of  general  defilement  and  wretch- 
edness, the  eye  dwells  with  wonder  on 
some  bright  spots  of  disinterested  integ- 
rity and  warm  affections,  and  marvels 
how  it  was  that  they  who  knew  so  little 
should  do  so  much. 

If  then  we  turn  to  a  Christian  commu- 
nity, and  find  men  satisfied  with  those 
external  observances  which  self-interest 
suggests  as  expedient;  if  we  find  a  no- 
minal disciple  of  Jesus  Christ  dwelling 
with  complacency  on  the  soberness  of 
his  habits,  on  the  integrity  of  his  deal- 
ings, on  the  warmth  of  his  natural  affec- 
tions ;  may  we  not  say  to  such  as  these, 
did  not  even  the  heathen  so  1  Do  we  not 
hear  of  well  ordered  societies,  and  at- 
tached families  ;  of  the  charities  of  parent 
and  child,  of  husband  and  wife,  of  sove- 
reign and  subject,  among  them  1  Nay, 
do  we  not  hear  of  integrity  and  temper- 
ance, of  exemplary  self-denial  and  emi- 
nent purity  of  conduct  among  those  who 
had  never  enjoyed  the  light  of  gospel 
truth,  or  been  encouraged  by  the  promise 
of  eternal  life;  and  if  this  be  so,  what  do 
ye  more  than  they  1  What  do  ye,  who 
have  received  so  much,  and  who  have 
heard  so  much  ;  what  do  ye  more  than 
others'?  What  does  this  Christian  coun- 
try, this  Christian  family,  this  Chrisuan 
husband,  this  Christian  father,  this  Chris- 
tian son,  offer  in  his  conduct,  which 
might  not  find  its  parallel  in  Greece  or 
Rome ;  among  those  who  never  heard 
the  sound  of  the  gospel,  nor  tasted 
the  sweetness  of  Christian  privileges'? 
Are  you  sober  1  So  were  they.  Are 
you  honest  1  So  were  they.  Are  you 
tender  in  domestic  relations,  faithful  to 
trusts,  diligent  and  useful  ■?     So  were 


AN  IMPORTANT  INQUIRY. 


439 


they.  And  if  your  standard  of  Christian 
practice  is  limited  to  these  cold  morali- 
ties, or  to  these  impulses  of  natural  feel- 
ing, "  What  do  ye  more  tlian  others," 
or  how  do  the  children  of  light  differ 
from  the  children  of  darkness  1 

I  would  carry  the  application  of  the 
doctrine  farther.  I  would  carry  it  next 
to  Protestant  Christians,  to  members 
of  the  church  of  England,  to  those  who 
conceive  that  by  the  reformation  they 
have  shaken  off  a  yoke  of  bondage,  have 
regained  their  spiritual  privileges,  and 
are  restored  to  the  liberty,  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  In  reject- 
ing the  traditions  of  men  ;  in  making 
Scripture  the  test  to  which  every  state- 
ment of  truth  is  to  be  brought ;  in  taking 
the  word  of  God,  the  pure  and  undefiled 
word,  as  the  rule  we  are  to  follow,  we 
seem  to  have  struggled  into  light,  to  have 
recovered  the  free  exercise  of  reason, 
and  to  have  left  the  regions  of  darkness 
behind  us. 

If  this,  then,  be  the  case  with  regard 
to  privilege,  with  regard  to  knowledge, 
how  stands  the  case  with  regard  to  prac- 
tice ]  If  the  tree  is  known  by  its  fruits  ; 
if  men  look  for  grapes  on  the  vine ;  if 
they  expect  good  fruit  from  the  vineyard 
which  boasts  a  goodly  stock;  what  may 
they  not  expect  from  a  church,  which 
has  thrown  off  the  trammels  of  darker 
ages  ;  from  a  church,  which  has  reverted 
to  the  earliest  standards,  and  which  is 
"built  on  the  foundation  of  apostles  and 
prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the 
chief  corner-stone  ?" 

We  may  venture  to  assume  that  a 
purer  faith,  a  clearer  view  of  divine 
truths,  will  produce  a  purer  practice,  a 
higher  moral  standard  ;  just  as  ignorance 
and  error  gradually  but  surely  lead  to 
superstition,  idolatry,  and  vice. 

If  God  then  in  his  mercy  has  vouch- 
safed to  us  a  light  which  is  denied  to 
other  nations  ;  if  we  see  the  truth,  and 
hold  the  truth,  while  others  hardly  see, 
or  hardly  hold  it;  what  do  we  more 
than  they  ?  What  fruit  can  we  show  of 
the  privileges  bestowed ;  or  how  have 
we  improved  the  talent  that  has  been 
committed  to  our  trust  ] 

To  take  one  instance  out  of  many,  it  is 


the  boast  of  our  church  to  have  cleared 
the  doctrine  of  justification  from  those 
erroneous  views  which  the  pride  of  hu- 
man reason  and  the  hardness  of  the  heart 
of  man  had  formed  upon  it.  We  rejoice 
in  asserting  that  "we  are  accounted 
righteous  before  God,  only  for  the  merits 
of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  by 
faith,  and  not  for  our  own  works  or  de- 
servings."  Nay  more,  we  repeat  the 
assertion,  and  say,  "  That  we  are  justi- 
fied by  faith  only,  is  a  most  wholesome 
doctrine,  and  very  full  of  comfort."  We 
delight  to  trace  innumerable  rays  of  truth 
concentrated  in  this  statement  of  our 
church ;  and  to  mark  the  way  in  which 
"  God  is  shown  to  be  just,  and  yet  the 
justifier  of  them  that  believe  on  Jesus." 
But,  my  brethren,  what  is  the  result  of 
this  doctrine,  and  what  is  the  efTect 
which  this  knowledge  of  the  grace  of 
God  produces  1  Do  we  see  the  hearts 
of  those  who  profess  this  doctrine,  bowed 
down  with  a  sense  of  the  mercy  that  has 
visited  them  1  Do  we  see  our  Protestant 
congregations  worshipping  in  silent  awe 
at  the  grace  in  which  they  stand,  and 
lost  in  wonder  at  the  freeness  of  the 
bounty,  which  has  thus  offered  to  those 
who  believe,  that  which  no  labour  of 
man  could  have  obtained,  no  merits  of 
man  could  have  purchased  1  Do  we  see 
around  us,  do  we  feel  within  us,  that 
peace  with  God  which  is  named  as  the 
privilege,  the  inheritance  of  those  who 
are  justified  by  faith  "?  And  is  this  faith, 
which  we  name,  and  name  with  reason, 
as  the  charter  of  our  hopes,  as  the  ground 
of  our  confidence,  a  fiiith  which  over- 
comes the  world,  which  sanctifies  the 
affections,  and  proves  itself  to  be  of  God 
by  the  works  which  it  does  within  us  1 

We  dare  not  assert,  we  would  not 
say,  that  those  from  whom  we  have 
withdrawn,  and  who  have  not  obtained 
those  advantages  we  enjoy,  are  desti- 
tute of  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  We  know 
that  devotedness  and  zeal,  that  love 
for  God  and  love  for  man,  have  been 
beautifully  exemplified  in  members  of 
the  church  of  Rome.  We  know  that  the 
piety  of  those,  whose  views  of  that  grace 
of  God  which  bringeth  salvation,  were 
indistinct  and   cloudy,   has    often  beea 


440 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


found  shining  brightly  and  burning 
strongly.  We  know  that  their  work  and 
labour  of  love  has  been  glorious  and 
great,  though  they  knew  but  little  of  that 
love  which  is  made  known  to  us  ;  and 
though  they  saw  not  all  the  freeness  of 
the  grace  to  which  they  trusted  for  re- 
demption, they  have  loved  much  in  re- 
turn. But  if  we  see  their  error,  if  we 
mourn  over  the  blindness  which  has  hap- 
pened to  them  in  this  respect,  and  wished 
that  they  were  even  as  we  are  ;  if  we 
feel  that  in  knowledge  of  the  will  of  God, 
in  acquaintance  with  the  mysteries  of  his 
nature,  and  the  riches  of  his  grace,  we 
stand  immeasurably  above  them ;  what 
do  we  more  than  they  1  What  has  been 
the  result  of  our  clearer  light,  of  our 
deeper  views  ;  or  how  have  we  shown 
by  our  works,  the  character  of  that  purer 
faith  by  which  we  walk  1 

Again,  as  Protestants  we  have  re- 
nounced the  vain  distinctions  which  have 
been  imagined  as  to  sin.  We  know  no  dif- 
ference between  mortal  and  venial.  We 
believe  that  all  unrighteousness  is  sin, 
and  while  we  know  that  there  is  pardon 
for  the  greatest  sin  in  the  blood  of  Christ, 
we  dare  not  promise  ourselves  impunity 
for  the  least,  without  it.  Instead  of  trust- 
ing ourselves,  therefore,  with  confidence 
to  the  snares  of  Satan,  and  venturing  on 
actions  of  any  questionable  character ; 
we  act  as  men  who  are  not  ignorant  of 
his  devices,  and  who  know  the  danger 
that  belongs  to  the  slightest  deviation 
from  truth.  We  are  taught  to  "  abhor 
that  which  is  evil,"  however  extenuated 
by  circumstances,  and  however  trivial  in 
appearance.  We  have  known  that  God 
requires  the  whole  heart,  and  the  whole 
mind  ;  that  he  accepts  no  divided  ser- 
vice ;  is  satisfied  by  no  external  homage 
or  outward  form ;  but  seeks  "  those  to 
worship  him,  who  worship  him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth." 

There  are  others  whose  views  are  dif- 
ferent;  who  assert  a  distinction  in  the 
nature  of  sin,  for  which  we  find  no  autho- 
rity in  Scripture ;  and  who  lower  its 
character  by  imagining  that  it  is  in  the 
power  of  men  to  forgive  it ;  who  think 
that  alms-giving  may  do  away  with 
iniquity,  or   that  a  satisfaction  may,  in 


some  degree,  be  made  by  man  for  the 
transgressions  he  has  committed. 

W'e  mourn  over  their  error.  We  de- 
nounce their  distictions  as  unscriptural  and 
false.  We  can  see  the  dishonour  done  to 
God;  the  wrong  offered  to  the  Saviour; 
the  ruin  of  the  soul,  in  the  application  of 
their  system.  We  can  see  that  the  real 
character  of  sin,  as  an  offence  against 
God,  is  lost  sight  of  by  this  statement. 
We  can  see  that  the  value  of  the  Re- 
deemer's sacrifice  is  depreciated  by  the 
terms  on  which  forgiveness  is  ofi'ered. 
We  can  see  that  the  whole'some  horror  of 
sin  is  diminished  by  this  representation 
of  its  character,  and  that  the  soul  is  en- 
couraged to  expose  itself  to  dangers  by 
the  means  of  recovery  which  are  offered. 
We  can  see  all  this,  we  can  condemn  the 
error  under  which  they  live,  we  can  show 
its  consequences  ;  but  what  do  we  more 
than  they?  In  what  respect  does  our 
clearer  knowledge,  our  purer  faith  regu- 
late our  practice  ]  or  in  what  degree  does 
it  raise  it  above  theirs  ?  Is  self-denial 
more  exercised  1  are  the  wanderings 
of  the  heart  and  the  affections,  those  in- 
lets of  evil,  those  occasions  of  falling, 
more  assiduously  watched,  more  dili- 
gently controlled  1  Does  the  graver  view 
we  take  of  sin  lead  to  more  of  godly  vigi- 
lance against  its  delusions,  to  more  of 
godly  sorrow  for  its  influence,  among  us 
th^n  among  others  ]  or  is  not  sin  com- 
mitted as  boldly,  as  presumptuously 
committed  by  those  who  believe  that  the 
blood  of  Christ  was  shed  for  its  forgive- 
ness, as  it  is  by  those  who  think  that 
they  may  purchase  absolution  for  its 
commission  ? 

Alas  !  why  are  we  enlightened  by  the 
light  of  truth,  if  we  are  not  to  see  the 
ways  of  truth  more  clearly  ]  why  are  we 
enabled  to  see  the  deceitfulness  of  these 
distinctions  which  have  been  imagined 
by  others,  if  we  are  not  to  maintain  a 
more  holy  walk,  a  more  heavenly  conver- 
sation; or  why  are  we  to  know  more  than 
others,  if  we  are  not  to  do  more  than 
they  do  ] 

But  again,  we  believe  that  there  is  but 
one  mediator  between  God  and  man — 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  We  believe  that 
God  has  sent  him  forth  to  be  the  propiti- 


AN  IMPORTANT  INQUIRY. 


44 


stion  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  so 
thai  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  hut  have  everlasting  life. 

There  are  some  who  deny  this  doctrine. 
There  are  others  who,  by  dividing  the 
honour  of  the  work,  extenuate  and  de- 
grade it.  There  are  some  who,  denying 
the  mediatorial  office  of  our  Lord,  know 
him  only  as  a  teacher  sent  from  God  ; 
who,  with  a  perverseness  worse  than  that 
of  Judaism,  put  this  grace  from  them, 
and  wilfully  and  ungratefully  reject  the 
greatest  token  of  the  love  of  God  for  man. 
There  are  others,  who  ascribe  to  our 
Lord  only  a  part  in  the  work  which  be- 
longs to  him.  Who  associate  the  agency 
of  others  with  his,  and  either  address 
him  through  their  mediation,  or  imagine 
that  their  intercession  is  to  be  combined 
with  his.  The  mercy  of  God  has  deli- 
vered us  from  these  errors.  In  Jesus 
Christ  we  see  "the  Lamb  of  God  that 
taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  whole  world." 
Li  him  we  delight  to  trace  that  perfect 
sufficiency  for  the  work  which  is  ascribed 
to  him,  which  alone  gives  reasonable 
confidence  to  our  faith,  and  makes  hope 
an  anchor  of  the  soul  both  sure  and  stead- 
fast. 

But  if  we  thus  see  in  Christ,  what  the 
Socinian  does  not  see,  or  what  the  Ro- 
manist only  sees  imperfectly,  what  do  we 
more  than  they  ]  What  elfect  has  been 
produced  on  our  hearts  and  lives  by  this 
clearer  vision  of  the  Redeemer's  glories? 

If  we  look  to  Christ  as  our  only  refuge 
from  the  wrath  to  come,  where  is  our 
diligence  in  making  our  calling  and  elec- 
tion sure  in  him  1  If  we  believe  that 
there  is  but  one  mediator  between  God 
and  man,  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  why  is 
he  not  more  openly  confessed  1  If  we 
believe  that  his  is  the  only  name  whereby 
we  may  receive  health  and  salvation, 
why  are  we  not  more  zealous  for  the  en- 
largement of  his  kingdom  ;  why  are  we 
not  labouring  with  greater  diligence  to 
bring  others  to  the  knowledge  of  the  sal- 
vation that  is  in  him  ?  Why  is  it  not 
our  object,  personal  as  well  as  public,  to 
extend  the  influence  of  the  gospel  ? 
Why  are  not  the  resources  of  this 
Protestant  kingdom  devoted  to  the  one 
Redeemer's    cause,   and    our   commerce 

Vol.  I.— 56 


employed  in  carrying  the  light  of 
truth  to  those  nations  that  are  yet  in  dark- 
ness 1 

If  we  were  ignorant  of  that  value  which 
the  soul  of  man  derives  from  the  gospel 
history ;  if  we  did  not  know  that  it  was 
redeemed,  not  with  corruptible  things  as 
gold  and  silver,  but  with  the  precious 
blood  of  Christ ;  if  we  did  not  thus  admit 
as  the  great  article  of  our  creed,  a  doc- 
trine which  proves  the  inestimable  value 
of  the  soul  by  the  price  paid  for  its  re- 
covery; we  might  be  justified  in  our  in- 
difference to  the  spiritual  state  of  others, 
and  might  say  "  Am  I  my  brother's 
keeper]"  Or,  if  we  were  satisfied  by  a 
mere  external  profession  ;  if  we  conceived 
that  the  performance  of  certain  forms 
constituted  religion,  and  placed  men  in 
the  waj'  of  salvation  ;  we  might  be  con- 
tented to  behold  our  own  population  no- 
minally Christian,  and  might  take  uni- 
formity of  profession  as  a  substitute  for 
unity  of  spirit.  But  we  are  raised  above 
these  errors.  We  have  received  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  We  know  that 
without  Christ  the  man  is  lost;  and  that 
"  except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot 
see  the  kingdom  of  God."  This  we 
have  received;  this  we  profess;  but 
"  what  do  we  more  than  others  ]" 

We  hear  of  multitudes  living  without 
God  in  the  world.  We  see  our  own 
brethren  perishing  from  lack  of  know- 
ledge. In  the  mean  time,  we  know  the 
freeness  of  the  gospel  call,  the  blessings 
that  are  promised,  the  grace  that  is  given  ; 
we  know  all  this,  we  profess  to  believe 
all  this,  and  yet,  "  what  do  we  more  than 
others  T" 

But  there  is  yet  another  application  of 
the  subject  which  the  present  occasion 
prompts,  and  to  which  I  turn  with  still 
deeper  feelings.  We  contemplate  the 
light  in  which  a  Christian  walks,  the  ad- 
vantages he  possesses  in  means  of  grace 
and  knowledge,  beyond  all  that  was  en- 
joyed before;  and  feeling  the  connexion, 
the  necessary  connexion,  between  pri- 
vilege and  duty,  we  are  drawn  to  ask 
the  question  "  what  do  ye  more  than 
others  1" 

In  the  case  of  Protestants,  we  see  that 
light  shining  more  clearly  and  more  dis- 


442 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


tinctly  than  on  other  men  ;  we  see  it 
drawn  from  the  source  of  light  in  tiie 
Scriptures  ;  we  see  it  leading  to  a  profes- 
sion more  specific,  and  more  distinctive  ; 
and  arg-uing,  as  in  the  former  case,  from 
increase  of  knowledge  to  a  clearer  sense 
of  duty,  and  a  higher  tone  of  practice,  we 
are  compelled  to  compare  the  standard 
we  see  in  them,  with  that  which  is  main- 
tained in  the  world  around  them,  and  to 
ask  again,  "  what  do  ye  more  than 
others  1" 

If  the  men  who  heard  the  preaching  of 
John  the  Baptist  in  the  wilderness  were 
ordered  to  bring  forth  fruits  meet  for  re- 
pentance :  If  the  men  who  heard  our 
blessed  Lord  were  directed  to  deny 
themselves,  and  to  take  up  their  cross 
daily  and  follow  him :  If  those  who 
have  been  admitted  into  the  church  of 
Christ  have  promised  to  renounce  the 
world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil :  If  every 
increase  of  light  shows  us  more  of  the 
sin  there  is  in  man,  and  of  the  holiness 
there  is  in  God ;  and  every  Christian 
privilege  comes  charged  with  its  propor- 
tion of  responsibility  ;  then,  what  shall 
become  of  us,  who  are  called  to  minister 
in  the  word,  and  who  have  offered  our- 
selves to  others  as  messengers  from  God 
to  man  1 

"  Wo  is  me,  for  I  am  undone  ;  because 
I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell 
in  the  midst  of  an  unclean  people;"  were 
the  words  of  Isaiah,  when  he  saw  the 
Lord  in  his  glory,  and  looked  on  himself 
as  the  messenger  whom  the  Lord  would 
send.  Such  also  must  be  the  feelings  of 
every  one  who  thinks  of  the  ministry 
of  the  gospel,  and  contemplates  himself 
as  the  instrument  employed. 

And  yet  we  know,  that  when  a  live 
coal  from  the  altar  had  been  laid  upon 
the  prophet's  lips,  his  tone  was  altered, 
his  feelings  were  changed.  The  lan- 
guage of  despair  became  that  of  confi- 
dence and  hope  ;  and  he  who  just  before 
recoiled  from  the  office  proposed  to  him, 
exclaimed  at  once,  "  Here  am  I,  send 
me!" 

And  thus  it  is  with  us,  my  brethren. 
We  know,  that  of  ourselves  we  are  not 
able  even  to  think  the  thing t';at  is  right; 
and  when  we  dwell  upon  the  charge  we 


are  called  to  fill ;  whf  n  we  survey  the 
nature  of  our  office,  its  labours,  its  re- 
sponsibilities ;  the  consequences  that 
must  follow  its  discharge  towards  others, 
and  towards  ourselves;  no  language 
seems  suited  to  the  feelings  of  our  hearts 
but  that  of  the  prophet,  when  he  shrank 
with  terror  and  dismay  from  the  duty  he 
was  called  to.  "  But  our  sufficiency  is 
of  God."  We  know  that  "  we  have  this 
treasure  in  earthly  vessels,  that  the  excel- 
lency of  the  power  may  be  of  God,  and 
not  of  man  ;"  and  while  we  feel  that  his 
grace  may  be  magnified  in  our  infirmi- 
ties, we  dare  not  yield  to  the  impression 
which  might  deter  us  from  the  work ; 
nor  refuse  an  office  in  which  we  may  be 
the  means  of  adding  glory  to  his  name. 

Havingbelieved  then,  we  speak.  Hav- 
ing received  mercy,  we  faint  not.  A  dis- 
pensation of  the  gospel  is  committed 
unto  us.  Christ  must  be  preached  ;  the 
world  must  be  warned ;  and  whatever 
may  be  our  sense  of  our  own  unworthi- 
ness,  our  message,  as  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  must  be  delivered,  and  prayers 
and  tears  must  testify  to  the  sincerity 
with  which  it  is  urged.  And  it  will  not 
be  delivered  in  vain!  We  know  him 
who  hath  said,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee, 
nor  forsake  thee."  We  remember  the 
word  which  says,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world  ;" 
and  while  we  remember  that  whatever 
be  the  hand  which  planteth,  or  the  hand 
that  watereth,  it  is  God  that  giveth  the 
increase  ;  we  need  not  doubt  the  success 
of  the  message,  on  account  of  the  weak- 
ness of  the  messenger  by  whom  it  is 
uttered. 

But  let  that  weakness  be  what  it  may, 
let  the  consciousness  of  infirmity,  of  un- 
fitness be  what  it  may  ;  if  ever  it  happen, 
that  that  live  coal  from  the  altar,  the  re- 
membrance of  him  who  is  the  propitia- 
tion for  our  sins,  be  laid  upon  our  lips, 
as  it  was  upon  the  lips  of  the  prophet: 
if  it  ever  happen,  that  the  words 
are  heard  by  us  which  were  heard 
by  him ;  if  it  be  said,  "  Lo,  this  hath 
touched  thy  lips,  and  thine  iniquity  is 
taken  away,  and  thy  sins  purged  ;"  if  a 
sense  of  the  love  of  God  be  shed  abroad 
in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  which 


AN  IMPORTANT  INQUIRY. 


443 


he  hath  given  us  ;  what  is  there  to  check 
or  to  hinder  us.  The  love  of  Christ  will 
then  constrain  us?  Zeal  for  him  who 
did  so  much  for  us  ;  gratitude  to  him 
who  suffered  so  much  for  us;  will  over- 
come every  other  feeling.  We  shall  re- 
joice in  the  privilege  of  confessing  him 
before  men  ;  and  like  the  apostles,  we 
shall  give  with  great  power  our  witness 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Let  us  look  then 
from  ourselves,  where  there  is  so  much 
to  dishearten,  so  much  to  dispirit;  and 
let  every  eye  be  fixed  on  him  in  whom 
are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom 
and  knowledge.  Let  us  think  little  of 
what  we  may  be  able  to  do  for  him,  but 
think  much  of  what  he  has  done  for  us. 
Let  us  lose  sight  of  our  own  insufficiency 
in  considering  the  largeness  of  his  mercy, 
the  greatness  of  his  power;  and  while 
we  thus  give  ourselves  to  him  who  calls 
us;  though  we  be  the  least  of  all  saints, 
yet  to  us  may  be  the  grace  given,  to 
preach  to  others  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ. 


BENEFIT    OF    A    RELIGIOUS  TRACT. 

At  an  Auxiliary  Tract  Society  held  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  London,  the  follow- 
ing interesting  anecdote  was  narrated  by 
the  Rev.  Edward  Parsons  : — 

"  A  member  of  parliament,  now  entered 
into  his  rest,  was  in  the  habit  of  appro- 
priating the  early  hours  of  the  Sabbath 
to  the  distribution  of  these  little  messen- 
gers of  mercy.  On  one  occasion,  as  he 
called  at  a  house  which  he  had  visited 
for  the  purpose  of  leaving  a  tract,  he  was 
told  by  an  elderly  female,  whom  he  had 
before  seen  at  this  habitation  of  misery, 
that  a  young  man  up-stairs  wished  to  see 
him.  He  was  introduced  accordingly  to 
a  room  at  the  top  of  the  house,  where  he 
found  the  young  man  stretched  on  a  bed 
of  sickness.  After  some  conversation 
with  him  respecting  the  state  of  his  mind, 


he  ascertained  that  he  was  the  son  of  a 
highly  respectable  and  pious  individual ; 
and  that  he  had  left  the  paternal  roof  in 
order  to  avoid  restraint.  A  course  of 
licentiousness  had  brought  him  to  the 
borders  of  the  grave,  and  he  was  now 
anxious,  having  obtained  the  pardon  of 
his  Maker,  to  secure  the  forgiveness  of 
his  father.  The  gentleman  went,  accord- 
ing to  the  directions  of  the  invalid,  to  the 
father,  and  introduced  his  business  with 
him  in  the  following  manner :  "  You 
have  a  son  I  believe,  sir." — "  Mention 
him  not  to  me,"  said  the  dejected  father; 
"  he  has  been  for  a  long  time  my  grief,  and 
shame,  and  sorrow  :  he  will  bring  down 
my  gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the  grave." 
— "  I  have  seen  him,"  said  the  gentle- 
man. "  When  ■?"  inquired  the  father, 
anxiously.  "  A  very  short  time  since," 
replied  the  gentleman;  "he  is  penitent 
for  his  conduct,  and  his  only  wish  is  to 
obtain  your  pardon."  They  hastened 
together  to  the  house  where  the  wanderer 
had  found  a  resting-place.  When  the 
door  was  opened,  the  sufferer  lifted  up 
his  head,  and  as  he  perceived  his  father, 
his  eye  glistened  with  the  hope  of  re- 
gaining his  favour,  and  his  tongue  ejacu- 
lated the  desire  of  his  heart.  The  event 
proved  that  his  hope  was  not  fallacious, 
nor  his  plea  for  forgiveness  in  vain.  The 
father  ran,  like  the  parent  of  the  prodigal 
son,  to  embrace  his  long-despaired  of  but 
repenting  child.  The  son  again  repeated 
his  hope  that  he  might,  in  addition  to  the 
pardon  of  the  Almighty  through  a  cruci- 
fied Redeemer,  receive  the  forgiveness  of 
his  parent;  this  request  was  immediately 
granted,  and  they  both  wept  together. 
The  feeble  constitution  of  the  young  man, 
however,  was  not  able  to  bear  so  much 
excitement;  he  fell  from  the  embrace  of 
his  aged  parent,  and  then  once  more  lift- 
ing his  eyes  to  heaven,  he  closed  them 
again,  and  expired. 


SERMON  XLIX. 

THE  LEPERS  OF  SAMARIA. 
BY    THE    REV.    J.    SHERMAN, 

IN  BEHALF  OF  HOME  MISSIONS. 


"  Then  they  said  one  to  another,  We  do  not  well :  this  day  is  a  day  of  good  tidings,  and  we  hold 
our  peace :  if  we  tarry  till  the  morning  light,  some  mischief  will  come  upon  us :  now  therefore 
come,  that  we  inay  go  and  tell  the  king's  household." — 2  Kings  vii.  9. 


The  circumstances  which  dictated  this 
brief  conversation  were  the  following. — 
Ben-hadad,  the  king  of  Syria,  with  a  nu- 
merous army,  had  besieged  Samaria,  the 
capital  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel.  It  ap- 
pears that  the  siege  was  continued  so 
long,  and  under  such  distressing  circum- 
stances, that  the  most  awful  consequences 
began  to  rage  in  the  city.  Such  was  the 
high  price  of  all  kinds  of  provisions,  that 
as  much  as  ten  pounds  were  given  for  an 
ass's  head,  unwholesome,  unsavoury  food; 
and  a  pint  of  corn,  taken  from  the  crops 
of  doves  collected  from  the  neighbouring 
country,  was  sold  at  the  rate  of  twelve 
shillings  a  pint.  Hunger  had  so  blunted 
the  sympathies  of  nature,  that  mothers 
had  killed  and  eaten  their  own  children  ; 
and  the  resources  of  the  city  were  now 
in  such  a  dreadfully  exhausted  state,  that 
a.n  entire  surrender,  or  total  destruction, 
must  be  the  necessary  sad  consequences. 

Jehoram,  instead  of  reproving  himself 
for  his  own  wickedness,  and  confessing 
to  himself  privately  that  he  was  the  great 
cause  of  all  the  miseries  which  Samaria 
was  now  enduring,  laid  the  fault  upon 
Elisha,  the  most  patriotic  friend  the 
country  had  ;  and  he  determined,  there- 
fore, to  kill  him.  For  this  purpose  he 
went  to  his  house ;  and  previous  to  the 
execution  of  that  purpose  he  determined 
to  hear  the  prophet  for  himself.  Utter- 
ing some  impious,  abominable,  and  blas- 
phemous expression,  he  was  induced  to 
444 


delay  his  design  till  the  next  morning, 
on  account  of  a  prophecy  which  Elisha 
delivered,  contained  in  the  first  two  verses 
of  this  chapter.  "Then  Elisha  said, 
Hear  ye  the  word  of  the  Lord  ;  Thus 
saith  the  Lord,  To-morrow  about  this 
time  shall  a  measure  of  fine  flour  be  sold 
for  a  shekel,  and  two  measures  of  barley 
for  a  shekel,  in  the  gate  of  Samaria. 
Then  a  lord  on  whose  hand  the  king 
leaned  answered  the  man  of  God,  and 
said.  Behold,  if  the  Lord  vi'onld  make 
windows  in  heaven,  might  this  thing  be  1 
And  he  said.  Behold,  thou  shalt  see  it 
with  thine  eyes,  but  shalt  not  eat  there- 
of." 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  four 
leprous  men  suggested  to  one  another  the 
expedient  of  going  out  to  the  camp  of  the 
Syrians,  and  seeing  what  had  become  of 
the  army,  or  what  was  the  state  of  the 
Syrian's  force.  They  Avere  outcasts  from 
society  ;  they  were  devoured  by  the  le- 
prosy ;  they  were  under  the  ban  and 
curse  of  God  and  man :  and  therefore 
any  thing  that  happened  to  them,  they 
thought,  could  not  make  them  worse. 
And,  therefore,  "•  they  said  one  to  an- 
other. Why  sit  we  here  until  we  die  ? 
If  we  say,  we  'will  enter  into  the  city, 
then  the  famine  is  in  the  city,  and  we 
shall  die  there :  and  if  we  sit  still  here, 
we  die  also.  Now  therefore  come,  and 
let  us  fall  unto  the  host  of  the  Syrians : 
if  they   save   us   alive,   we  shall  live; 


THE  LEPERS  OF  SAMARIA. 


445 


and  if  lliey  kill  us,  we  shall  but  die."] 
As  soon  as  it  began  to  grow  dark  they 
commenced  their  operations,  proceeding 
on  their  journey;  and,  to  their  great  as- 
tonishment, when  they  arrived  at  the 
camp,  they  found  no  man  there  :  for  the  i 
Lord  had  gone  out  before  them,  and  | 
caused  the  Syrians  "  to  hear  a  noise  of 
chariots,  and  a  noise  of  horses,  even  the 
noise  of  a  great  host :  and  they  said" — 
that  is  the  Syrians — "  one  to  another,  Lo, 
the  king  of  Israel  hath  hired  against  us 
the  kings  of  the  Hittites,  and  the  kings 
of  the  Egyptians,  to  come  upon  us. 
Wherefore  they  arose  and  fled  in  the 
twilight,  and  left  their  tents,  and  their 
horses,  and  their  asses,  even  the  camp  as 
it  was,  and  fled  for  their  life."  When 
they  had  satisfied  themselves,  by  going 
to  the  extreme  end  of  the  camp,  that  it 
was  not  a  stratagem  of  the  enemy,  they 
then  went,  first  into  one  tent,  and  partook 
of  the  luxuries  of  life  that  the  Syrians 
had  left  behind  ;  and  entered  another,  and 
took  of  the  gold  and  silver,  and  concealed 
it  in  the  earth.  And  after  they  had  thus 
satisfied  themselves,  they  began  to  think 
of  their  friends :  "  We  have  been  into 
the  Syrians'  camp,  and  we  have  now  got 
their  money,  and  we  have  had  their  food  ; 
our  spirits  are  refreshed,  and  our  bodies 
are  nourished,  by  that  of  which  we  have 
partaken  ;  but  there  are  our  poor  brethren 
in  the  city ;  there  are  our  wives,  and  our 
children  there,  and  there  are  vast  num- 
bers there  dying  of  hunger.  We  do  not 
well  to  sit  here :  this  day  is  a  day  of 
good  tidings ;  we  have  reaped  the  advan- 
tage of  coming  out ;  we  have  partaken 
of  the  bounty  of  God  in  this  extraordi- 
nary way  :  if  we  tarry  until  the  morning 
light,  and  be  so  ungrateful  to  divine  Pro- 
vidence for  the  blessings  that  are  con- 
ferred upon  us,  some  mischief  will  befall 
us.  Come,  let  us  rise  up  and  go  into 
the  city,  and  tell  the  king's  household 
the  good  things  of  which  we  have  par- 
taken." 

My  Christian  brethren,  the  present 
state  of  the  world  is,  in  a  spiritual  sense, 
somewhat  similar  to  that  in  which  Sa- 
maria was  placed  when  these  lepers  ut- 
tered these  words.  The  armies  of  Satan 
and  of  sin  surround  it;  the  people,  by 


millions,  are  perishing  for  lack  of  know- 
ledge :  God  has  blessed  a  variety  of  in- 
dividuals, by  his  rich  providence,  with  a 
foretaste  of  the  rich  provision  of  grace 
and  mercy,  which  makes  happiness 
abound  on  earth,  and  fits  souls  for  ever- 
lasting glory.  Thousands  are  every  day 
perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge ;  and 
millions  more  must  perish,  if  the  bread 
of  life  be  not  sent.  Now  we,  like  the 
favoured  lepers,  have  found  out  a  plenti- 
ful supply  to  enrich  ourselves,  and  feast 
the  world.  Thanks  be  to  God  that  some 
few  efforts  have  been  made  to  supply  the 
world  with  this  provision !  13ut  their 
wants  are  infinitely  beyond  all  the  sup- 
plies  we  have  sent  them.  Millions  are 
crying,  and  are  praying  for  this  bread  of 
life :  and  not  only  millions  of  the  heathen, 
whose  case  is  constantly  presented  to  our 
view,  but  millions  of  our  oion  brethren,  in 
villages,  and  hamlets,  and  towns  of  your 
own  country,  with  your  own  blood  run- 
ning in  their  veins,  where  many  of  youi 
relatives  dwell ;  where  some  of  you  have 
friends,  servants,  children,  relations  re- 
siding. And  these  dark  parts  of  the 
earth,  though  not  like  the  habitations  of 
cruelty  in  the  heathen  world,  are  yet  full 
of  vice,  and  misery,  and  ignorance,  to 
almost  an  abounding  extent :  and  the  ob- 
ject of  my  standing  before  you  this  even- 
ing, is  to  "  provoke  you  to  love  and  to 
good  works  ;"  and  to  endeavour  to  "  stir 
up  youi  pure  minds  by  way  of  remem- 
brance," to  exhort  you  to  "  add  to  your 
faith  virtue,"  and  to  your  virtue  still 
greater  liberality  than  you  have  been  ac- 
customed to  show  to  this  great  and  ne- 
cessitous cause  which  now  presents  its 
claims  to  your  notice.  And  may  I  espe- 
cially, in  entering  upon  the  subject  this 
evening,  beg  the  prayers  of  this  congre- 
gation, that  I  may  be  so  assisted  in  lay- 
ing its  claims  before  you,  that  your  hearts 
may  be  opened  and  expanded,  and 
Christ's  name  be  honoured  and  glorified 
this  evening. 

The  text,  then,  describes  the  times  in 
which  we  live  :  "  This  day  is  a  day  of  Pfood 
tidings."  The  text  reproves  our  indiffer- 
ence to  the  miseries  of  others  :  "  We  do 
not  well."  The  text  pronounces  our  pu- 
nishment if  we  delay  to  send  them  help 
2P 


446 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


And  the  text  suororests  the  method  which 
we  ought  immediately  to  pursue. 

First,  then,  the  text  describes  the  times 
IN  WHICH  WE  LIVE.  "  This  day  is  a  day 
of  good  tidings." 

And  is  it  not,  my  dear  brethren  and 
sisters,  a  day  of  good  tidings  ?  What 
are  the  peculiarities  of  the  day  in  which 
we  are  called  to  live  ?  There  are  these 
four  peculiarities  in  it;  the  first  of  which 
I  will  now  mention : — that  Jesus  Christ 
has  obtained  a  complete  conquest  over  all  our 
enemies.  And  this  is  the  great  and  espe- 
cial truth  which  is  published  in  the  gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ.  Sin,  and  the  world, 
and  Satan,  like  a  mighty  army,  with  all 
their  leagued  friends,  were  arrayed  against 
us.  The  justice  of  God  which  we  had 
offended,  appeared  in  dreadful  majesty 
against  us;  and  until  satisfaction  was 
made  to  divine  justice,  mercy  itself  could 
not  spare  or  pardon.  The  wrath  of  God 
was  revealed  from  heaven  against  all 
ungodliness  and  all  unrighteousness  of 
men ;  and  all  our  sad  expectation  con- 
sisted in  tribulation  and  anguish,  misery 
and  wo,  which  were  ready  to  fall  upon 
our  heads.  Now  we  had  to  engage  these 
hosts ;  we  had  to  go  out  against  them, 
these  armies  which  surrounded  us  as  they 
did  Samaria.  We  had  no  champion,  we 
had  no  individual  who  could  protect  our 
cause;  no  army  went  out  against  them. 
Like  Samaria,  beloved,  when  we  beheld 
our  condition,  we  were  all  alarm  and  all 
dismay:  and,  as  in  the  case  of  Samaria, 
the  victory  was  wholly  of  heaven,  so  it  is 
in  our  case:  Jesus,  from  the  height  of 
the  throne  of  his  majesty,  beheld  us ; 
pity  moved  him  to  compassionate  our 
case;  love,  which  had  heights,  and 
depths,  and  lengths,  and  l^readths,  un- 
known, and  which  passeth  knowledge, 
brought  him  from  heaven  to  earth  in  our 
flesh.  In  that  flesh  he  dwelt  for  thirty- 
three  years  in  our  world,  in  the  form  of  a 
servant;  and,  as  the  Captain  of  our  sal- 
vation, single-handed  and  alone,  he  en- 
tered the  bloody  field ;  and  sin  and  hell 
opposed  all  its  force  against  him.  The 
wrath  of  God  seized  and  fell  upon  him 
in  all  its  awful  majesty  :  justice  demand- 
ed of  him  the  debt  which  we  had  con- 
tracted ;  and  the  law  poured  forth  all  its 


curses  upon  his  head.  He  engaged  in 
the  mighty  conflict:  and,  as  smoke  is 
driven  away,  so  he  drove  them  away. 
Our  God  arose,  and  he  scattered  all  his 
enemies.  It  is  true  that  Christ  in  this 
conflict  died  ;  but  in  dying  he  "  destroyed 
death,  and  him  that  had  the  power  of 
death,  and  delivered  us,  who  through 
fear  of  death  were  all  our  lifetime  sub- 
ject to  bondage."  It  is  true  that  he  died ; 
but  in  dying  he  "  put  away  sin,  by  the 
sacrifice  of  himself."  It  is  true  that  he 
died  ;  but  he  proclaimed  the  victory  with 
his  dying  breath  —  "It  is  finished:" 
"  Be  of  good  cheer,  I  have  overcome  the 
world."     It  is  true,  friends,  that  he  died  ; 

"  But  justice  quenched  its  flaming  sword 
In  Jesus'  vital  blood  ;" 

and  the  law  was  magnified,  justice  was 
satisfied,  God  was  well  pleased,  and  sin- 
ners were  saved.  And  now  the  host  of 
heaven  and  the  church  of  Christ  may 
sing  "  Hallelujah,  hallelujah,  hallelujah  ! 
the  work  is  done;  the  conquest  is  made, 
salvation  is  brought  in  ;  and  the  bless- 
ings which  were  so  much  needed  for  my 
soul,  are  all  ready  to  be  procured,  to  be 
bestowed,  through  his  dying  atonement." 
So  that  "  this  is  a  day  of  good  tidings." 
Moreover,  "  this  is  a  day  of  good 
tidings"  because  Jesus  Christ  has  procured 
an  ample  provision  for  all  our  necessities. 
The  spoil  is  ours  ;  the  glory  is  his.  The 
conquest  was  made  by  himself,  and 
through  that  conquest  all  the  benefits  of 
salvation  are  now  amply  provided  and 
amply  presented  to  our  use.  And  what 
are  these  blessings  1  My  brethren,  our 
enemies  had  robbed  us  of  peace,  of  joy, 
of  communion,  of  justification,  of  holi- 
ness, and  of  heaven  :  but  this  day  is  "  a 
day  of  good  tidings ;"  Jesus  Christ  has 
restored  that  which  he  took  not  away. 
Whatever  scarlet  and  crimson  sins  have 
been  committed,  in  the  gospel  he  has 
presented  a  full,  and  free,  and  everlasting 
pardon.  If  pride,  and  passion,  and  pre- 
judice had  corrupted  the  soul,  and  be- 
come its  grief,  in  the  gospel  is  presented 
a  fountain  opened  for  sin  and  for  unclean- 
ness.  If  condemnation  arise  from  the 
law,  to  terrify  the  spirit  that  knows  not 
how  to  justify  himself  before  God,  Christ 


THE  LEPERS  OF  SAMARIA. 


447 


in  the  gospel  has  presented  him  with  a 
righteousness  that  is  "  unto  all  and  upon 
all  them  that  believe ;"  for  there  is  no 
difference.  If  hostility  to  God  and  his 
service  be  the  plague  of  the  man's  heart, 
and  oppose  the  message  he  constantly 
hears,  Christ  has  brought  and  has  preach- 
ed tranquillity  ;  for  "  we  have  peace  with 
God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 
If  heaven  be  desirable,  and  its  glories  be 
coveted,  and  the  hope  of  attaining  it  be 
lost  to  any  spirit  here,  "  this  is  a  day 
of  good  tidings,"  my  hearers,  for  the  way 
to  the  holiest  of  all  is  made  manifest, 
through  the  rent  veil  of  the  Redeemer's 
flesh.  Beloved,  the  gospel  is  a  table 
spread,  where  all  the  spiritual  wants  of 
sinners  may  be  supplied  :  here,  in  abun- 
dance, are  found  the  bread  of  life,  the 
water  of  life,  the  fruits  of  the  tree  of  life, 
and  all  other  blessings  connected  with 
life  eternal.  And  may  I  ask  this  vast 
congregation  this  evening.  Have  you, 
dear  hearers,  satisfied  yourselves  at  this 
table?  Is  there  any  unconverted  spirit 
here,  who,  yet  convicted  of  its  own  guilt, 
is  earnestly  desirous  of  the  blessings 
which  the  gospel  imparts  1  This  is 
a  Home  Missionary  Society ;  and  we  are 
about  to  plead  for  home ;  and  where  can 
I  better  plead  than  here,  dear  hearers, 
and  tell  you  the  gospel  is  for  you,  and 
the  blessings  of  the  gospel  are  for  you, 
and  the  ample  provisions  of  boundless 
grace  do  invite  you,  do  welcome  you,  to 
come  and  partake  of  them  largely  ? 

"  O  all  ye  hungry,  starving  poor, 
Behold  tlie  royal  feast, 
And  let  your  longing  appetites 
The  rich  provision  taste." 

"This  day  is  a  day  of  good  tidings  :" 
I  am  sent  on  a  message  from  the  bounti- 
ful Provider  of  this  feast:  "Come,  for 
all  things  are  now  ready."  See,  my 
dear  hearers,  the  Master  is  at  the  table ; 
the  provisions  are  spread  ;  the  guests  are 
seated ;  but  Mary's  place  is  empty ;  La- 
zarus is  not  one  of  them  that  sit  at  the 
table  with  him;  .Tohn  is  not  yet  amongst 
his  disciples.  Have  not  you,  my  young 
friends,  who  hear  me  this  evening,  been 
the  burden  of  your  mother's  prayers  and 
hopes,  and  your  father's  expectations  for 


years  that  are  past  1  Come  to  this  bless- 
ed provision ;  this  is  "  a  day  of  good 
tidings"  for  you ;  when  you  are  heartily 
welcome  to  all  the  boundless  grace  of  the 
great  Provider. 

But  there  is  another  point  connected 
with  this  good  tidings,  and  that  is  this  : 
that  Jesus  Christ  has  led  many  of  us  ivho 
are  present  to  participate  in  the  provisions 
of  his  love.  And  this  makes  it  "  a  day  of 
good  tidings"  to  us.  Blessed  for  ever  be 
his  holy  name,  that  not  a  few  of  us  have 
tasted  that  he  is  gracious,  and  that  we 
can  put  our  hands  to  our  heart,  and  say 
that  the  ample  provisions  of  his  love 
have  not  only  satisfied,  but  done  more  for 
us  than  we  could  ask  or  think.  We  take 
up  the  language  of  Scripture  :  we  delight 
to  know  that  "  we  have  passed  from 
death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the  bre- 
thren." We  know  that  "  all  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God, 
to  them  who  are  the  called  according  to 
his  purpose."  "  We  know  whom  we 
have  believed,  and  are  persuaded  that  he 
is  able  to  keep  that  which  we  have  com- 
mitted unto  him  against  that  day."  "  We 
know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come,  and 
hath  given  us  an  understanding,  that  we 
may  know  him  that  is  true ;  and  we  are 
in  him  that  is  true,  even  in  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ."  We  know  that  his  "flesh  is 
meat  indeed,  and  his  blood  drink  indeed." 
We  "  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for 
our  sakes  he  became  poor,  that  we 
through  his  poverty  might  become  rich." 
"We  know  that,  when  he  shall  appear, 
we  shall  be  like  him ;  for  we  shall  see 
him  as  he  is."  Now  how  came  we  in 
this  happy  state  1  How  came  we  feel- 
ingly and  experimentally  to  know  these 
heavenly  truths  10"  not  unto  us,  O 
Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name  be 
the  glory,  for  thy  mercy  and  for  thy 
truth's  sake." 

Beloved,  the  four  leprous  men  exem- 
plify our  condition.  Like  them,  we  were 
cast  out  of  the  congregation  of  the  saints: 
like  them,  we  were  loathsome  in  our  own 
eyes :  like  them,  we  were  infectious  to 
our  neighbours :  like  them,  we  were  un- 
der the  ban  and  curse  of  God  ;  but,  like 
these   leprous  men,  he  filled    us    with 


448 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


views  of  our  own  misery,  made  us  dis- 
contented witli  the  state  in  which  we 
were,  raised  a  spark  of  hope  in  our  bo- 
soms, that  for  us  there  might  be  hope, 
and  that  we  might,  as  we  could  not  be 
in  a  worse  condition,  be  better,  by  appli- 
cation to  his  mercy  and  grace.  And  you 
who  hear  me  this  evening,  recollect  that 
the  day  in  which  we  live  must  necessa- 
rily be  "  a  day  of  good  tidings."  Who 
brought  you  to  London  1  Who  placed 
you  in  such  a  situation  1  Who  fixed 
you,  young  man,  in  that  counting-house, 
where  the  first  sermon  you  heard  should 
be  made  evidently  the  power  of  God  to 
your  salvation  1  0  methinks  I  see  your 
mother  taking  her  last  farewell  of  you ; 
and  as  you  went  away  from  the  door, 
she  lifted  up  her  voice  and  said,  "  God 
bless  thee,  my  son,  and  make  the  God  of 
thy  father  the  God  of  thy  life."  And 
God  has  answered  that  prayer;  and  this 
is  "a  day  of  good  tidings"  to  you.  O  it 
was  he  who,  by  the  operation  of  his  Spi- 
rit, applied  divinely  to  your  heart :  it 
was  he  who  brought  you  to  listen  to  its 
voice :  it  was  he  who  ordered  the  visit 
of  that  friend  ;  who  put  that  book  into 
your  hand ;  who  suggested  the  visit  to 
such  a  house,  or  such  a  family,  or  such  a 
temple  for  his  worship,  and  there  made 
the  gospel  instrumental  to  your  everlast- 
ing good. 

Now,  I  say,  behold  the  change;  you 
who  were  once  leprous  souls  are  become 
rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom  : 
you  are  satisfied  with  marrow  and  fat- 
ness;  and  your  mouth  praises  him  with 
joyful  lips  :  you  who  were  afar  oflf  are 
brought  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ :  and  though  the  day  may  be  dis- 
tant, yet  cleansed,  exalted,  justified,  and 
glorified,  you  shall  one  day  arise  to  the 
place  where  he  is,  and  see  him,  and  be 
like  him,  and  be  with  him,  and  shall 
change  your  lamentations  for  hallelujahs, 
your  pilgrim's  staff  for  the  palm-branch 
of  victory,  and  all  your  distresses  for 
everlasting  pleasures.  O  "  this  day  is  a 
day  of  good  tidings."  "  Bless  the  Lord, 
O  our  souls,  and  all  that  is  within  us 
bless  his  holy  name." 

But,   my   brethren,   there    is   another 
point  connected -with  the  day  in  which 


we  live  —  that  Jesus  Christ  has  opened 
channels  fur  ihe  publication  of  these  good 
tidings  to  others.  This  day  may  be  em- 
phatically called,  indeed,  "a  day  of  good 
tidings."  Will  you  indulge  me,  my  dear 
hearers,  by  reflecting  a  moment  on  the 
contrast  of  this  day  and  the  days  that 
have  preceded  us  ;  and  let  us  see  whether 
this  day  be  not  "  a  day  of  good  tidings," 
Formerly  the  Scriptures  were  not  com- 
pleted; now  the  canon  of  inspiration  is 
closed.  Formerly  the  Scriptures  were 
not  translated  ;  now  we  have  the  Bible, 
not  only  closed  as  it  respects  the  canon, 
but  we  have  it  translated  in  our  own  and 
numbers  of  other  languages.  Formerly 
the  saints  looked  forward  for  a  Saviour  to 
come ;  we  behold  him  arrived :  for  an 
atonement  to  be  made  ;  we  behold  it  fin- 
ished :  for  a  righteousness  to  be  ■wrought 
out ;  we  behold  it  brought  in.  Former- 
ly, my  brethren,  what  impediments  had 
the  primitive  disciples,  in  the  publication 
of  the  gospel,  in  the  governments  under 
which  they  lived  ;  our  government,  bless- 
ed be  God,  if  it  does  not  patronize,  does 
not  oppose ;  and  under  the  sanction  of 
this  government  we  can  carry  our  gospel 
every  where.  Formerly,  wherever  it  was 
preached,  the  exertions  of  our  brethren 
were  always  impeded  by  desolation  and 
war;  but  now  we  are  at  peace;  there  is 
no  port  shut  against  us;  missionaries 
may  be  sent  to  every  place. 

At  this  time  God  seems  to  be  going 
forth,  and  shaking  the  very  nations,  stir- 
ring up  the  minds  of  men  to  an  earnest 
desire  for  happiness ;  a  certain  something 
they  feel  they  want,  a  general  buzz  and 
cry  over  the  whole  world  for  a  certain 
something;  and  although  individuals  may 
not  know  exactly  what  they  want,  yet 
there  is  a  certain  anxiety  for  the  way  that 
leads  them  to  glory,  happiness,  and  eter- 
nal life,  which  the  gospel  so  amply  sup- 
plies. Now  they  are  throwing  off  the 
shackles  under  which  they  are  groaning, 
and  are  crying  for  Christ  and  the  gospel. 
Twenty  years  ago  the  public  press  was 
the  vehicle  of  slander  against  the  saints, 
and  against  the  Bible,  and  against  Christ; 
but  now  newspapers,  with  very  few  ex- 
ceptions, are  constrained  to  be  the  public 
and  avowed  advocates  of  the  kingdom  of 


THE  LEPERS  OF  SAMARIA. 


449 


Christ.  The  Missionary  Society — I  mean 
the  London  Missionary  Society — tlie  Bi- 
ble Society,  and  the  Tract  Society,  and 
others,  which  were  begun  with  a  hand- 
ful of  praying  men  in  Mr.  Hardcastle's 
counting-house,  and  rose  in  the  world  by 
little  and  little,  like  the  cloud  that  the 
prophet  saw,  now  rise  majestically,  like 
the  sun,  and  are  scattering  light,  salva- 
tion, joy,  and  peace  over  the  whole  world. 
Again,  the  petty  jealousies  and  distinc- 
tions amongst  Christians,  which  so  hin- 
dered and  impeded  the  work  of  conver- 
sion, are  wonderfully  softened  down,  so 
that  they  now  seem  to  vie  with  each 
other  who  can  do  the  most  good,  and 
who  can  most  extend  the  gospel  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  In  our  own  land 
light  is  spreading  in  every  direction. 
The  pulpits  of  the  established  church, 
which  many  years  ago  were  not  so  filled 
as  they  now  are,  now  we  see  are  filling 
in  every  direction  with  wise,  holy,  zeal- 
ous, devoted,  and  powerful  men.  The 
population  of  our  country,  which  was 
formerly  sunk  in  the  grossness  of  igno- 
rance and  darkness,  are  now — with  some 
exceptions  which  we  shall  afterwards 
show — are  now  placed  in  those  situations 
by  which  they  can  attain  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth,  in  hundreds  of  public 
places,  from  the  servants  of  Christ.  God 
is  putting  it  into  the  hearts  of  wealthy 
men  to  erect  places  of  worship.  One  in 
your  own  city  has  built  perhaps  as  many 
as  eleven  or  twelve;  another  has  built 
one  at  Bristol :  one  is  built  at  VVeston- 
super-mare  :  and  churches,  too,  without 
parliamentary  grants,  are  erected  by  the 
munificence  of  individuals  in  various  parts 
of  the  world,  and  the  glorious  gospel  of 
the  blessed  God  is  preached  in  these 
places.  Notwithstanding  the  difficulties 
connected  with  all  these  things,  we  see 
that  God  is  making  this  "  a  day  of  good 
tidings,"  by  opening  channels,  and  grant- 
ing facilities  for  the  publication  of  his 
truth,  which  unquestionably  never  ex- 
isted before.  The  days  of  the  Countess 
of  Huntingdon  are  in  some  respects  re- 
vived again.  She,  from  her  own  hearty 
desire,  and  love  for  the  spread  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Jesus,  would  now  sell  her  jewels 
for  the  sake  of  building  a  chapel ;  and 
Vol.  I 07 


now  strip  her  house  at  Ashby-de-la-Zouch 
of  its  furniture,  in  order  that  another 
house  of  God  might  be  erected  in  another 
part,  and  the  salvation  of  the  gospel  of 
God  made  known  to  the  sons  of  men. 

My  dear  hearers,  let  it  also  be  remem- 
bered that,  notwithstanding  the  difficult- 
ies, and  the  sacrifices,  and  the  distresses 
connected  now  with  home  and  foreign 
labours,  God  is  raising  up  both  his  ser- 
vants and  handmaidens,  very  willingly 
and  joyfully  to  take  this  work.  I  cannot 
but  also  look  at  the  immense  improve 
ment  in  our  own  land,  as  indicative  of 
God's  favour  in  this  day.  When  Mr. 
Rowland  Hill  first  commenced  his  exer- 
tions in  country  places,  how  different 
was  the  spirit  and  temper  of  the  times. 
When  he  first  went  forth  to  preach  the 
gospel  at  Devizes,  he  told  me  that  two 
individuals  endeavoured  to  waylay  him, 
and  with  an  oath  swore  he  should  not 
preach  the  sermon  that  evening,  and  that 
they  would  take  away  his  life  :  some  sin- 
gular circumstance  attended  his  emanci- 
pation from  their  grasp.  Persecution 
has  ceased  to  a  very  great  extent,  and 
God  is  giving  facilities  in  every  direction 
for  the  publication  of  his  truth.  There 
is  hardly,  perhaps,  a  village  or  town  in 
the  whole  kingdom  where  the  gospel  can- 
not, at  this  present  time,  make  its  way. 
These  are  facilities  which  we  could  not 
have  expected  or  dreamed  of  thirty  years 
ago.       • 

And  then,  brethren,  may  I  not  say  that, 
notwithstanding  the  difficulties  of  the 
times,  and  the  pressure  of  the  times  upon 
various  individuals,  yet  is  it  not  a  mar- 
vellous thing,  connected  with  the  present 
day,  that  the  subscriptions  to  the  various 
societies  increase  ;  and,  above  qll,  that  a 
greater  spirit  of  prayer  for  the  outpouring 
of  the  divine  influence  on  the  churches,, 
and  all  the  exertions  connected  with  mis- 
sionary and  home  labours,  connected  with 
the  great  work  of  God,  should  be  more 
amply  excited  among  the  churches,  is 
evidently  a  token  for  good  1  This  day  is 
indeed  "  a  day  of  good  tidings."  I  bless 
God  I  was  not  born  a  century  back ;  I 
thank  God  I  have  lived  to  see  1835  ;  for 
it  is  "  a  day  of  good  tidings."  It  warms 
and  cheers  our  hearts  to  see  God  going 
2p2 


450 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


out  before  us,  causing  a  noise  in  the 
camp,  and  making  tiie  enemy  fall  before 
us,  and  making  way  for  his  servants  to 
penetrate  the  dark  recesses  of  the  earth, 
and  claim  his  people  for  himself. 

I  pass  on,  in  the  second  place  to  notice 

that  THE  TEXT  REPROVES  OVR  INDIFFER- 
ENCE TO  THE  MISERIES  OF  OTHERS.       "  "V\  e 

do  not  well ;  this  day  is  a  day  of  good 
tidings."  This  may  appear  a  very  strange 
connexion  with  the  foregoing  statements 
that  I  have  made,  brethren :  but  a  very 
little  explanation  will,  perhaps,  alter  your 
opinion.  It  is  true  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
has  graciously  opened  channels,  and  giv- 
en facilities  for  the  publication  of  his 
gospel :  but,  beloved,  is  it  equally  true 
that  we  have  embraced  them  1  Will  you 
allow  me  to  put  this  question  very  se- 
riously, beloved,  to  your  consciences,  and 
to  my  own  conscience,  this  evening'? 
Has  the  Lord  Jesus  gone  out  before  us, 
and  granted  facilities  for  the  publication 
of  his  truth,  and  have  we  embraced  them  1 
Have  we  seized  these  openings  1  Have 
we,  as  he  has  opened,  entered  into  the 
breach,  planted  the  standard,  and  claimed 
the  territory  for  him?  No:  in  many 
cases  this  has  not  been  done.  Alas  !  my 
brethren,  if  every  conscience  brings  the 
subject  to  bear  upon  itself,  and  proposes 
these  questions  to  itself — "  Have  I  seized 
the  efficiencies  which  Christ  has  offered 
rae  to  make  known  the  bounties  of  his 
love  to  my  kindred,  to  my  neighbours, 
and  to  the  world  V  each  of  us  must  be 
condemned  to-night.  "  Have  I  made  any 
sacrii.ce  commensurate  with  the  object, 
or  equal  to  the  prospect  that  was  open 
before  me?  Have  I  made  Christ's  king- 
dom my  first,  my  earnest,  my  prime  re- 
quest?" Alas,  brethren  !  we  are  all  con- 
demned. What  have  we  endured,  com- 
pared with  Christ's  sufferings  for  us  ? 
What  have  we  given  that  we  could  not 
well  spare?  What  have  we  ever  made 
of  sacrifice  for  the  service  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ?  Beloved,  we  are  all  in 
the  same  condemnation  ;  we  are  all  con- 
victed and  condemned.  We  have  satis- 
fied ourselves  with  the  precious  provision 
of  the  gospel ;  but,  to  a  great  extent,  we 
have  forgotten  our  perishing  brethren. 
We  have  tasted,  alas  !  the  ease,  and  the 


comforts,  and  the  luxuries  of  our  own 
personal  enjoyments,  witliout  remember- 
ing that  our  brethren  were  perishing  for 
lack  of  knowledge. 

Certainly,  then,  "  we  do  not  well." 
For,  first,  let  it  be  remembered  that  w/iile 
this  disposition  exists  in  the  mind,  we  dis- 
honour our  character.  W  hat  is  our  clia- 
racter?  If  we  have  believed  in  Christ, 
we  are  the  sons  of  God  ;  we  are  united 
to  Christ,  our  elder  brother,  and  we  are 
under  infinite  obligations  to  his  bound- 
less love,  inexpressible  obligations  to  his 
gracious  care  and  love  to  us.  Now  all 
he  asks  us,  in  return  for  his  love  to  us,  is 
to  love  him  in  return- — not  to  be  ashamed 
of  him;  to  establish  his  kingdom,  and  to 
give  ourselves  up  to  his  service.  And 
who  would  think  the  terms  hard  that 
knew  the  blessedness  of  this  Master's 
service  ?  Who  would  even  think  that 
this  proposition  were  too  much  to  request 
of  souls  so  deeply  indebted  to  his  love 
and  to  his  mercy  ?  To  us,  and  to  us  only, 
he  has  deputed  the  honour  of  instrument- 
ally  bringing  home  to  his  fold  our  kin- 
dred and  our  countrymen.  Beloved,  our 
vows  are  upon  us :  we  have  opened  our 
mouths  to  the  Lord,  and  we  cannot  go 
back.  All  those  of  us  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  visit  the  table  of  the  Lord,  re- 
member our  vows  there.  How  oft  our 
hearts  have  been  deeply  impressed  with 
the  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  we  have 
said,  as  we  have  departed  from  his  house, 
"  I  am  the  Lord's  :  my  lime  is  his  ;  my 
talents  are  his;  my  property  is  his;  all 
that  I  have  is  his  :  my  Beloved  is  mine, 
and  I  am  his."  And  our  prayers  wit- 
ness against  us  as  much  as  our  vows. 
We  have  said,  "  Thy  kingdom  come  ;" 
and  did  we  mean  it?  Did  we  mean  that 
his  kingdom  should  come  when  we  so 
said  ?  Yes,  we  meant  that  his  kingdom 
should  come  ;  but  without  any  great  sa- 
crifice on  our  part:  or  else  we  have 
slighted  our  prayer.  If  we  withhold  our 
persons,  if  we  withhold  our  property,  if 
we  refuse  to  establish  his  kingdom  in  the 
earth,  let  us  relinquish  the  name  of  Chris- 
tian ;  it  does  not  belong  to  us. 

But,  secondly,  we  not  only  dishonour 
our  character,  but  we  disobey  Christ^s  com- 
mand.    Our  prayers  have  been,  "  Lead 


THE  LEPERS  OF  SAMARIA. 


451 


me  into  ihy  truth,  and  teach  me,  for  thou 
art  the  God  of  my  salvation:"  "Lord, 
what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ]"  has  been 
our  cry.  Now  this  is  his  instruction : 
*'  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature,  beginning 
at  Jerusalem."  Go  tell  the  world  my 
love,  but  begin  at  Jerusalem ;  begin  at 
your  own  homes ;  begin  where  the  peo- 
ple shed  my  precious  blood  ;  begin  where 
the  man  lives  that  nailed  me  to  the  tree; 
begin  where  the  soldier  resides  that 
pierced  my  side :  let  the  virtue  of  my 
cross,  and  its  salvation,  be  seen  by  those 
who  were  my  murderers  and  my  foes  : 
that  is,  begin  at  Jerusalem,  begin  at 
home. 

Now  this  is  not  an  arbitrary  com- 
mand of  the  Eternal,  my  brethren,  but  a 
very  necessary  answer  to  your  prayers, 
to  your  most  earnest  wish.  You  have 
prayed  that  his  kingdom  may  come;  and 
now  he  is  opening  his  way,  that  his  king- 
dom may  come,  for  you  to  embrace  the 
opportunities  that  will  be  the  means  of 
establishing  that  kingdom  in  tlie  world. 
It  is  the  very  work  in  which  you  delight, 
according  to  your  own  profession  in  your 
best  moments  at  the  footstool  of  divine 
rnercy,  that  you  have  earnestly  desired 
every  thing  that  has  now  happened  ;  and 
then  you  have  sung  that  hymn — 

"  Now  will  I  tell  to  sinners  round. 
What  a  dear  Saviour  I  have  found  ; 
I'll  point  to  his  redeeming  blood, 
And  say,  Behold  the  way  to  God." 

All  this  was  perfectly  sincere  at  the  time  ; 
but  it  must  be  carried  out  to  prove  its 
sincerity.  The  command  is  our  warrant ; 
the  promise  is  our  encouragement :  and 
if  we  live  in  disobedience  to  Christ's 
commands,  how  can  we  expect  his  bless- 
ing ]  "  We  do  not  well  :"  the  text  re- 
proves our  indifference.  If  our  hearts 
say,  we  are  too  weak  and  unworthy  to  be 
engaged  in  the  work,  then  I  hear  him 
saying,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee  ; 
my  strength  is  perfected  in  thy  weak- 
ness." "  By  me,"  says  the  leper,  "  he 
saved  Samaria  ;"  and  "  by  me"  the  little 
captive  maid,  in  her  master's  kitchen, 
was  the  means  of  saving  her  master's 
soul,   and   healing   her    master's    body. 


"  By  me"  the  fishermen  and  tax-gatherer 
converted  thousands.  And  it  is  his  plea- 
sure still  to  choose  the  weak  things  of 
the  world  to  confound  the  mighty,  and 
the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  bring  to 
naught  the  things  that  are.  Let,  there- 
fore, no  hearts  be  discouraged  in  their 
village  exertions,  in  their  visitations 
around  their  districts,  either  with  tracts, 
or  with  the  opportunity  in  society  round 
us — our  friends,  our  neighbours,  and  the 
poor  too,  in  speaking  for  Jesus  Christ- 
You  may  not  speak  so  eloquently  as  an 
ApoUos  ;  but  if  you  can  say  one  word  for 
your  Master,  for  the  Prophet  that  is  in 
Israel,  as  the  little  captive  maid  did  ;  who 
can  tell  but  that  God  may  give  that  word 
an  efficacy  and  blessing,  which  the  great- 
est efforts  without  his  blessing  would  not 
effect  ] 

There  are  especial  and  great  encourage- 
ments resulting  from  such  a  thought  as 
this,  to  an  extended  exertion.  Where 
shall  we  find  men  for  the  purpose  1  This 
is  the  great,  the  last,  the  only  question 
that  we  should  ever  propose  to  ourselves* 
The  great  question  that  commends  itself 
to  our  especial  notice  is.  What  has  Christ 
commanded  1  What  is  the  work  he 
would  have  us  do  1  We  are  to  go  and 
labour,  and  leave  the  rest  to  him;  Suc- 
cess is  not  ours  ;  labour  is  ours.  He  has 
the  gold  and  the  silver  in  his  possession  ; 
and  as  he  raises  up  friends  for  different 
institutions,  he  manifestly  proves  that  he 
has  the  hearts  of  all  in  his  hands.  O, 
dear  Christian  friends,  there  is  a  branch 
of  liberality  I  want  to  see  extended.  I 
think  I  may  say  that  many  of  the  Chris- 
tian friends  of  the  church  "do  not  well." 
How  many  rich  members  have  we,  to 
whom  it  would  be  no  sacrifice  each  to 
support  a  missionary?  Christ's  com- 
mand is,  "  Go  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 
"  Why,"  says  the  rich  and  wealthy  pro- 
fessor, the  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  "  I  cannot  go,"  True,  but  then 
you  can  go  by  deputy ;  and  why  not 
have  your  deputy  in  a  heathen  land  I 
Why  not  have  your  deputy  at  home  ? 
Why  not  have  him  circulating  the  know- 
ledge of  the  gospel  around  your  city;  in 
the  village  where  you  were  born,  and 


452 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


perpetuate  the  memory  of  Jesus  Christ 
there,  in  the  very  place  where  you  your- 
self cannot  gol  May  I  beg  to  press  this 
upon  the  attention  of  Christians'?  How 
much  more  noble,  how  much  more  dura- 
ble the  monument  would  thus  be  after 
the  decease  of  the  individual,  to  have  a 
man  of  God  publishing  Christ's  salvation 
in  the  spot  where,  perhaps,  that  person 
was  brought  up — in  poverty,  perhaps, 
brought  up  ;  but  who  came  to  this  great 
city,  or  went  to  other  places,  and  God 
blessed  him,  and  caused  his  riches  to  in- 
crease :  how  much  better  would  it  be  to 
have  a  monument  inscribing  his  name, 
and  telling  of  deeds  that  few,  perhaps, 
ever  saw. 

But  I  pass  on  to  notice,  in  the  next 
place,  that  the  text  pronounces  our 
PUNISHMENT  IF  WE  DELAY.  "  If  we  tarry 
till  the  morning  light,  some  mischief  will 
befall  us."  I  will  not  detain  you,  my 
beloved,  long  in  proving  a  point  which  I 
believe  you  will  all  subscribe,  that  some 
mischief  will  certainly  fall  on  the  heads 
of  those  who,  knowing  their  duty,  do  not 
fulfil  it.  It  is  not  doubtful,  it  is  not 
chimerical :  but  it  is  plain,  and  certain, 
and  awful.  Yet  I  cannot  suffer  this  op- 
portunity to  escape,  brethren,  without 
stirring  up  your  minds  by  way  of  remem- 
brance. Let  me  just  therefore  remark 
that  the  Scriptures  assure  us,  if  we  de- 
lay, three  things  shall  befall  us  :  first,  our 
eyes  shall  see  the  destruction  of  our  kin- 
dred ;  secondly,  our  souls  shall  want  the 
joys  of  God's  salvation  ;  and  thirdly,  our 
conduct  shall  receive  the  condemnation 
of  Christ. 

If  we  delay  this  work  our  eyes  shall  see 
the  destruction  of  our  kindred.  When  our 
beloved  Lord  had  used  all  efforts  to  evan- 
gelize Jerusalem,  by  preaching,  by  mira- 
cles, by  residing  amongst  them,  by  va- 
rious conversations,  and  yet,  after  all, 
their  misery  affected  his  heart ;  he  could 
not  look  upon  them  without  tears.  Many 
times  he  wept  in  his  prayers  ;  but  there 
are  two  scenes  only  recorded  where  he 
publicly  wept :  the  one  was  at  the  grave 
of  Lazarus,  his  dear  friend ;  and  the 
other  was  when  he  looked  over  Jerusa- 
lem, and  saw  the  people  perishing — peo- 
ple who  had  discarded  the  prophets  that 


had  been  sent  tl.em.  Now  what  should 
our  grief,  beloved,  be  to  see  souls  brought 
every  hour  to  the  brink  of  hell,  and  know 
that,  if  they  die,  they  must  fall  therein, 
and  to  reflect  that  we  have  used  no  ade- 
quate means  to  succour  and  save  their 
souls  !  Do  you  believe  it,  my  brethren, 
that  there  are  Jive  millions  of  your  own 
countrymen,  who  either  have  not  the 
means  to  attend  public  worship — that  is, 
there  are  not  places  of  worship  for  them 
to  attend — or  else  they  are  not  in  the  ha- 
bit of  hearing  the  gospel  at  all  ]  Do  you 
believe  that  fact  1  If  you  do,  I  will  tell 
you  this:  that,  supposing  thirty  years  to 
be  the  duration  of  one  generation,  then 
there  are  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  thou- 
sand of  your  own  countrymen  dying  with- 
out Christ  every  year;  and  there  zrefour 
hundred  and  ffty  of  your  ow  n  country- 
men dying  every  day  without  the  know- 
ledge of  Christ  and  his  salvation  !  This 
is  an  appalling  fact,  my  dear  brethren ; 
but  can  you  look  calmly  and  coldly  on 
this,  O  ye  that  love  Christ  ]  Is  it  a  mat- 
ter of  indifference  that  these  individuals 
should  pass  into  eternity,  without  any 
effort  on  your  part  to  pluck  them  as  brands 
from  the  burning'?  Esther  felt  when 
the  decree  was  issued  against  her  coun- 
trymen;  and  she  sighed  and  mourned 
over  it ;  and  she  said,  "  How  can  I  en- 
dure to  see  the  evil  that  shall  come  upon 
my  people  ■?  How  can  I  endure  to  see 
the  destruction  of  my  kindred  ?"  And 
cannot  you  say  the  same  ■? 

There  is,  however,  another  point  to 
consider.  The  evil  that  shall  befall  us 
shall  be  this — our  souls  shall  tvant  the  joys 
of  God''s  salvation.  And  tell  me,  my  dear 
brethren,  let  your  consciences  speak  to 
yourselves  candidly  this  evening,  what 
have  you  ever  lost  by  obedience  to  Jesus 
Christ"?  Begin  your  calculation  in  his 
house  this  evening.  When  have  you 
denied  yourself  any  of  the  luxuries  of 
life,  and  perhaps  a  few  of  its  comforts  1 
When  have  you  unflinchingly  taken  up 
your  cross  in  obedience  to  his  commands  ? 
When  have  you  made  the  greatest  sacri- 
fices to  his  cause,  and  endeavoured  to 
follow  out  all  his  commands  ]  I  ask, 
Has  he  not  repaid  you  with  his  "  favour, 
which  is  better  than  life,"  and  made  your 


THE  LEPERS  OF  SAMARIA. 


453 


cup  overflow  with  spiritual  blessings'? 
Has  he  nof?  And  when  you  have  neg- 
lected his  cause,  and  put  earth  first  and 
heaven  last ;  when  you  have  cherished 
the  luxuries  and  comforts  of  life  in  your 
heart,  instead  of  Christ's  cause  and  his 
service;  when  you  have  put  self  above 
Christ,  and  held  the  salvation  of  your 
souls  indifferent,  thinking  of  your  busi- 
ness, of  your  activity  in  life,  or  of  your 
family,  or  of  your  neighbourhood,  or  of 
your  honour — have  not  the  chariot  wheels 
of  devotedness  and  duty  dragged  very 
heavily]  Have  you  found  communion 
with  Christ  so  sweet  then  as  formerly, 
when  your  first  love  burned  on  the  altar 
of  your  heart?  Have  you  not  found  the 
ordinances  of  God  without  that  refresh- 
ment which  you  previously  had?  Have 
you  not  walked  in  darkness,  and  had  no 
light?  I  put  it  thus,  beloved,  to  your 
consciences,  seriously  and  affectionately, 
this  evening,  whether  that  passage  is  not 
true — "  He  that  knoweth  my  command- 
ments, and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that 
loveth  me  ;  and  I  will  love  him,  and  my 
Father  will  love  him  ;  and  we  will  come 
and  make  our  abode  with  him."  All  our 
consciences  testify,  brethren,  that  this  is 
true :  and  therefore  this  mischief  shall 
befall  us — that,  if  we  act  not  up  to  our 
convictions  of  the  pressing  duties  which 
are  claiming  our  attention  in  Christ's 
cause,  our  souls  shall  want  the  joys  of 
God's  salvation. 

Again  :  our  conduct  shall  receive  the  con- 
demnation of  Christ.  I  refer  now  to  the 
last  day.  That  is  so  plainly  spoken  of, 
that  it  needs  no  illustration  :  "  Inasmuch 
as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of  the  least  of 
these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me."  But  I  now 
advert  to  the  state  of  mind  which  indiffer- 
ence to  Christ's  cause  brings ;  and  to  the 
dishonour  which  even  now  it  casts  upon 
God.  The  inhabitants  of  Meroz  did  not 
help  the  enemy ,-  they  did  not  oppose  the 
enemy  ;  but  they  stayed  at  home  :  while 
their  brethren  were  engaged  in  war,  and 
were  going  out  against  the  enemy,  they 
quietly  looked  on.  There  was  no  oppo- 
sition, there  was  nothing  directly  oppo- 
site in  their  conduct.  No  ;  they  indiffer- 
ently looked  at  the  war;  they  neither 
sent  supplies  of  money  nor  treasures  into 


the  camp  ;  and  their  oppressed  brethren 
might  fight  their  own  wars,  and  endure 
their  own  perils  for  them.  And  what 
was  the  consequence  1  A  voice  from 
heaven  said,  "Curse  ye  Meroz;  curse 
ye  bitterly  the  inhabitants  of  Meroz  ;  be- 
cause they  came  not  to  the  help  of  the 
Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the 
mighty."  They  were  not  opponents; 
but  our  Lord  has  stated  precisely  in  the 
same  terms — "  He  that  is  not  with  me  is 
against  me."  Neutrality,  beloved,  is 
here  quite  impossible  :  we  are  one  thing 
or  the  other;  we  are  Christians,  or  we 
are  enemies  to  Christ. 

Let  us,  therefore,  see,  brethren,  that 
we  live  up  to  these  privileges.  And  the 
apostle  explains,  in  another  case,  the 
kind  of  punishment  such  individuals  often 
receive  :  "  Receiving  in  themselves  the 
recompense  of  their  error,  which  was 
meet."  They  "  received  in  themselves 
the  recompense  of  their  error,  which  was 
meet."  Can  there  be  a  greater  punish- 
ment than  to  be  given  up  to  an  indiffer- 
ent, covetous,  hardened  state  of  mind'? 
O,  to  have  it  said  to  a  man,  "  Let  him 
alone,"  must,  of  all  the  terrors  which 
God  can  pour  upon  an  individual  on  this 
side  hell,  be  the  worst.  See  it  exempli- 
fied in  Judas  ;  see  it  exemplified  in  Saul ; 
see  it  exemplified  in  Demas.  Let  us 
dread  the  brink  of  such  a  precipice,  the 
approach  to  such  a  fearful  state  as  this. 
"  From  all  hardness  of  heart  towards  our 
suffering,  miserable  brethren,  good  Lord 
deliver  us." 

But,  beloved,  we  hope  better  things  of 
you,  and  things  that  accompany  salva- 
tion, though  we  thus  speak.  Your  very 
presence  here  this  evening  intimates  a 
contrary  spirit.  You  have  come,  it  is 
true,  with  the  earnest  desire  to  hear  what 
might  be  said,  relative  to  the  various 
openings  which  are  about  to  be  made,  or 
which  are  making,  or  which  are  already 
made,  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ.  In  many  cases,  perhaps, 
the  want  of  the  knowledge  has  been  the 
result  of  the  want  of  liberality  on  your 
part.  The  subject,  perhaps,  has  not 
been  sufficiently  presented  before  you, 
and  you  have  not  therefore  thought  of  it. 
You   are  saying  this  evening,  "  Jesus, 


454 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


what  shall  I  do  to  show  how  much  I  love 
thy  charming  name]"  The  text  would, 
in  the  last  place,  suggest  the  conduct 

WHICH  you  OUGHT  TO  ADOPT  UNDER  PRE- 
SENT CIRCUMSTANCES.  "  Let  US  go,"  the 
text  says,  "  and  tell  the  king's  house- 
hold." And,  brethren,  let  us  go  and  carry 
the  gospel  to  our  poor  brethren  and  sisters 
in  England  that  are  perishing  for  lack  of 
knowledge.  Beloved,  our  brethren  are 
perishing;  and  will  you  be  kind  enough 
this  evening  to  look  steadfastly  at  their 
condition.  I  do  not  wish  you  to  look 
merely  at  the  exterior ;  their  drunken- 
ness, and  their  vices,  and  their  prodigali- 
ty, are,  perhaps,  very  distressing :  but  I 
wish  you  to  look  further  than  these 
things;  I  wish  you  to  look  at  the  cause  of 
all  tlris :  and  the  cause  of  all  this  is,  that 
they  are  without  God,  and  they  are  with- 
out Christ,  and  they  are  without  hope  in 
the  world.  If  they  would  go,  as  they 
should  go,  to  Christ,  the  cause  of  all 
their  evils  would  instantly  be  banished. 
They  are  famishing  not  for  bread  made 
of  the  finest  of  the  wheat;  our  flax,  our 
wool,  and  our  wine  they  want  not:  and 
if  they  were  dying  of  famine,  if  they  had 
but  Christ's  love  in  their  hearts,  why 
famine  would  only  be  a  nearer  road  to 
immortality :  it  would  be  like  going 
across  the  field,  instead  of  going  the  long 
way  round  by  the  road.  But  they  are 
perishing  for  lack  of  the  bread  of  life ; 
are  dying  for  want  of  the  water  of  life  ; 
are  thirsting  for  pardon,  and  they  know 
not  where  it  is  to  be  had.  And  though 
some  of  them,  perhaps,  reject  it;  and 
when  your  missionaries  go  to  their  doors, 
and  say,  "  We  come  to  tell  you  about  the 
Saviour,"  they  say,  "  We  do  not  want  to 
hear  it ;  we  want  neither  you  nor  your 
doctrine:"  will  you  say,  "Let  them 
alone  in  their  ignorance  ?"  That  be  far 
from  you.  Look  at  that  maniac  :  does  he 
ask  you  to  come  and  help  him  1  Does 
he  beg  you  to  take  off  his  fetters  1  Does 
he  say,  "Set  me  at  liberty'?"  No:  he 
dances  in  his  chains  ;  he  calls  his  fetters 
his  ornaments ;  he  looks  out  of  the  win- 
dow of  his  cell,  and  he  talks  about  his 
inheritance ;  he  lifts  up  his  walking- 
stick,  and  tells  you  it  is  a  sceptre  ;  he 
points  to  the  seat  on  which  he  sits,  and 


tells  you  it  is  his  throne.  Do  you  pity 
him  the  less  because  he  is  under  a  delu- 
sion; because  he  is  ignorant  ?  Ono;  the 
very  circumstances  of  the  poor  maniac 
awaken  your  tender  sympathies,  and  you 
pour  over  him,  on  account  of  his  igno- 
rance and  his  delusion,  your  warmest  and 
most  tender  feelings.  I  have  sometimes 
been  at  a  funeral,  where  the  dear  infants 
have  lost  their  dearest  earthly  relation — 
their  tender  mother ;  and  I  have  seen 
them  pleased  with  their  black  clothes, 
and  playing  with  them,  and  running  about 
the  room  with  apparent  deliglit  that  they 
had  got  these  new  habiliments :  and 
many  a  sigh  from  the  company  present 
had  issued  from  the  mouth  as  they  said, 
"Ah,  dear  little  children!  you  do  not 
know  what  you  have  lost."  Do  you  pity 
them  the  less  because  they  are  ignorant, 
because  they  do  not  know  the  value  of 
the  person  they  have  lost]  No:  you 
sympathize  with  them,  and  pour  out  your 
souls  in  prayer  for  them. 

And  this  is  the  very  case  with  our 
countrymen;  many  of  them  reject  the 
truth,  and  despise  the  truth :  and  that 
very  consideration  should  awaken  the 
tenderest  sympathies  of  your  heart,  to 
send  them  more  fully  the  gospel  of  our 
God.  O  beloved,  they  are  perishing; 
they  are  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge ; 
and  that  should  awaken  your  sympathy. 
Wliy,  you  have  sixty  agents  in  your 
work ;  and  you  have  four  hundred  vil- 
lages ;  and  you  have  about  thirteen  thou- 
sand hearers ;  and  you  have  four  thou- 
sand Sabbath-school  children.  I  bless 
God  that  you  have  :  but  when  you  think 
that  there  are  many  villages,  and  many 
stations,  where,  for  the  compass  of  twenty 
miles  round  that  station,  it  is  impossible 
to  hear  the  word  of  life  preached,  let  it 
awaken  your  sympathies,  and  your  earnest 
desires,  and  your  liberality  too,  to  send 
them  the  gospel.  O  let  us  tell  them  that 
the  victory  is  gained  ;  that  the  pardon  is 
offered,  that  salvation  is  presented,  and 
that  Christ  bids  every  sinner  come  and 
partake  of  the  bounties  of  his  love  and 
his  salvation  for  ever.  So  shall  you 
have,  dear  hearers,  "  the  blessing  of  them 
that  were  ready  to  perish"  come  upon 
you. 


THE  LEPERS  OF  SAMARIA. 


455 


It  suggests,  in  the  second  place,  that 
we  should  go  and  tell  of  these  glad  tidings, 
because  success  is  certain.  Success  is  cer- 
tain. What  though  many  of  your  dear 
missionaries,  who  toil  night  and  day  in 
the  work,  have  not  had  the  extended  en- 
couragement of  their  heart's  desire  which 
you  could  wish  —  will  you  give  up? 
Brethren,  the  London  Missionary  vSociety 
spread  the  table  of  the  gospel,  with  all 
its  provisions,  for  fifteen  years  in  Ota- 
heite,  and  not  one  soul  was  converted  by 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  as  was  known 
to  the  missionaries,  during  that  time. 
But  the  day  of  Christ's  power  was  to 
come  :  lo,  a  nation,  as  it  were,  was  born 
in  a  day :  a  revival  took  place ;  God 
came  down,  dispersed  all  the  mists  of 
darkness,  and  pointed  the  sinners'  con- 
science to  the  salvation.  "  He  must  in- 
crease :"  not  only  his  kingdom  shall 
come  ;  but  he  must  increase  :  "  he  shall 
see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall 
be  satisfied  :"  he  "  will  pour  out  his  Spirit 
upon  all  flesh,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  the 
salvation  of  our  God."  If  we  had  been 
entirely  defeated  in  this  cause,  defeat  in 
this  would  be  better  than  success  in  any 
other.  But  we  are  not  defeated.  It  is 
true  that  now  and  then  a  little  drop  of 
divine  influence  descends  on  the  congre- 
gation, and  our  brother  is  pricked  to  the 
heart;  and  our  sister  feels  the  power  of 
the  truth  ;  and  our  mother  is  awakened 
to  seriousness ;  and  our  father  comes 
home  with  conviction  on  his  conscience ; 
and  our  neighbour  is  alarmed  for  his 
state.  But  presently  a  greater  work  than 
this  shall  be  seen :  when  the  Spirit  of 
God  shall  be  poured  out  from  on  high, 
then  numbers  shall  wake  and  cry  out, 
"  What  must  we  do  to  be  saved  ]"  Bre- 
thren, your  heavenly  Leader  has  gone  up 
before  you :  he  has  taken  all  the  princi- 
pal places,  all  the  forts  and  towers  of  the 
enemy ;  and  he  bids  you,  "  Follow  me  :" 
he  says,  "  There  is  much  land  yet  to  be 
possessed  ;"  and  he  calls  on  you,  and 
says,  "  Why  are  ye  slack  to  go  and  par- 
take of  this  land ;  why  are  ye  slack  1 
Why  do  ye  not  go  up  and  plant  the  stand- 


ard of  the  cross  upon  the  soil,  and  claim 
it  for  me  ?"  Why,  because  our  hearts 
are  cold ;  and  because  our  souls  do  not 
listen  to  the  glorious  tidings  of  the  con- 
quests of  that  Saviour,  which  are  now  to 
be  presented  upon  the  earth. 

Dear  hearers,  when  you  think,  then, 
that  success  is  certain,  that  every  guinea 
you  give  to  the  cause  of  God  shall  be,  as 
it  were,  a  seed  dropped — the  very  mite 
given  into  the  treasury,  shall  go  towards 
furnishing  the  gospel  of  God  to  the  poor 
and  the  miserable  among  your  own  coun- 
trymen—  whilst  you  think  Christ  has 
bound  himself,  by  oath  and  promise,  to 
bless  every  effort  made  ;  let  this  stimu- 
late you  again  to  renew  your  efforts, 
again  to  desire  that  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
may  be  revealed,  that  all  your  kindred 
may  see  his  gospel. 

Finally,  brethren,  let  us  furnish  this 
gospel  to  our  countrymen,  for  our  oppor- 
tunities are  vanishing.  Time  is  hasten- 
ing on  ;  health  is  inconstant;  the  fashion 
of  the  world  passeth  away.  This,  this 
is  the  only  time  we  can  use  our  strength, 
and  talents,  and  time,  and  money.  Give, 
therefore,  this  evening,  as  if  this  were 
the  last  act  of  your  lives;  as  if  you  were 
about  to  stand  at  the  bar  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  to  be  judged  for  the  deeds  done  in 
the  body.  Let  the  truths  that  you  have 
heard  impress  your  mind :  and  now,  at 
the  cry  of  this  one  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  who  are  annually  dying,  and  of 
the  five  millions  who  are  without  the 
gospel,  and  the  four  hundred  and  fifty 
daily  who  are  waking  in  eternity  without 
God  and  without  hope  ;  now,  while  tlieir 
cry  is  ringing  in  your  ears,  and  while  the 
Spirit  of  God  is  speaking  through  his 
word,  now  arm  yourselves  against  all 
selfishness,  and  against  all  covetousness, 
and  let  the  love  of  Christ  take  an  entire 
hold  of  your  spirit,  while  you  say, 

"  Awakej  my  dormant  zeal ;  for  ever  flame 
With  generous  ardour  for  immortal  souls : 
And  thou  my  head,  and  heart,  and  hands,  and 

all. 
Spend  and  be  spent  in  service  so  divine." 


SERMON  L. 

THE  MORAL  INFLUENCE  WE  EXERT  AFTER  DEATH. 
BY   THE  REV.  J.  GUMMING,  A.M.* 


"  He  being  dead  yet  speaketh." — Heb.  xi.  4. 


There  can  be  no  question  that  the  text, 
m  its  primary  import,  refers  to  the  faith 
and  accepted  sacrifice  of  Abel ;  and  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  conveys  the  important 
truth,  that  the  departed  son  of  Eve  pro- 
claims a  useful  and  healthful  lesson,  even 
from  the  chambers  of  the  tomb — namely, 
that  the  blood  of  Jesus  our  sacrifice  is  the 
ground  of  all  our  hopes  and  acceptance, 
and  that  by  him  alone,  as  the  living  way, 
is  there  access  to  the  Father.  But  we 
may  fairly  depart  from  the  personal  and 
specific  idea  involved  in  the  text,  and  pre- 
sent it  as  one  of  those  general  and  great 
principles  which  have  a  bearing  on  all — 
a  lesson  to  the  living,  and  a  truth  con- 
cerning the  dead.  Every  son  of  man,  as 
well  as  Abel,  "  being  dead  yet  speaketh." 
Every  man  that  plays  a  part  in  the  great 
drama  of  human  life,  leaves,  at  his  de- 
parture, an  impress  and  an  influence, 
more  or  less  extensive  and  lasting.  The 
grave  of  the  peasant  and  the  mausoleum 
of  the  prince,  are  alike  vocal.  The  sepul- 
chral vault  in  which  the  scion  of  royalty 
was  laid  the  other  day,  as  well  as  the 
cold,  wet,  opening  of  the  earth  in  which 
the  way-side  beggar  was  buried,  utters 
audible  and  actuating  oratory.  From 
every  one  of  the  dead  a  voice  is  heard,  in 
some  circle  of  the  world's  inliabitants, 
which  the  knell  of  their  departure  does 
not  drown — which  the  earth  and  the  green 
sod  do  not  muffle — which  neither  deaf- 
ness, nor  distance,  nor  anything  that  man 
may   devise,    can    possibly   extinguish. 

♦Occasioned  by  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Irving,  A.M. 
456 


Every  churchyard  speaks  often  far  more 
thrilling  accents  than  the  senate  house  of 
the  congregations  of  the  living. 

No  fact  is  more  self-evident,  or  more 
universally  admitted,  than  the  text;  and 
no  fiict  withal  is  more  generally  disre- 
garded by  the  living.  Do  not  the  say- 
ings and  doings  of  your  departed  relatives 
often  arrest  you  in  the  busy  stir  of  human 
life,  and,  according  to  their  tone  and  cha- 
racter, supply  you  with  fresh  incentives 
to  holiness  and  religion,  or  to  godless- 
ness  and  impiety  ]  'Do  not  their  words 
often  echo  in  the  cells  of  memory  ?  Do 
not  their  features  and  their  forms  start 
into  bright  contrast  with  the  darkness  of 
actual  absence,  and  light  up  the  chambers 
of  imagery  with  early  recollections  1  Do 
not  the  sounds  of  the  one,  and  the  sight  of 
the  other,  reach  your  hearts,  and  tell  upon 
your  resolutions,  your  actions,  and  your 
hopes'?  And,  just  in  proportion  to  the 
width  of  the  sphere  in  which  the  departed 
moved,  and  the  strength  of  intellectual 
and  moral  character  they  possessed  and 
developed,  will  be  the  duration  and  the 
plastic  power  of  that  influence  they  have 
left  behind  them.  A  son,  for  instance, 
trained  to  maturity  under  the  affectionate 
superintendence  of  a  religious  mother, 
breaks  loose  in  the  days  of  his  manhood 
from  all  the  restraints  and  ties  that  bound 
him  to  the  ways  of  pleasantness  and  peace, 
and  wounds  the  heart  of  his  parent,  and 
brings  her  gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the 
grave.  In  after  years,  and  in  the  far-ofl 
land  of  his  prodigality  and  guilt,  early 
impressions  look  forth  from  his  memory, 


MORAL  INFLUENCE  EXERTED  AFTER  DEATH. 


437 


from  beneath  the  wreck  and  rubbish  by 
which  they  are  covered,  and  rivet  his 
thoughts  on  the  past.  In  this  stilly  hour 
the  ghosts  of  departed  scenes  of  innocence 
and  peace  flit  before  him,  and  the  voice  of 
his  heart-broken  mother  rings  amid  his 
heart's  emptiness,  and  she  "  being  dead 
yet  speaketh"  from  her  grave,  with  an 
emphasis  and  effect  which  she  could  not 
command  while  she  sat  beneath  her  own 
roof,  and  beside  her  own  hearth.  A  re- 
action takes  place  in  his  conduct,  and  all 
by  the  instrumentality  of  the  holy  conver- 
sation and  unblemished  worth  of  her 
whose  lips  are  closed  in  death,  and  who 
"  being  dead  nevertheless  speaketh"  for 
her  God,  his  truth,  and  his  glory. 

Or  we  may  vary  the  illustration,  and 
adopt  that  of  a  departed  minister  of  Jesus. 
His  tongue  was  ever  eloquent  in  the  cause 
of  piety  and  eternal  things,  and  his  life 
was  the  exact  counterpart  of  his  creed — 
the  echo  of  his  preaching,  the  legible  and 
the  living  illustration  of  all  his  sermons. 
Under  such  a  ministry  as  this,  many  re- 
mained impregnable  to  the  claims  of  eter- 
nity, "  dead  ia  trespasses  and  sins." 
When  he  has  been  gathered  to  his  fathers, 
and  the  voice  that  sounded  the  trumpet 
of  alarm  and  of  battle  has  been  hushed  in 
the  silence  of  the  tomb,  and  the  fingers 
that  were  taught  by  .Tehovah  to  fight,  and 
to  wield  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  are 
nerveless  in  death — 0  !  often  there  comes 
from  the  pastor  laid  in  the  grave,  a  more 
persuasive  and  melting  eloquence,  than 
there  came  from  the  pastor  standing  in 
the  pulpit;  and  from  the  herald  of  Jesus 
wrapped  in  his  winding-sheet,  a  more 
successful  sermon,  than  from  the  herald 
of  Jesus  robed  in  the  emblems  of  his  mi- 
nisterial character.  Deep  often  is  the 
appeal  that  comes  from  his  grave,  and 
spirit-stirring  and  touching  the  discourse 
which  "  he  being  dead  yet  speaketh." 
His  example  lingers  behind  him  ;  the  im- 
perishable of  his  nature  walks  among  his 
flock,  visiting  their  homes,  comforting  the 
mourner,  warning  the  careless,  and  teach- 
ing the  ignorant,  and  continues  to  stand 
in  the  pulpit  which  the  living  man  occu- 
pied, and  "  to  reason  of  righteousness, 
and  temperance,  and  judgment." 

This,  my  Christian  brethren,  is  the  fair 
Vol.  I.— 58 


side  of  the  portrait ;  and  were  the  influ- 
ence left  behind  by  the  dead  universally 
of  this  stamp  and  character,  then  would 
men  be  throughout  their  biography  like 
visitant  angels  of  mercy  passing  athwart 
our  miserable  world,  distilling  balm  and 
scattering  light  among  men's  sons  ;  or  as 
transient  gales  from  the  spicy  lands  of  the 
East,  or  glorious  meteors  arising  in  rapid 
succession  amidst  the  moral  darkness  of 
the  earth,  imparting  light  and  fearless- 
ness to  its  many  pilgrims,  and  this  would 
be  bettered  by  every  successive  genera- 
tion, till  it  arose  and  expanded  to  its  mil- 
lennial blessedness  and  peace.  But  alas  ! 
if  many  of  the  dead  yet  speak  for  God, 
and  for  the  eternal  welfare  of  humanity, 
many,  many  also  speak  for  Satan,  and 
ply  after,  as  before  their  death,  the  awful 
work  of  sealing  souls  in  their  slumber, 
and  smoothing  and  adorning  the  paths 
that  lead  to  eternal  death.  Just  reverse 
the  portraits  we  have  drawn.  Suppose 
that  the  mother  we  have  alluded  to  was 
one  that  forgot,  alike  and  altogether,  the 
claims  of  her  God,  her  soul,  and  her  fami- 
ly ;  and,  both  by  her  example  and  her 
tuition,  fostered  the  evil  passions  which 
are  indigenous  to  our  nature.  What  is 
the  language  in  which  she  "  being  dead 
yet  speaks  V  What  is  the  influence  she 
leaves  behind  her "?  It  is  the  same  voice 
that  comes  from  her  home  and  her  grave  : 
"  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we 
die :"  and  often  and  again  will  her  evil 
maxims  be  quoted,  and  her  wicked  life 
appealed  to,  for  incentives  to  sin,  and  en- 
couragement in  the  works  and  ways  of 
iniquity.  She  is  dead,  but  the  contagion 
of  her  character  is  alive.  Her  form  is 
beneath  the  earth,  but  her  voice  is  still 
heard  to  the  extent  of  its  sphere,  and  the 
spectre  of  her  immorality  stalks  among 
those  that  were  attached  to  her  in  life  : 
and,  just  in  proportion  to  the  many  amia- 
bilities of  her  character,  will  be  the  depth 
and  duration  of  the  impression  made  by  the 
vices  of  her  character.  Or  we  may  pass 
to  the  higher  platform,  and  quote  the 
Christian  minister.  Lefus  suppose  that 
his  creed  and  his  conduct  were  irrecon- 
cilable antagonists — that  he  preached  like 
a  seraph,  and  lived  like  a  devil — that  he 
preached  so  well  that  it  was  a  pity  he 
2Q 


458 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


ever  left  the  pulpit,  but  lived  so  ill  that  i  dying  influence  which   genius  can  exert 


it  was  a  pity  he  ever  entered  it.  0  !  how 
destructive  the  sermons  which  he  "  being 
dead  yet  speaketh !"  Every  godless 
hearer  he  has  left  behind  him  will  appeal 
to  the  doings  of  his  deceased  minister  for 
a  sort  of  license  to  his  conduct,  and  in- 
dulgence for  his  sins ;  and  the  unhappy 
man  will  destroy  more  after  his  death  than 
iluring  his  life. 

Thus  the  departed  sinner,  as  well  as 
the  departed  saint,  "  being  jdead  yet 
speaketh."  Thus  our  sins  as  well  as 
our  virtues  survive.  Thus  we  exert  a 
posthumous  influence  which  adds  either 
an  impulse  upon  the  advancing  chariot  of 
salvation,  or  throws  stumbling-blocks  and 
obstacles  in  its  way.  These  last  charac- 
ters are  like  baleful  comets  that  traverse 
our  cano])y  for  awhile,  leaving  behind 
them  pestilence,  and  plague,  and  mildew  ; 
or,  like  the  fell  simooms  of  the  desert, 
wafting  moral  death  and  desolation  to 
every  scene  which  they  visit.  It  is  for 
these  reasons  that  we  urge  every  one  to 
read  the  lives  of  illustrious  martyrs,  and 
apostles,  and  saints,  who  "being  dead 
yet  speak,"  in  behalf  of  all  that  is  holy, 
and  honest,  and  of  good  report ;  and  it  is 
for  this  reason  especially  that  we  would 
warn  ever}^  man,  and  teach  every  man,  to 
be  very  jealous  of  his  life  and  his  doings, 
not  merely  on  account  of  the  present 
generation,  but  of  generations  yet  to 
come,  over  which  his  influence  for  good 
or  for  evil  may  extend. 

We  have  hitherto  spoken  of  the  influ- 
ence for  good  or  for  evil  which  men  leave 
behind  them  in  the  immediate  circles  of 
their  friends  and  acquaintance  ;  but  there 
^  are  other  ways  in  which  men  may  speak 
to  many  generations  yet  to  come,  as 
loudly  as  if  they  had  a  voice  which  could 
be  heard  from  the  rivers  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth.  I  speak  not  of  the  lettered  tomb- 
stone, which  is  the  voice  of  many  of  the 
dead  speaking,  after  they  are  gone,  to  the 
pilgrim  that  is  wending  his  way  to  Zion  ; 
nor  of  monuments  erected  to  commemo- 
rate illustrious  worth  ;  nor  of  legacies  and 
bequests  to  the  cause  of  religion,  which 
make  the  name  of  the  donor  to  be  men- 
tioned with  reverence  and  respect  after 
he  is  gone  :  but  I  speak  of  the  almost  un- 


by  reason  of  that  great  discovery  of  mo- 
dern times — the  printing-press.  The  dis- 
covery of  printing  is  the  finest  illustration 
of  my  text ;  and  well  may  we  remark  in 
passing,  that  many  texts  which  to  us  ap- 
pear yet  weak  or  obscure,  are  waiting  for 
greater  advancement  in  human  discove- 
ries to  be  brought  home  to  us  in  all  their 
weight  and  their  fulness.  By  means  of 
printing,  man  may  speak  to  all  kindreds, 
and  tribes,  and  people,  and  tongues,  and 
make  his  voice  be  heard,  with  simultane- 
ous power,  beyond  the  Atlantic  waves, 
and  upon  the  shores  of  the  Caspian  sea, 
and  amid  the  population  of  Europe.  Nay, 
he  may  speak  to  accumulating  genera- 
tions after  his  death,  with  all  the  fresh- 
ness and  force  of  personal  eloquence. 
Printing  gives  to  man  a  sort  of  ubiquity 
and  eternity  of  being:  it  enables  him  to 
outwit  death,  and  enshrine  himself  amid 
a  kind  of  earthly  immortality.  It  enables 
him  to  speak  while  yet  dead.  His  words 
that  breathe,  and  thoughts  that  burn,  are 
imbodied  and  embalmed  ;  and  with  him 
thousands  hold  profitable  or  hurtful  com- 
munion till  time  is  no  more. 

If,  then,  we  are  loudl)- called  upon  to  be 
careful  what  we  speak,  and  what  we  do, 
we  are  doubly  warned  to  beware  what  we 
throw  into  the  press,  and  invest  with  a 
power  to  endure,  and  a  strength  to  pass 
every  sea,  and  to  visit  every  people. 
Every  day  as  it  dawns  is  adding  to  the 
powers,  and  resources,  and  expansibili- 
ties of  man  :  and,  if  every  day  does  not 
also  add  a  larger  amount  of  moral  and  re- 
ligious principle  to  regulate  this  growing 
power,  then,  in  the  end,  will  the  hu- 
man race  attain  a  giant's  strength,  but 
have  an  idiot's  skill  to  use  it.  Our  poli- 
tical power  is  increased  ;  our  numerical, 
and  therefore  physical,  power  is  in- 
creased ;  our  resources  are  immensely  in- 
creased ;  our  skill  has  enabled  us,  by 
steam  navigation,  to  bid  defiance  to  tide, 
and  tempest,  and  time  ;  and  our  improve- 
ments in  printing  are  now  so  vastly  mul- 
tiplied, that  we  can  give  body  and  form 
to  every  word  that  falls  from  the  lips  of 
man,  and  circulate  the  speech  that  was 
addressed  to  a  few  auditors  yesterday  to 
the  utmost  ends  of  the  globe.     We  there- 


MORAL  INFLUENCE  EXERTED  AFTER  DEATIL 


459 


f(*e  want  much  a  commensurate  increase 
of  religious  principle,  and  need  more  tiian 
ever  to  be  reminded  how  and  what  we  are 
to  do.  Never  was  the  text  so  true  as  it 
is  in  the  nineteentli  century ;  never  did 
men  "being  dead  yet  speak"  so  exten- 
sively, so  long,  and  so  loudly. 

If  any  earth-born  joys  are  admitted  as 
visitants  amid  the  celestial  choirs,  the 
joy  that  springs  from  having  written 
saving  and  sanctifying  works,  is  the 
sweetest  that  reaches  the  hearts  of  the 
saved.  And  I  can  fancy  a  Baxter,  a 
Newton,  a  Scott,  a  Rutherford,  rejoice 
with  exceeding  joy  when  the  angels  tliat 
minister  to  them  that  are  to  be  heirs  of 
salvation,  bring  word  that,  in  consequence 
of  the  "Awakening  Call  of  the  Uncon- 
verted," or  "  the  Force  of  Truth,"  or  the 
"  Letters  from  the  Prison  of  Aberdeen," 
some  sinner  has  been  aroused  from  his 
lethargy,  and  made  a  partaker  of  grace, 
and  mercy,  and  peace.  And  if,  as  we 
believe,  any  poignant  recollections  from 
this  side  "  the  bourne  whence  no  traveller 
returns,"  reach  the  memories  of  the  lost, 
not  the  least  bitter  will  be  the  remem- 
brance of  having  written  volumes  which 
are  circulated  by  every  library,  and  sold 
by  every  vender,  in  which  the  founda- 
tions of  morality  are  sapped,  and  the 
youth  of  our  world  poisoned  throughout 
the  whole  range  of  their  moral  economy. 
O  !  it  will  be  the  sorest  sting  of  that  worm 
which  never  dies,  and  the  most  agonizing 
pang  of  that  fire  which  is  never  quenched, 
that  their  name,  and  their  creed,  and  their 
principles  after  them,  gather  converts  on 
earth,  and  carry  fell  desolation  to  homes 
that  had  otherwise  been  happy,  and  cor- 
ruption to  hearts  that  had  else  beat  high 
with  philanthropy  and  piety.  To  speak 
in  many  tongues  and  in  many  lands,  long 
after  they  are  dead,  is  a  source  of  deep 
joy  to  the  holy  ones  that  are  saved ;  and 
to  speak  in  many  tongues  and  in  many 
lands,  after  they  are  dead,  is  a  source  of 
the  bitterest  sorrow  to  the  damned.  And 
thus  it  seems  to  come  out,  that  the  intel- 
lectual and  scientific  discoveries  of  every 
day,  are  preparing  either  additional  mat- 
ter of  deep  pain  to  the  lost,  or  of  intense 
joy  to  the  ransomed.  Knowledge  is  not 
only  power  for  good  or  for  evil,  but  it  is 


joy  or  sorrow  to  the  denizens  of  eternity. 
Often  and  again  will  the  great  and  the 
wise  that  are  in  glory,  wish  that  their 
pens  had  been  more  employed,  and  their 
faculties  put  more  to  the  stretch ;  and 
often  will  the  lost  in  hell  wish,  that  when 
they  wrote,  their  right  hand  had  forgotten 
its  cunning,  and  the  sun  refused  them  his 
light,  and  the  press  cast  out  their  works 
still-born,  and  consigned  them  to  Lethean 
streams. 

Thus  I  have  laid  before  you  the  mighty 
influence  which  emanates  from  the  dead, 
and  the  many  channels  through  which 
that  influence  may  continue  to  flow  forth 
upon  the  living,  for  generations  yet  to 
come.  I  am  now  anxious,  as  a  watch- 
man upon  the  walls  of  Zion,  to  improve 
all  passing  occurrences,  and,  among  the 
rest  at  this  time,  the  death  of  one  who 
has  made  a  deeper  sensation  among  the 
religious  public,  than  any  other  minister 
since  the  days  of  Luther  and  of  Knox, 
and  who  being  dead  speaks  volumes — I 
mean  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Irv- 
ing. His  name  is  now  perished  from  the 
catalogue  of  the  living  upon  earth,  but 
found,  I  am  sure,  in  the  book  of  the  living 
on  high.  I  believe  he  has  gone  to  the 
bosom  of  his  Father  and  his  God,  where 
his  sincere,  but  grievous  misapprehen- 
sions of  many  great  truths  are  for  ever 
done  away.  He  held,  I  know,  the  alone 
foundation  Christ  Jesus,  and  adorned  the 
doctrine  he  professed  by  every  Christian 
virtue ;  and  while  the  "  hay,  and  straw, 
and  stubble,"  he  built  on  it  are  all  con- 
sumed, he  himself  shall  be  everlastingly 
secure. 

When  I  came  first  to  this  great  metro- 
polis, I  found  in  Mr.  Irving  a  friend  when 
I  had  none  besides,  and  in  his  session 
much  spiritual  and  religious  comfort.  I 
was  in  the  habit  of  spending  many  Satur- 
day evenings  along  with  a  few  ministers 
of  England  and  Scotland,  in  meditations 
on  the  Greek  Testament ;  and  when  I 
remember  the  child-like  simplicity,  the 
striking  humbleness  of  mind,  and  the 
kind  hospitality  of  that  great  and  good 
man,  I  cannot  but  grieve  at  the  awful 
eclipse  under  which  he  came,  and  the 
early  tomb  he  has  found.  He  is  gone  to 
the  grave,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  with 


460 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


a  broken  heart.  However  much  he  con- 
tinued to  adhere  to  the  unscriptural  and 
enthusiastic  notions  he  broached,  he  could 
not  yet  shut  his  eyes  to  the  awful  disco- 
veries made  concerning  the  conduct  of 
some  of  his  professedly  inspired  followers. 
Conceive  men  daring  to  declare  that  they 
were  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and,  in 
virtue  of  their  pretended  inspiration,  or- 
daining apostles,  evangelists,  prophets, 
and,  all  the  while,  living  in  the  grossest 
violation  of  the  ten  commandments.  In 
these  things  there  was  enough  to  break 
that  good  man's  heart;  and  if  we  com- 
bine with  these  facts  the  various  tribunals 
at  which  he  has  stood — his  dissociation 
and  exile  from  the  temple  in  this  city, 
which  the  credit  of  his  name  had  reared, 
and  in  which  (as  he  himself  most  pathe- 
tically said)  his  babes  were  buried — his 
deposition  from  the  office  of  the  holy  mi- 
nistry in  that  church,  whose  battles  he 
had  often  fought  and  whose  walls  he 
dearly  loved  ;  we  can  see  more  than  ade- 
quate materiel  to  bring  him  to  the  grave 
in  the  prime  of  manhood.  He  set  out  on 
the  Christian  ministry  like  some  war- 
ship, with  streaming  pennants,  and  with 
majestic  way :  but  the  storms  beat,  and 
the  waves  arose,  and  prudence  was  driven 
froip  the  helm,  and,  perchance,  the  seven 
spirits  that  are  before  the  throne  ceased  to 
breathe  upon  the  sails;  and  battered,  and 
tossed,  and  rifted,  she  foundered  amid 
rocks  and  shoals.  I  left  him  when  I  con- 
ceived that  he  had  left  truth  ;  but  still, 
never  did  I  cease  to  esteem  the  man,  and 
earnestly  to  pray  for  his  recovery.  It  is 
because  "he  being  dead  yet  speaketh" 
more  important  lessons  than  any  of  the 
dead  I  have  known,  that  I  bring  his  cha- 
racter before  you  this  day.  Let  me,  in 
dependence  on  divine  grace,  enumerate  a 
few  of  the  lessons,  "he  being  dead  yet 
speaks"  to  the  ministers  and  people  of 
Christ. 

1.  He  speaks  tons  strongly  on  the  dan- 
ger that  environs  a  lofty  intellect.  No  man 
ever  possessed  a  mind  of  higher  range, 
and  a  greater  power  of  fervent  and  im- 
pressive oratory.  None,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  his  illustrious  father  in  Christ, 
Dr.  Chalmers,  was  so  able  to  arrest  the 
attention,  and  gain  the  hearts,  and  mould 


the  doings  of  his  audience.  But  it  was 
his  calamity  that  he  knew  and  felt  too 
well  the  greatness  of  his  genius  ;  and  this 
made  him  fancy  he  could  penetrate  the 
arcana  of  eternity  in  virtue  of  his  intellec- 
tual prowess,  and  gather  to  his  bosom 
flowers  that  bloomed  not  for  man  upon 
earth,  and  make  known  a  geography 
which  is  to  be  known  hereafter  only. 
Like  the  eagle,  he  soared  too  near  the  sun, 
and  was  struck  blind.  He  was  misled 
by  sparks  of  his  own  kindling.  Had  he 
been  but  a  retired  and  ordinary  parish 
minister,  how  happy  had  it  been  for  Ed- 
ward Irving  !  But  so  it  is  ;  the  strongest 
swimmer  is  first  drowned,  and  the  strong- 
est and  the  foremost  warrior  most  fre- 
quently slain. 

Here  is  a  lesson  for  men  of  great  parts. 
It  is  not  in  this  case  that  grace  is  needed 
in  the  inverse  ratio  of  our  intellectual 
strength.  The  greater  our  intellect  is, 
the  greater  our  need  of  grace  to  guide  it. 
The  strong  man  has  most  need  of  discre- 
tion, and  the  rich  man  of  prudence.  Let 
it  be  your  fervent  pra3'er,  that  the  powers 
you  have  derived  from  the  Creator  may 
be  incased  in  grace  derived  from  Christ 
Jesus  your  Redeemer.  Here  also  is  a 
lesson  to  men  of  moderate  talents.  Envy 
not  the  lofty  minds  of  the  eloquent  and 
the  able  :  the  higher  you  rise,  the  greater 
is  your  liability  to  fall.  Let  us  remem- 
ber, that  David's  weakness,  backed  by 
the  blessing  of  the  God  of  Israel,  was 
stronger  than  the  strength  of  Goliath 
without  it.  Our  warfare  is  not  with  in- 
tellectual, but  with  spiritual  arms.  The 
only  desirable  gift  is  the  grace  of  God. 

2.  "  He  being  dead  yet  speaketh"  of 
the  dangers  of  ministerial  popularity. 
Never  yet  did  obscurity  destroy  ministe- 
rial usefulness,  but  often  has  it  been  im- 
paired and  neutralized  by  the  poison  of 
the  popular  breath.  He  who  is  gone  had 
often  and  again  among  his  audience,  the 
crowns  and  the  coronets  of  the  world — 
the  wise,  and  the  rich,  and  the  illustri- 
ous ;  and  the  matter  of  wonder  is,  not 
that  he  should  have  fallen,  but  that  he  did 
not  fall  much  sooner.  It  would  be  well 
if  those,  who  spare  no  condemnatory  lan- 
guage when  they  speak  of  him  who  is 
gone,  would  but  think,  that  if  they  had 


MORAL  INFLUEiNCE  EXERTED  AFTER  DEATH. 


461 


stood  in  his  place,  their  fall  would  have 
oeen  more  speedy,  and  more  disastrous. 
He  became  giddy  from  the  eminence  to 
which  he  was  raised ;  and  after  stagger- 
ing awhile,  he  fell,  a  warning  to  all  never 
to  forget  that  "  by  grace  they  stand," 
wherever  and  whatever  be  the  niche 
which  they  occupy. 

But  there  is  an  especial  admonition 
from  his  tomb  to  our  congregations.  His 
people  almost  idolized  him  ;  they  listened 
to  him  instead  of  listening  to  God ;  and 
therefore  the  Almighty  taught  them,  by 
bitter  experience,  that  man  is  not  to  receive 
the  glory  that  pertains  exclusively  to  Je- 
hovah. O  never  was  minister-worship  so 
signally  punished ;  and  never,  I  trust, 
will  the  lesson  cease  to  be  remembered 
by  generations  yet  to  come. 

3.  "  He  being  dead  yet  speaketh"  re- 
specting the  danger  of  self-sufficiency  and 
sef-conjidence.  We  are,  by  no  means, 
prepared  to  assert,  that  the  verdict  of 
others  is  to  determine  the  nature  of  our 
own  decisions  on  the  word  of  the  living 
God  ;  and  we  are  not  prepared  to  assert, 
that  any  national  or  individual  church  is 
infallible ;  we  must  all  stand  or  fall  by 
what  we  ourselves  have  thought  and 
done,  not  by  what  others  have  said.  But 
when  the  whole  voice  of  Christendom  is 
lifted  up  against  an  opinion  which  we 
have  cherished — when  martyrs  have  seal- 
ed by  their  blood,  and  apostles  have 
preached  to  the  death,  and  reformers  have 
proclaimed  in  every  land,  that  one  propo- 
sition is  from  the  Scripture,  and  the  other 
in  direct  opposition  to  its  statements,  it 
surely  becomes  a  young  and  inexperienced 
divine,  to  doubt,  to  pause,  to  give  away. 
Because  we  are  not  to  bow  to  the  ipse 
dixit  of  any,  we  are  not  therefore  to  re- 
ject the  weight  of  the  testimony  of  the 
wise,  the  holy,  the  ancient.  The  whole 
Church  of  Scotland  decided,  through  her 
venerable  assembly,  that  the  views  of 
Mr.  Irving,  respecting  the  humanity  of 
Christ,  were  unscriptural ;  and  yet  he 
persisted  in  his  adherence  to  his  former 
statements,  and  pitched  his  own  judgment 
against  that  of  the  most  venerable,  and 
earned,  and  holy  fathers  of  the  Christian 
church.  I  do  feel,  that  next  to  the  Bible, 
we  are  to  honour  the  church.     But  the  fact 


is,  that  the  whole  inspiration  of  tlie  word 
of  God  was  clean  at  issue  with  those 
views  which  Mr.  Irving  broached  respect- 
ing the  humanity  of  Jesus.  As  to  the 
claims  to  miraculous  powers,  never  were 
claims  so  wild  and  preposterous.  1  defy 
them  to  produce  one  single  instance  of 
miraculous  power.  The  miracles  of  our 
Lord  and  his  apostles  were  so  palpable, 
that  men  never  disputed  their  supernatu- 
ral character,  but  declared  that  they  were 
either  from  God  or  from  Satan ;  but,  in 
the  present  day,  the  miracles  said  to  be 
wrought  are  such  miserable  failures,  that 
the  question  is  among  themselves  whether 
they  really  be  miracles  or  not.  Doubt  is 
condemnation  here.  Nothing  should  be 
more  satisfactory  to  these  deluded  men 
than  the  fact,  that,  a  fortnight  before  the 
death  of  him  to  whom  we  allude,  one  of 
the  gifted  persons,  speaking  (as  he  pro- 
fessed) by  the  Spirit,  prophesied  that 
their  leader  would  not  die.  What  is  the 
fact]  And  what  is  the  inference]  I 
pressed  this  single  incident  lately  home 
to  the  conscience  of  one  of  the  deluded 
people,  and  he  told  me  that  Jeremiah  had 
prophesied  falsehoods,  and,  if  he  erred, 
the  prophets  in  Newman-street  surely 
had  license  to  err.  So  indeed  they  had. 
So  infatuated  are  these  fanatics  that,  rather 
than  humble  themselves  to  see  the  absur- 
dity of  their  views,  they  will  let  go  their 
belief  in  the  inspiration  of  the  word  of 
the  living  God,  and  shake  the  very  foun- 
dations of  all  our  Christianity.  May 
God  deliver  us  from  a  spirit  of  self-con- 
fidence and  self-sufficiency,  and  lead  us 
to  that  happy  temperament  which  stands 
neither  in  receiving  wholesale  and  unexa- 
mined the  opinions  of  men,  nor  in  reject- 
ing and  despising  them  as  less  to  be 
depended  on  than  our  own.  Above  all, 
let  us  ever  feel  that  dependence  on  the 
Spirit  of  God  which  is  our  greatest 
strength  and  security. 

4.  "  He  being  dead  yet  speaketh"  re- 
specting the  danger  of  leaving  truth,  even 
in  the  smallest  degree,  and  preferring  opi- 
nions simply  because  they  are  novel.  There 
is  but  one  straight  and  true  way,  while 
there  are  a  thousand  false.  In  that  way 
we  find  that  the  pious  and  the  illustrious 
dead  have  walked,  and  found  peace;  and 
2q3 


462 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


this  way  is  so  clear  and  well-defined  that 
we  may  rest  assured,  whatever  scintilla- 
tions of  truth,  unobserved  before,  we 
bring  to  the  view  of  men,  these  must 
be  on  the  surface  only.  The  great  truths 
of  the  Bible  were,  perhaps,  more  dis- 
tinctly seen  and  grasped,  at  the  dawn 
of  the  Christian  era,  than  in  these  its 
latter  days.  We  may  illustrate,  and  we 
may  place  in  stronger  light,  the  great 
articles  of  a  standing  or  a  falling  church  ; 
but  find  other  and  hitherto  undiscovered 
and  essential  truth,  we  never  can.  Take 
care,  then,  of  deviating  from  the  path  of 
truth  by  an  inch.  If  once  you  leave 
that  consecrated  and  beaten  way,  you 
know  not  to  what  darkness  and  error  you 
may  eventually  come.  You  then  follow 
the  {g7v's  fatiius  of  human  fancy,  and 
lose  the  only  light  to  the  feet,  and  lamp 
to  the  path — you  lose  the  thread  that 
leads  through  the  mazy  labyrinth  of 
human  life — you  start  away  on  a  wrong 
scent. 

He  who  is  dead  speaks  powerfully  on 
this  subject.  He  started  some  wild  va- 
garies on  the  millennium,  and  laid  these 
down  as  axioms  in  Christian  doctrine  : 
but  he  stopped  not  here  ;  one  wild  notion 
was  hatched  after  another,  till  the  un- 
happy author  was  lost  in  a  maze  of  con- 
fusion and  error.  Had  he  been  spared, 
I  doubt  not  but  that  he  would  have  re- 
tracted his  errors,  and  returned  to  the 
good  old  ways  of  scriptural  and  solid 
inquiry.  As  it  is,  let  us  learn  from 
the  dead  the  lesson  which  the  Almighty 
has  not  seen  meet  to  allow  us  to  learn 
from  the  lips  of  the  living — that  it  is  an 
evil  and  bitter  thing  to  forsake  the  plain 
and  the  long-established  ways  of  truth. 
And  now,  could  he  revisit  them  whom 
he  has  led  astray,  O  how  fervid  and 
how  earnest  would  be  his  exhortations 
to  abandon  their  wild  and  unscriptural 
creed,  and  return  to  the  church  of  their 
fathers,  the  mother  from  whose  breasts 
they  first  drew  the  sincere  milk  of  the 
word,  and  by  whose  hallowed  altars 
they  were  nurtured  and  fed.  O,  let  the 
confessed  hypocrisy  of   some  of  these 


fanatics,  and  the  discovered  iniquity  of 
others  of  them — let  the  mockery  of  mi- 
raculous power  they  exhibit,  and  the 
lying  prophecies  they  utter,  prove  to 
these  deluded  mortals  that  their  church 
is  a  refuge  of  lies,  and,  with  a  few  sin- 
cere and  holy  exceptions,  a  sanctuary  for 
hypocrisy,  fanaticism,  and  sin. 

To  us,  who  have  escaped  these  delu- 
sions, the  dead  would  speak — do  not  su]i- 
pose  that,  because  you  have  the  furm  of 
godliness,  therefore  all  is  well :  do  not 
suppose  that  a  sound  creed  is  universally 
connected  with  a  sanctified  heart.  Re- 
member heart  and  life  heresy  is  much 
worse  than  head  heresy.  Remember  that 
to  no  purpose  will  you  say,  "  Lord ! 
Lord  !"  if  you  have  not  done  those  things 
which  he  has  commanded.  May  the 
Holy  Spirit  enlighten  our  minds  to  see 
the  truth,  and  sanctify  our  hearts  to  feel 
and  to  follow  it! 


GARRICK  S  PRECEPTS  TO  PREACHERS. 

The  celebrated  Garrick  having  been 
requested  by  Dr.  Stonehouse  to  favour 
him  with  his  opinion  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  a  sermon  ought  to  be  delivered,  the 
English  Roscius  sent  him  the  following 
judicious  answer : — 

"  MY  DEAR   PUPIL, 

"  You  know  how  you  would  feel  and 
speak  in  a  parlour  concerning  a  friend 
who  was  in  imminent  danger  of  his  life, 
and  with  what  energetic  pathos  of  diction 
and  countenance  you  would  enforce  the 
observance  of  that  which  you  really 
thought  would  be  for  his  preservation. 
You  could  not  think  of  playing  the  orator, 
of  studying  your  emphasis,  cadence,  and 
gesture :  you  would  be  yourself;  and  the 
interesting  nature  of  your  subject  impress- 
ing your  heart,  would  furnish  you  with 
the  most  natural  tone  of  voice,  the  most 
proper  language,  the  most  engaging  fea- 
tures, and  the  most  suitable  and  graceful 
gestures.  What  you  would  thus  be  in 
the  parlour  be  in  the  pulpit,  and  you  will 
not  fail  to  please,  to  affect,  and  to  profit. 
Adieu,  my  dear  friend." 


SERMON  LI. 

ON   MORAL   DISCIPLINE. 
BY   THE    REV.    JOHN   SINCLAIR,  A.M. 

MINISTER    OF    ST.    PAUL's    EPISCOPAL    CHAPEL,    EDINBURGH. 


'  No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to  the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  Jit  for  the  kingdom  of  God." 

— Luke  ix.  62. 


We  are  taught  in  Scripture,  to  regard 
this  world  not  only  as  a  state  of  proba- 
tion, but  of  discipline ;  not  only  as  a 
course  of  Irial,  to  ascertain  our  fitness  for 
another  life,  but  also  as  a  course  of  pre- 
paration to  acquire  that  fitness  ;  a  school 
in  which  certain  tastes,  and  sentiments, 
and  habits,  are  to  be  formed,  and  certain 
capacities  matured,  by  which  we  are  to 
become,  as  St.  Paul  expresses  it,  "  worthy 
of  the  Lord,"  or  endowed  with  "  meet- 
ness  for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in 
light ;"  or,  according  to  the  expression 
in  the  text,  "  fit  for  the  kingdom  of 
God,"  suited  to  its  moral  excellence,  as 
well  as  ready  for  its  spiritual  occupations 
and  enjoyments.  One  branch  of  this  ge- 
neral qualification,  or  fitness,  is  here,  by 
our  Lord  himself,  distinctly  brought  be- 
fore us,  viz.  firmness  and  consistency  of 
character — a  kind  of  moral  courage, 
which,  having  undertaken  a  great  object, 
pursues  it  constantly  and  perseveringly, 
without  looking  back. 

Our  present  purpose,  however,  will  be 
not  merely  to  confine  our  reflections  to 
this  one  particular  branch  of  fitness  for 
heaven,  but  generally  to  examine  the 
whole  subject  of  moral  discipline,  show- 
ing its  analogies  with  that  natural  disci- 
pline, by  which  men  are  prepared,  in  this 
life,  for  their  several  pursuits  and  occupa- 
tions throughout  society.  The  analogies 
between  infancy,  as  a  season  of  educa- 
tion for  riper  years,  and  the  present  life 


for  the  life  to  come,  are  various  and  im- 
portant. On  this  occasion,  we  shall  illus- 
trate four  only  of  the  most  remarkable 
and  interesting  points  of  correspondence 
between  the  state  of  a  child  in  prepara- 
tion for  manhood,  and  of  man  in  prepa- 
ration for  eternity. 

I.  Both  kinds  of  discipline  are  necessary. 

II.  Both  are  often  painful  and  myste- 
rious. 

III.  Both  admit  of  no  delay  i  and, 

IV.  Lastly,  Both  are  frequently  ineffec- 
tual. 

Let  us,  then,  begin  with  the  considera- 
tion of  the  first  analogy,  viz.  That  the 
discipline  in  both  cases  is  necessary. 

A  child,  on  his  first  production  into  the 
world,  is  by  nature  totally  incapable  of 
the  pleasures  and  pursuits  of  manhood. 
This  incapacity  pervades  equally  his  phy- 
sical, his  intellectual,  and  his  moral  con- 
stitution. In  each  of  these  respects,  he 
must  be  properly  qualified,  by  a  series 
of  changes  and  developments,  before  he 
can  undertake  the  business  of  maturer 
years.  His  body  must  be  brought,  by 
long  continued  nourishment  and  exercise, 
to  manly  strength  and  consistency.  His 
intellect  must,  by  observation,  instruction, 
and  reflection,  be  gradually  ripened  and 
matured.  His  moral  faculties,  at  first 
wholly  dormant,  cannot  be  roused  to  full 
activity,  till  he  comprehends  sufficiently 
the  relations  in  which  he  stands,  both  to 
his  Creator  and  to  his  fellow  creatures, 
463 


464 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


together  with  the  duties  which  those  re- 
lations involve.  This  unfitness  of  child- 
hood for  duties  and  occupations  to  which 
it  has  not  yet  been  trained  or  disciplined 
is  very  forcibly  and  distinctly  remarked 
upon  by  St.  Paul,  in  an  illustration  fami- 
liar to  every  scriptural  reader ;  "  When  I 
was  a  child,  I  spake  as  a  child,  1  under- 
stood as  a  child,  1  thought  as  a  child  ; 
but  when  I  became  a  man,  I  put  away 
childish  things." 

Similar  to  this,  my  brethren,  would  be 
the  unfitness  of  man  for  a  crown  of  glory 
in  the  kingdom  of  God,  were  he  not  pre- 
pared by  the  intermediate  probationary 
discipline  of  the  present  life.  He  is  as 
unqualified,  without  such  preparation,  for 
the  employments  of  the  blessed  in  heaven, 
as  a  cliild  is  for  those  of  full  grown 
manhood  upon  earth. 

This  incapacity,  first  of  all,  is  physical. 
His  body  is  of  such  a  structure  as  to  be 
incapable  of  enjoyment,  or  even  life,  in  an 
abode  wholly  different  from  that  which  it 
now  inhabits,  and  from  which  alone  it  is 
naturally  adapted.  Hence,  alluding  to 
our  present  bodily  constitution,  as  gross, 
imperfect,  and  unsuitable  to  the  heavenly 
state,  the  apostle  says,  "  Flesh  and  blood 
cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God,  neither 
doth  corruption  inherit  incorruption." 
For  the  removal  of  this  unsuitableness, 
proper  methods  and  opportunities  are 
appointed  by  the  divine  Author  of  our 
frame.  Certain  processes  of  gradual  tran- 
sition must  be  undergone.  Life,  death, 
the  grave  and  the  resurrection,  are  all  of 
them  but  so  many  stages  in  our  progress, 
each  of  which  prepares  the  body  for  the 
next  that  follows,  and  all  of  which  pre- 
pare it  for  immortality.  The  language  of 
St.  Paul  is  here  again  illustrative  of  oiir 
statement.  He  compares  the  dissolution 
and  reconstruction  of  our  bodies  to  the 
several  changes  of  a  seed — dead,  wither- 
ed, decomposed,  and  afterwards  reviving, 
with  other  properties  as  a  plant.  "  That 
which  thou  sowest,"  he  says,  "  is  not 
quickened,  except  it  die  ;  and  that  which 
thou  sowest,  thou  sowest  not  that  body 
that  shall  be.  So  also  is  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead ;  it  is  sown  in  corruption,  it 
is  raised  in  incorruption ;  it  is  sown  in 
dishonour,  it  is  raised   in  glory ;    it  is 


sown  in  weakness,  it  is  raised  in  power; 
it  is  sown  a  natural  body,  it  is  raised  a 
spiritual  body.  There  is  a  natural  body, 
and  there  is  a  spiritual  body.  And  so  it 
is  written,  the  first  Adam  was  made  a 
living  soul,  the  last  Adam  was  made  a 
quickening  spirit.  Howbeit,  that  was 
not  first  which  is  spiritual,  but  that  which 
is  natural,  and  afterward  that  which  is 
spiritual.  The  first  man  is  of  the  earth, 
earthy ;  the  second  man  is  the  Lord 
from  heaven.  As  is  the  earthy,  such 
are  they  also  that  are  earthy  ;  and  as  is 
the  heavenly,  such  are  they  also  that  are 
heavenl}\  And  as  we  have  borne  the 
image  of  the  earthy,  we  shall  also  bear 
the  image  of  the  heavenly.  This  cor- 
ruptible shall  put  on  incorruption,  and 
this  mortal,  immortality."  The  changes 
here  described,  as  being  necessary  to 
create  fitness  in  the  body  for  inheriting 
the  kingdom  of  God,  correspond  precisely 
with  our  progress  from  the  weakness  and 
imperfection  of  childhood,  to  the  strength 
and  full  proportions  of  mature  age. 

Thus  far  the  necessity  of  a  physical 
improvement  or  alteration  has  been  exa- 
mined. The  same  necessity  may  be  in- 
ferred, respecting  the  developments  of 
the  understanding.  Some  analogy  seems 
probable  between  the  intellectual  growth 
of  the  infant  mind,  and  the  intellectual 
preparation  of  man  for  the  society  of 
superior  beings  in  the  world  of  glory. 
On  this  subject,  however,  we  have  not 
the  same  degree  of  scriptural  information 
as  has  been  given  us  respecting  the  ad- 
vancement and  glorification  of  the  body. 
St.  Paul  seems,  indeed,  to  touch  upon 
some  mental  change,  as  necessary  for  our 
adaptation  to  the  immortal  state,  where, 
comparing  our  degrees  of  knowledge  in 
this  life,  with  our  improved  knowledge 
hereafter,  he  says,  "  Now  we  see  through 
a  glass  darkly,  but  then,  (that  is,  in  the 
mature  immortal  state,)  face  to  face  ;  now 
I  know  in  part,  but  then  shall  I  know 
even  as  also  I  am  known."  To  what 
height  of  intellectual  stature  the  human 
mind  may  ultimately  arrive,  is  impossi- 
ble for  our  present  limited  capacities  to 
conceive.  It  would  be  as  absurd  for  us 
to  describe  the  latent  powers  and  facul- 
ties which  may  be  unfolded,  in  our  exal- 


MORAL  DISCIPLINE. 


465 


tation  to  celestial  existence,  as  it  would 
be  for  a  cliild  to  estimate  the  depths  of 
reasoning  with  which  the  future  philoso- 
pher will  pursue  his  calculations. 

We  now  come  to  the  most  important 
respect  in  which  discipline,  temporal  and 
spiritual,  is  necessary,  and  in  which  the 
state  of  childhood  is  again  analogous  to 
that  of  Christian  probation.  There  is 
necessity,  as  we  observed,  for  a  moral 
preparation,  as  well  as  for  the  physical 
and  intellectual.  And  the  momentous 
distinction,  which  gives  superior  interest 
to  his  moral  progress,  is,  that  it  can,  to  a 
great  extent,  be  effected  in  the  present 
life.  Much  depends  upon  ourselves.  We 
cannot,  indeed,  by  the  mere  exertion  of 
our  will,  prepare  our  bodies  for  a  glorified 
condition.  Neither  can  we  raise  our  in- 
tellect to  angelic  eminence ;  but  with 
respect  to  virtue  and  religious  conduct, 
fitness  for  heaven  is,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
within  the  power  of  us  all.  Although,  as 
our  Lord  declares,  we  are  unable,  "  by 
taking  thought,  to  add  one  cubit  to  the 
stature  of  our  bodies;"  and  although  we 
find  ourselves  still  more  unable,  "  by 
taking  thought,"  to  expand  our  minds 
into  a  comprehension  of  all  mysteries, 
and  of  all  knowledge;  yet,  "by  taking 
thought,"  we  are  able,  through  the  wis- 
dom and  benevolence  of  our  Creator,  to 
make  continual  approaches,  morally,  to- 
wards fitness  "  for  the  kingdom  of  God." 

This  fitness,  now  to  be  explained,  cor- 
responds exactly  with  the  moral  training 
which  prepares  the  heart  in  childhood  for 
the  duties  of  more  advanced  age.  The 
child,  without  such  moral  training,  could 
not  be  trusted.  To  be  admitted  safely 
into  society  or  domestic  life,  he  must 
acquire  previous  habits  of  obedience, 
docility,  and  submission  to  authority — 
habits  of  justice,  truth,  and  charity — 
habits  of  attention,  industry,  and  self-con- 
trol. These  moral  requisites,  it  must  be 
obvious,  are  yet  more  indispensable  for 
admission  into  the  society  of  celestial 
beings.  Man,  considered  here  below,  in 
the  infancy  of  an  immortal  existence, 
must  be  trained  to  higher  degrees  of  mo- 
ral excellence,  in  proportion  to  the  pure 
and  holy  character  of  that  community 
above,  which  he  aspires  to.     His  aim  is 

Vol.  L— 59 


to  dwell  with  God — to  be  for  ever  with 
his  Redeemer — to  join  the  company  in 
heaven.  In  order  to  dwell  with  CJod — in 
order  to  be  happy  in  communion  with  him, 
by  the  exercise,  throughout  eternity,  of 
praise  for  his  ])erfrctions,  and  of  thanks- 
giving for  his  mercies,  pidy  must  have 
been  habitually  cultivated  in  this  tempo- 
ral, this  initiatory  state.  In  order  to  be 
fitted  for  social  intercourse  with  the 
purest  and  holiest  of  created  beings,  unit- 
ed in  the  bonds  of  perfect  spiritual  affec- 
tion, without  the  smallest  taint  of  envy, 
hate,  or  selfishness,  the  Christian  aspirant 
must  have  first  subdued,  in  his  course  of 
earthly  fellowship  with  his  brethren  of 
this  world,  the  influence  of  every  baser 
passion,  and  must  have  made  some  pro- 
gress in  the  attainment  and  in  the  practice 
of  that  "  charity  which  never  faileth." 

Let,  therefore,  my  brethren,  this  all 
important  truth,  the  necessity  of  piety 
and  charity,  or,  in  one  word,  of  holiness, 
with  a  view  to  fitness  for  the  kingdom  of 
God,  be  continually  present  to  your  minds. 
Beware  of  superficial  and  inoperative 
Christianity.  Add  to  your  faith  virtue. 
Remember,  that  besides  a  title  to  future 
happiness  through  the  merits  of  your 
Redeemer,  you  must  be  moreover  qualified 
to  enjoy  that  happiness.  Besides  being 
redeemed  and  justijied,  you  must  be  sanc- 
tifed.  You  must  read,  and  learn,  and 
study  the  word  of  revelation,  and  put 
your  knowledge  into  practice.  This 
knowledge  and  this  practice  must  not  be 
partial  and  variable,  ostentatious  and 
Pharisaical,  but  must  be  consistent,  pro- 
gressive, universal,  and  sincerely  influ- 
encing your  dispositions,  tastes,  and 
feelings.  Destitute  of  these  qualifica- 
tions, the  claimant  for  heavenly  blessed- 
ness will  be  found  wanting,  however 
plausible  his  pretensions,  and,  like  the 
individual  in  the  text,  will  be  unfitted  for 
God's  kingdom. 

IL  A  second  circumstance  of  analogy 
between  childhood  considered  as  intro- 
ductory to  riper  years,  and  the  present 
life  regarded  as  preparatory  for  the  life  to 
come,  is,  that  the  discipline  in  both  cases 
is  often  paivful  and  mysterious. 

A  child  placed  under  wise  and  prudent 
guardianship,  is  subjected  to  treatment 


466 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


often  o^rievously  irksome  to  him,  which  '  acute  and  linnreriniT  diseases,  losses,  fiard 


he  is  quite  unable  to  account  for  at  the 
time  of  its  infliction,  however  useful  or 
necessary  he  may  eventually  find  it.  His 
appetites  are  under  troublesome  restraint 
— his  passions  under  severe  control  or 
suppression.  His  mental  faculties  are 
forced  into  application  which  he  finds 
distasteful,  and  considers  useless.  His 
patience  during  sickness  is  grievously 
tried  by  the  use  of  remedies  to  which  he 
would  prefer  the  disease,  and  which  he 
finds  himself  incapable  of  understanding ; 
or  perhaps  in  health,  his  manners,  looks, 
words,  and  gestures,  must  submit  to 
Watchful  and  vexatious  superintendence, 
of  which  no  account  or  explanation  is 
satisfactorily  given.  Above  all,  his  sinful 
tendencies,  engendered  by  hereditary  cor- 
ruption, his  selfishness,  his  pride,  anger, 
or  obstinacy,  must  be  checked  and  over- 
come. Reproofs,  remonstrances,  and  even 
chastisements,  must  be  reiterated,  which 
he  cannot  possibly  reconcile  with  parental 
kindness  and  indulgence.  At  length, 
however,  he  attains  to  manhood,  and  is 
presented  with  a  very  different  view  of 
things.  The  mystery  clears  up — the  pain- 
ful discipline  is  accounted  for — his  com- 
plaints and  repinings  at  the  severities  of 
education  are  discontinued.  He  perceives 
their  importance  and  necessity  ;  he  con- 
fesses that  a  contrary  system  of  neglect, 
or  of  unlimited  indulgence,  would  have 
either  brought  him  to  an  untimely  end,  or 
have  presented  him  to  the  world  an  ob- 
ject of  mingled  pity  and  disgust,  diseased 
and  infirm,  ignorant,  headstrong,  and  un- 
teachable,  a  burden  to  himself,  and  a 
nuisance  in  society. 

Analogous,  my  brethren,  to  this  whole- 
some process  of  education  and  tuition,  and 
not  less  painful  nor  less  mysterious,  is 
the  discipline  by  which,  in  this  world,  our 
heavenly  Father  prepares  his  moral  off- 
spring for  the  world  to  come.  "  Whom 
the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and 
scourgeth  every  son  whom  he  receiveth." 
Similar,  also,  to  the  murmurings  of  child- 
hood are  the  sentiments  of  doubt,  and 
suspicion,  and  distrust,  excited  by  the 
unsearchableness  of  his  judgments.  The 
misfortunes  and  casualties,  and  vexations 
of   every   kind,  incident  to    humanity ; 


ships,  and  privations,  infirmity  aid  bad 
propensities  within,  and  from  without  bad 
example,  wicked  suggestions,  and  the 
provocations  of  injustice,  of  treachery,  of 
oppression;  tiie  facility,  above  all,  of 
acquiring  evil  habits,  and  the  difficulty 
of  removing  them  ;  these  various  evils 
under  God's  providential  government,  pre- 
sent to  our  maturcr  years  an  aspect  not 
less  revolting  and  incomprehensible,  than 
in  early  days  the  restraints  and  corrections 
of  our  childhood.  In  the  gloom  of  ad- 
versity, we  are  visited  with  disquietudes 
and  searchings  of  heart  in  resprct  to  the 
design  of  our  Maker  in  creating  us,  and 
to  the  pros])ect  of  our  future  destiny. 
We  arp  tempted  at  such  trying  seasons,  to 
allege  that  greater  tenderness  and  indulg- 
ence should  be  expected  from  God  ;  and 
that  a  course  of  life,  less  imbittercd  by 
suffering,  and  less  exposed  to  snares  and 
hazards,  would  be  more  compatible  with 
our  relationship  as  children  of  the  univer- 
sal Father.  We  ask,  in  ignorant  impa- 
tience, Why  subject  us  to  discipline  at 
ain  If  discipline  is  to  "fit  us  for  the 
kingdom  of  God,"  why  not  at  once  create 
us  in  that  state  of  fitness  1  Why  not  at 
once  communicate  the  character  which, 
by  a  painful  process,  is  now  slowly  and 
uncertainly  matured  1 

The  best  reply  to  such  interrogatories, 
my  brethren,  would  be  to  put  into  the 
mouth  of  a  child  the  corresponding  ques- 
tions : — why,  before  entering  into  com- 
merce with  the  world,  he  is  placed  in  a 
preparatory  condition,  and  is  not  rather 
born  at  once  in  man's  estate,  with  all  his 
powers,  bodily,  as  well  as  mental,  in  their 
full  development?  To  these  questions 
of  impatient  youth,  the  answer  of  his  in- 
structersis  obvious.  "  You  would,  in  that 
case,  be  as  completely  unqualified  for  the 
life  of  mature  age,  as  an  idiot;  the  most 
solitary  recluse,  after  a  life  of  separation 
from  mankind,  brought  suddenly  into 
society,  would  be  better  able  to  conduct 
himself.  The  novelty  of  your  situation 
would  distract  you  with  astonisliment, 
apprehension,  curiosity,  and  suspense.  A 
long  period  would  elapse  before  you  would 
so  far  be  familiarized  with  yourself  and 
with  the  objects  around  you  as  to  engage 


MORAL  DISCIPLINE. 


467 


in  any  rational  pursuit.  Your  language  I  tliers  of  our  own  flesh,  which  corrected 
(suppose  you  capable  of  speech)  would  us,  and  we  gave  them  reverence ;  shall 
be  offensive  from  your  want  of  habit  in    we  not  much  rather  be  in  subjection  to  the 


adapting  it  to  the  taste  and  sentiments  of 
others  ;  your  manners,  for  the  same  rea- 
son,would  be  rude  and  forward,  impetuous 
and  insupportable.  Your  ignorance,  too, 
of  every  useful  art,  joined  to  your  inapti- 
tude for  acquiring  knowledge,  would  ren- 
der you  incapable  of  earning  your  subsist- 
ence. In  every  valuable  respect,  you 
would  come  forth  into  society  a  helpless 
creature,  unformed,  unfinished,  utterly  de- 
ficient, and  unqualified  for  that  mature 
condition  into  which  you  rashly  thrust 
yourself,  without  the  requisite  information 
and  experience."*  The  incapacity  we 
have  just  described  of  a  supposed  human 
agent  attempting  to  engage  in  human 
affairs,  without  the  natural  preparation 
of  childhood  and  of  youth,  may  illustrate 
what  we  have  reason  to  believe  would  be 
man's  unfitness,  without  the  discipline  of 
a  previous  life,  for  the  society  and  occu- 
pations of  heaven.  Such  an  intruder  into 
the  heavenly  mansions  would  find  him- 
self as  awkward  and  unprepared,  and  as 
incapable  of  comfort  or  enjoyment,  as  if 
he  had  been  born  full  grown  into  the  pre- 
sent world. 

However  painful  then,  my  brethren, 
however  mysterious  the  discipline  to 
which  we  are  subjected  in  this  life,  let  us 
place  implicit  confidence  in  the  wisdom 
and  goodness  of  our  heavenly  Father.  The 
tendency  of  all  the  sorrows  and  privations 
that  we  can  suffer,  is  to  foster  in  our  hearts 
the  very  dispositions,  the  very  fitness, 
which  we  must  cultiv^ite  for  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Adversity,  as  St.  Paul  informs 
us,  not  only  tries,  but  produces  virtue  ;  not 
only  ascertains  our  capacity  for  eternal 
happiness,  but  increases  it.  "Tribulation 
toorketh  patience;  our  light  affliction, 
which  is  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a 
far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory."  Indeed,  our  whole  argument  for 
resignation  under  the  painful  and  myste- 
rious discipline  which  prepares,  or  (as  I 
would  rather  phrase  it)  educates  us  for 
heaven,  may  be  summed  up  in  the 
words  of  the  same  apostle  to  the  He- 
brews,— "  Furthermore,  we  have  had  fa- 
*  See  Bishop  Butler's  Analogy. 


Father  of  spirits,  and  livel  for  they,  veri- 
ly, for  a  few  days  chastened  us,  after 
their  pleasure  ;  but  he,  for  our  profit,  that 
we  might  be  partakers  of  his  holiness." 

HI.  The  third  analogy  to  be  considered 
has  reference  to  procrastination,  namely, 
that  as  growth  in  childhood,  and  progress 
towards  man's  estate,  must  be  begun  im- 
mediately from  the  hour  of  birth,  so  also 
our  preparatory  discipline  for  immortality 
admits  no  delay. 

The  infant  is  no  sooner  born  than  he 
begins  to  breathe,  to  take  food,  and  to  per- 
form whatever  vital  functions  are  essential 
to  his  nourishment  and  preservation.  No 
long  time  elapsesbeforehis  nature  prompts 
him  to  that  activity  and  restlessness  so 
remarkable  in  children,  and  so  importantly 
contributing  to  their  growth  and  advance- 
ment. As  soon  as  his  tongue  is  able  to 
articulate,  his  boundless  curiosity,  amidst 
a  universe  of  entirely  new  objects,  invites 
him  to  ask  continual  questions,  by  which 
not  only  his  faculty  of  speech  is  perfected, 
but  his  understanding  ripened  and  in- 
formed. These,  and  many  other  processes, 
mental  and  corporeal,  the  new  formed 
human  creature  begins  in  infancy  without 
procrastination,  and  carries  on  without 
intermission  through  the  several  stages  of 
childhood  and  youth  ;  taking  daily  food 
and  exercise,  and,  by  new  inquiries,  add- 
ing daily  to  his  stock  of  knowledge,  till 
he  reaches  manhood,  and  then,  at  length, 
in  the  full  maturity  of  all  his  faculties,  is 
admitted  to  the  intercourse,  employments, 
and  pleasures  of  rational  society.  But  this 
progress,  physical  as  well  as  intellectual, 
unless  commenced  at  the  proper  period, 
would  be  attended  with  constantly  in- 
creasing difficulty,  and  would  at  last 
become  impossible.  Thus,  if  the  child 
should  not  begin  at  once,  and  regularly 
continue  taking  food  and  exercise,  his 
body  would  either  perish,  or  be  stinted  in 
its  growth.  If  he  neglected  practising  in 
early  life  his  faculty  of  speech,  the  organ 
would  soon  lose  its  pliability,  and  become 
unfitted  for  articulation.  Or  if,  farther, 
he  should  omit  to  use  this  faculty  for  pur- 
poses of  inquiry,  if  he  should  delay  all 


468 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


study  and  observation  during  infancy  and 
youth,  while  his  memory  is  retentive  and 
his  habits  susceptible  of  improvement, 
the  powers  of  his  understanding,  thus 
continually  dormant,  and  never  called 
into  waking  exercise,  would  every  day 
become  more  sluggish,  and  be  at  last  inca- 
pable of  development. 

These  simple  and  acknowledged  facts, 
with  regard  to  the  present  life,  should  lead 
ns  naturally  to  anticipate  corresponding 
facts  in  connexion  with  our  discipline, 
preparatory  to  future  immortality.  That 
discipline,  to  be  successful,  must  be  early; 
to  be  effectual,  must  not  be  delayed.  The 
difficulty  is  augmented  rapidly  by  each 
successive  act  of  procrastination.  Our 
evil  habits  and  propensities  are  daily  more 
confirmed  the  longer  they  continue  in 
operation.  Our  vicious  practices  strike 
deeper  root  into  our  nature,  our  resist- 
ance to  the  impressions  of  religious  truth 
becomes  continually  more  inveterate. 
Familiarity  produces  indifference,  until  at 
length,  as  years  advance,  and  old  age 
draws  on,  a  change  of  character  is  almost 
hopeless,  and  then  follows  death,  which 
extinguishes  all  capacity  of  farther  growth 
or  progress,  and  renders  change  of  charac- 
ter impossible.  The  best  practical  deduc- 
tion from  the  foregoing  statement  is 
powerfully  made  by  Solomon,  "Whatso- 
ever thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  all 
thy  might ;  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  de- 
vice, nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the 
grave,  whither  thou  goest."  This  life  is 
the  only  time  allowed  us  to  prepare  for 
the  next.  No  second  opportunity  can  be 
hoped  for.  As,  my  brethren,  there  is  no 
state  granted  to  man  of  second  youth,  in 
which  the  errors  of  the  first  might  be  re- 
deemed ;  so  after  death,  there  is  no  second 
life  on  earth,  in  which  we  might  com- 
mence again  the  race  of  immortality. 
"As  the  tree  falls,  so  must  it  lie."  Delay 
not,  then,  preparations  which  are  indis- 
pensable— preparations  which  every  day 
are  more  difficult  to  be  made — prepara- 
tions which  cannot  at  last  be  made  at  all. 

IV.  There  remains  one  more  analogy 
between  infancy  as  an  introduction  to 
manhood,  and  the  present  life  as  intro- 
ductory to  life  eternal,  viz.,  that  this  pre- 


paratory discipline  is,  in  both  cases, 
often  infffedual. 

Of  the  children  born  into  the  world,  a 
very  small  proportion  ever  reach  maturity. 
The  far  greater  number  are,  by  various 
causes,  brought  to  an  untimely  end  ;  per- 
haps by  inadvertency  and  folly  of  their 
own ;  perhaps  by  the  violence  and  op- 
pression of  others  ;  perhaps  by  accident, 
by  sickness,  or  by  premature  decay.  The 
same  observation  may  be  extended  to  the 
lower  animals,  and  still  more  forcibly  to 
plants,  the  seeds  of  which  are  in  so  many 
ways  exposed  to  destruction,  that  we  can 
scarcely  find  one  seed  escaping  among 
the  millions  which  fall  away  and  perish. 
These  millions  appear  absolutely  lost  and 
wasted,  so  intent  does  nature  seem  on 
bringing  one  plant  to  maturity,  as  to  think 
the  loss  of  any  number  for  that  purpose 
comparatively  insignificant.  And  yet 
those  seeds  or  germs  Avhich  are  prema- 
turely destroyed,  and  those  which  hap- 
pen to  attain  full  growth,  were  at  first 
created,  equally  and  indiscriminately, 
capable  of  the  perfection  at  which  so  few 
arrive. 

Facts  like  these,  my  brethren,  within 
the  knowledge  and  observation  of  every 
human  being,  suggest  a  question  the  most 
awful  that  can  enter  the  human  heart. 
Does  the  spiritual  world  present  similar 
phenomena  to  what  we  have  here  remark- 
ed in  the  natural"?  Is  there  in  the  case 
of  man,  considered  as  an  immortal  being, 
any  thing  analogous  to  the  profusion  and 
apparent  waste  exhibited  in  the  works  of 
nature  around  nsl  As  the  seeds  of  plants 
are  designed  for  vegetable  life,  so  is  man 
designed  for  future  happiness.  Is  that 
design  often  frustrated  ?  Are  there  many 
who  never  reach  the  perfection  for  which 
they  were  created,  and  who  are  finally 
rejected  as  unfit  for  the  hmgdum  of  God? 
In  short,  are  there  few  that  be  saved? 

In  making  answer  to  this  question,  the 
conclusion  to  which  we  must  arrive, 
whether  we  look  around  us  in  society,  or 
consult  the  oracles  of  God,  is  most  appal- 
ling. We  see  few  appearances  warranting 
a  belief,  that  the  discipline  to  which  men 
are  subjected  in  this  world  produces  the 
effects  intended  ;  on  the  contrary,  we  die- 


MORAL  DISCIPLINE. 


469 


cover  fearful  indications  that  the  present 
state,  so  far  from  eventually  proving  a 
school  of  virtue,  proves  to  the  greater 
number,  through  their  perverseness,  an 
actual  school  of  vice.  Circumstances 
calculated  for  their  moral  improvement ; 
circumstances  calculated  to  produce  in 
them  dispositions  fit  for  heaven,  seem 
rather  to  have  an  opposite  effect,  and  to 
strengthen  them  in  sin.  Prosperity,  in- 
stead of  exciting  gratitude  to  God,  in- 
flames self-confidence.  Adversity,  instead 
of  working  acquiescence  in  the  divine 
will,  confirms  impatience  and  irritability. 
The  contemplation  of  other  men's  dis- 
tress makes  more  impenetrable  the  heart 
which  ought  to  have  been  softened.  In- 
creased acquaintance  with  religious  mo- 
tives, continually  withstood,  turns  half 
compliance  into  habitual  opposition. 

These  alarming  reflections  are  rendered 
more  alarming  by  corroborative  state- 
ments in  the  word  of  God.  We  all  are 
well  acquainted  with  the  solemn  admoni- 
tion of  our  Lord,  "  Many  are  called,  but 
few  are  chosen."  We  all  know  what  he 
added  in  confirmation  of  that  often  re- 
peated warning,  "  Many  widows  were  in 
Israel  in  the  days  of  Elias,  when  the 
heaven  was  shut  up  three  years  and  six 
months,  when  great  famine  was  through- 
out all  the  land,  but  unto  none  of  them 
was  Elias  sent,  save  unto  Sarepta,  a  city 
of  Sidon,  untoa  woman  that  was  a  widow. 
And  many  lepers  were  in  Israel  in  the 
days  of  Eliseus  the  prophet,  and  none  of 
them  were  cleansed,  saving  Naaman  the 
Syrian."  To  the  same  effect  is  elsewhere 
the  declaration  of  Christ,  "Broad  is  the 
way  that  leadeth  to  destruction,  and  many 
there  be  that  go  in  thereat;  narrow  is  the 
way  that  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there 
be  that  find  it."  Of  the  same  fearful  im- 
port is  the  language  of  the  apostles, 
"  Though  the  number  of  the  children  of 
Israel,"  says  St.  Paul,  "  be  as  the  sand  of 
the  sea,  ^remnant  shall  be  saved."  And 
St.  Peter,  as  a  caution  against  sluggish- 
ness and  indifference,  points  to  the  ark 
of  Noah,  wherein  few,  he  observes,  that  is, 
eight  souk,  were  saved  from  the  waters, 
when  an  entire  world  was  overwhelmed. 

Understanding  these  texts  in  the  mildest 
sense  which  they  admit  of,  we  find  them 


tremendously  significant.  They  mora 
than  warrant  our  assertion,  that  as  a  child, 
though  certainly  designed  to  attain  the 
natural  perfection  and  maturity  of  man- 
hood, often  fails  of  reaching  it,  and  comes 
to  an  untimely  end  ;  so,  in  like  manner, 
man,  considered  as  an  immortal  being, 
under  discipline  to  prepare  him  for  the 
perfection  and  felicity  of  heaven,  falls 
short  of  heavenly  blessedness  in  numerous 
and  terrific  instances,  and  is  ruined, 
finally,  totally,  irretrievably. 

There  is,  however,  one  most  important 
distinction  to  be  carefully  kept  in  view, 
namely,  that  the  failure  of  the  child  in 
reaching  manhood  is  often  caused  by  cir- 
cumstances which  he  neither  can  prevent 
nor  control ;  whereas  the  failure  of  the 
man  to  attain  eternal  life  is  always  caused 
by  himself — by  his  own  folly,  his  own 
negligence,  his  own  perverseness.  Ever- 
lasting happiness  is  offered  to  the  accept- 
ance of  all  :  the  trials  and  temptations 
incident  to  the  present  world  are  designed 
to  mature  in  us  that  character  which 
shall  qualify  us  for  the  next.  The  assist- 
ance, above  all,  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
author  of  all  holy  desires,  is  vouchsafed 
us,  that  we  may  pass  through  those  trials 
and  temptations  with  success.  "  The 
Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit 
withal."  If,  therefore,  we  reject,  or  if  we 
fail  to  profit  by  the  precious  gift,  the  fault 
is  in  ourselves. 

Be  instructed,  0  wavering  Christian  I 
by  the  counsel  of  your  Redeemer.  Strive 
— exert  every  faculty  you  possess,  to  enter 
ill  at  the  strait  gate ,-  fur  many,  I  say  unto 
you,  shall  seek — that  is,  shall  use  some 
feeble  efforts,  to  enter  in,  but  shall  not  be 
able.  First,  secure  a  title  to  future  hap- 
piness, by  believing  on  the  name,  and 
relying  upon  the  merits  of  the  Son  of 
God,  and  then  proceed  with  strenuous- 
ness,  with  courage  and  perseverance, 
under  the  guidance  of  God's  Spirit,  in 
the  discipline  of  holy  preparation.  Be 
STRENUOUS,  for  you  see  that  weak  endea- 
vours are  unavailing.  Be  courageous, 
for  God  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted 
above  that  you  are  able.  Be  persever- 
ing, for  "  No  man,  having  put  his  hand 
to  the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for 
I  the  kingdom  of  God." 
2R 


SERMON  LII. 

ADDRESSED    TO   THE    YOUNG. 
BY   THE    REV.   JAMES    BENNETT,   D.D. 


'  Then  Jesus,  beholding  him,  loved  him,  and  said  unto  him.  One  thing  thou  lackest." — Mark  x.  21 


You  know,  my  young  friends,  that  a 
certain  proud  and  prosperous  king,  Bel- 
shazzar,  when  in  the  midst  of  a  royal 
feast,  and  surrounded  by  festivity  and 
apparent  security,  was  suddenly  disturbed 
by  seeing  a  mysterious  hand — the  hand  of 
God — writing  upon  the  wall,  in  letters  of 
light,  these  remarkable  words, — "  mene, 
MENE,  TEKEL,  upHARSiN;"  and  you  are 
aware  that  a  certain  inspired  prophet,  an 
infallible  interpreter,  explained  the  mys- 
terious words  to  mean — "  Thou  art  weigh- 
ed in  the  balances,  and  art  found  wanting." 
Our  Lord  Jesus  has  come  this  night,  pre- 
senting himself  to  you,  weighing  a  young 
man  in  the  balance,  and  pronouncing  him 
wanting.  What  if  the  flame  which  is- 
sues from  the  lamps  in  this  place  were 
all  to  fly  off,  assuming  upon  the  wall  the 
form  of  letters,  and,  when  you  came  to 
look  at  these  letters  of  light,  you  saw  the 
word  TEKEL,  and  you  recollected  the 
meaning:  for  the  prophet  had  told  you 
it  signified — "Thou  art  weighed  in  the 
balance,  and  art  found  wanting  I" 

If  I  present  Christ  to  you  to-night  thus 
weighing  a  young  man  and  pronouncing 
him  wanting,  do  not  think  it  unkind ; 
happy  had  it  been  for  Belshazzar  had  he 
taken  the  warning  that  had  been  given 
him ;  for  that  very  night  Belshazzar  was 
slain : — and  who  knows  but  this  night 
you  may  die?  Well  will  it  be  for  you 
if  you  take  the  warning,  and,  before  you 
die,  recover  from  that  state  in  which  you 
are  wanting,  and  be  found  accepted  before 
God. 

I  would,  then,  remind  you   that  you 
470 


have  a  very  kind  and  gracious  judge  in 
this  person  who  here  weighs  you  ;  and  I 
shall  show  you  how  kind,  and  consider- 
ate, and  impartial  he  is ;  for  I  shall  en- 
deavour to  point  out  to  you  the  two  scales 
of  this  balance,  and  show  you,  first,  what 
is  in  the  scale  that  is  favourable  to  you  ; 
and,  secondly,  what  is  in  the  scale  that  is 
unfavourable;  for  you  see  that  my  text, 
on  the  one  hand,  declares  that — "Jesus 
beholding,  loved  the  young  man  ;"  while, 
on  the  other,  he  declared  to  him — "  one 
thing  thou  lackest." 

I.  What  is  there  in  the  scale  that 
IS  favourable  to  vou? 

If  I  had  nothing  else  to  say  but  that 
God  has  been  very  gracious  to  our  fallen 
race — that  he  has  so  loved  the  world  as 
to  give  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  upon  him  might  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life — that  the  Son  of 
God  has  assumed  our  nature,  has  trodden 
upon  the  same  earth  on  which  you  tread 
— that  he  breathed  this  air  that  you 
breathe — that  he  went  about  continually 
doing  good,  and,  at  length,  poured  out 
his  precious  blood  upon  the  cross  for  our 
salvation — that  he  commissioned  this  to 
be  proclaimed  to  every  creature,  and  in- 
vited all  men  to  come  unto  him  that  they 
might  be  saved — and  that  his  own  Spirit 
accompanies  this  proclamation,  and 
breathes  upon  the  minds  of  men  for  their 
conversion  and  salvation — you  would  say, 
this  is,  indeed,  a  weight  in  the  scale  in 
our  favour.  But  our  text  speaks  of  some 
peculiar  regard  that  Jesus  had  to  the 
young  man  here — for  that  he  was  young 


TO  THE  YOUNG. 


471 


another  evangelist  assures  us.  There  are 
several  peculiar  things  that  are  in  your 
favour;  they  may  be  comprehended  un- 
der the  three  following: — The  first  is, 
many  of  the  qualities  of  youth  are  favour- 
able to  religion,  and  as  such  Christ  re- 
gards them ;  the  second  is,  that  many  of 
the  words  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  are 
favourable  to  the  hope  of  your  conversion, 
and  as  such  you  ought  to  regard  them ; 
and  the  third  is,  that  many  of  the  deal- 
ings of  God  confirm  all  these  hopes,  and 
should  inspire  you  with  the  most  earnest 
desire  to  enjoy  the  same  blessings. 

1.  There  art  many  of  the  qiialilies  of 
youth  which  are  favourable  to  religion,  and 
as  such  Christ  regards  them.  When  he 
saw  this  young  man  coming,  it  is  said — 
"he  loved  him,"  though  he  pronounced 
him  wanting,  and  the  young  man  went 
away  sorrowful.  Yet  Christ  loves  whal 
is  good,  as  far  as  it  goes,  though  there 
may  not  be  that  spiritual  good  which  is 
the  object  of  his  complacency  and  of  his 
moral  approbation,  and  which  will  secure 
our  everlasting  salvation.  When  Christ 
looked  abroad  upon  this  world,  he  viewed 
all  the  works  of  God  with  complacency 
and  benevolence.  If  he  saw  the  lily  of 
the  field,  he  beheld  its  delicate  beauty — if 
he  saw  the  lark  mounting  upward  to  the 
sky,  he  saw  it  with  pleasure,  "  The 
Lord  rejoiceth  in  all  his  works  ;" — his 
benevolent  heart  delighted  to  see  the 
beauty  and  glory  which  God  had  diffused 
over  the  works  of  his  hand,  and  he 
said — 

"  These  are  thy  works,  Almight5'  Father, 
Thine  this    universal   frame,   thus   wondrous 

fair. 
Thyself  how  wondrous  then!" 

Well,  the  vSaviour  who  saw  the  lily  and 
heard  the  lark  with  pleasure,  never  could 
look  at  spring  in  the  countenance  of  youth 
without  that  comprehensive  approCation 
which  he  felt  towards  the  material  works. 
The  glowing  countenance  of  youth,  the 
sparkling  eye,  the  bounding  limb,  the 
overflowing  spirits,  the  warm  affeclions, 
the  retentive  memory,  the  ardent  imagi- 
nation, the  burning  zeal,  the  noble,  gfene- 
rous  daring  of  youth — all  these  things 
have  their  charms,  and,  as  far  as  they  go, 


though  they  are  but  natural  excellpncies, 
they  are  objects  of  complacency  and  ap- 
probation. When  our  Lord  sees  in  youth 
a  sort  of  open  frankness,  difli'erent  from 
the  cold,  cautious,  cunning  reserve  of  an 
old  practised  sinner,  Christ  prefers  the 
frank,  open,  bland  spirit  of  the  youth  to 
the  serpentine  spirit  of  an  aged  sinner; 
and,  although  it  is  something  natuial,  not 
spiritual,  yet  Christ  has  a  regard  for  it  as 
a  natural  excellence.  That  tender,  warm 
aflfection  which  children  feel — that  ten- 
dency to  contract  a  friendship — to  open 
their  bosom — to  give  out  their  hearts  to 
receive  what  is  kind  and  amiable,  and  to 
give  it  a  frank  and  warm  reception,  all 
this  is  quite  congenial  with  the  Saviour's 
mind,  it  suits  his  own  open,  kind,  and 
affectionate  bosom.  And  that  tendency 
to  receive  a  testimony — that  readiness  to 
receive  what  is  told  them,  and  not  to  sus- 
pect lies  upon  every  lip,  but  to  be  dispos- 
ed, until  they  find  things  false,  to  believe 
them  true,  even  that  also,  which  is  the 
natural  temper  of  youth,  is  an  excellence ; 
for  if  sin  had  never  entered  we  should 
never  have  formed  a  conception  of  any 
body  deceiving  us.  Now,  it  is  vcr\'  true 
that,  with  all  this  simplicity  of  the  dove, 
we  ought  to  unite  the  wisdom  of  the  ser- 
pent; but  if  we  cannot  unite  them — if 
they  must  be  separated,  as  they  too  fre- 
quently are — give  us  the  dove,  take  who 
will  the  serpent!  Now,  our  Lord  saw 
this  spirit  in  the  young  man,  and  it  was 
to  his  eye  a  pleasing  sight  as  far  as  it 
went.  The  retentive  memory  that  lays 
hold  of  the  truth  and  keeps  it  fast,  that 
makes  youth  fit  for  the  learning  time,  was 
also,  in  our  Saviour's  ej^e,  a  pleasing 
sight,  rendering,  as  it  does,  the  mind  a 
sort  of  secure  storehouse  for  truth. 

Now,  all  these  things  are  favourable  to 
religion.  Religion  asks  for  your  open 
heart — religion  asks  for  a  believing  mind 
that  can  confide  in  a  friend  who  tells  the 
truth,  and  does  not  wish  to  deceive  you. 
Religion  calls  for  the  faithful  memory 
that  stores  up  divine  truth,  and  remem- 
bers Jesus  Christ,  who,  of  the  seed  of 
David,  was  sacrificed  for  us, 

0.  There  are  words  in  the  Scripture — 
promises  in  the  holy  book — that  are  pecu- 
liarly favourable  to  you,  and  should  inspire 


472 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


your  hope.  With  what  delight  does  the 
holy  man  adduce  these  words !  He 
seems  to  pour  out  all  the  stores  of  sacred 
eloquence  to  trace  the  old  age  to  the  life — 
you  see  it  wrinkled,  old,  decrepit,  peevish, 
stooping,  going  down  to  the  grave;  and 
for  what  1 — hut  that  you  may  hearken  to 
the  voice  which  stands  at  the  head  of  it 
— "  Remember  now  thy  Creator  in  the 
days  of  thy  youth,  while  the  evil  days 
come  not,  nor  the  years  draw  nigh  when 
thou  shalt  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in 
them."  How  large  a  part  of  the  book  of 
Proverbs  is  addressed  to  the  young ! 
"  Hear,  O  my  son  !  the  instructions  of 
thy  father,  and  forget  not  the  law  of  thy 
mother."  How  many  have  been  touched 
to  the  heart  with  these  words — and  they 
are  fit  to  touch  the  heart — "  I  love  them 
that  love  me,  and  they  that  seek  me  early 
shall  find  me !"  This  one  assurance, 
that  God  has  a  peculiar  regard  to  those 
that  seek  him  early,  is  a  most  delightful 
encouragement  to  the  young.  "When  our 
Lord  Jesus  is  described  as  a  shepherd,  he 
gathers  the  lambs  in  his  bosom.  What 
a  world  of  affection  and  delight  does  this 
open  to  your  view ! — your  Redeemer 
seeking,  and  feeding,  and  nourishing, 
and  delighting  in  the  affections  of  the 
children.  He  carries  them  in  his  bosom, 
and  warms  and  nourishes  them  in  the  love 
of  his  own  heart.  There  is  nothing  like 
this  said  to  encourage  any  one  to  put  off 
religion  to  old  age ;  but,  oh,  what  is  said 
to  encourage  the  young  to  come  to  Christ ! 
The  fact  is,  that  there  is  not  one  word  in 
all  the  Bible  that  is  specifically  intended 
to  encourage  persons  to  defer  religion  to 
the  time  when  they  grow  old — every 
thing  is  said  against  this.  But  there  is 
much  to  encourage  you  to  embrace  reli- 
gion when  you  are  young. 

3.  Remember  that,  as  the  word,  so  the 
works  of  God — his  works  of  grace — coii- 
jirm  these  things  that  are  said,  so  earntstly, 
to  encourage  you.  A  large  part  of  those 
who  are  ignorant  of  religion  think  that  it 
is  a  thing  only  for  old  age — very  proper 
when  men  have  grown  old,  but  very  unfit 
for  them  while  they  are  young ;  it  does 
not  sit  well  upon  young  people  ;  and  they 
are,  therefore,  for  deferring  it  to  old  age. 
Now,  you  will  observe  that  all  who  are 


of  this  opinion  are  utterly  ignorant  of  re- 
ligion. They  know  no  more  of  what 
religion  is  than  a  blind  man  knows  of 
light  and  colours.  Precisely  the  re- 
verse of  this  is  the  opinion  of  all  who 
know  religion.  They  say  that  youth  is 
the  proper  time  for  religion.  Look  at  the 
religious  societies  where  the  gospel  is 
not  preached,  where  salvation  by  works 
is  proclaimed,  and  where  religion  is 
placed  in  external  forms  and  ceremonies 
— there  you  will  see  at  prayers  none  but 
the  old  and  decrepit;  but  look  at  those 
congregations  where  the  gospel  is  preach- 
ed, and  where  the  nature  of  spiritual  re- 
ligion is  understood,  and  God  is  worship- 
ped in  spirit  and  in  truth — there  you  will 
see  at  prayers  the  young ;  and  a  large 
proportion  of  those  who  join  together  in 
voluntary  associations  for  prayer  to  the 
mercy-seat  of  God  are  young  people. 
The  fact  is,  where  religion  is  truly  un- 
derstood, it  is  regarded  as  the  ornament, 
the  glory,  the  bliss  of  youth ;  so  that  the 
earlier  it  is  possessed  the  better.  And 
where  religion  is  not  understood,  and  a 
gloomy  superstition  is  substituted  for  it, 
there  it  is  very  natural  to  say,  the  later 
the  better.  Now,  let  me  remind  you  that 
the  works  of  God  confirm  his  words. 
Perhaps  not  one  in  forty  is  converted 
after  the  age  of  forty  ;  and  perhaps  ninety- 
nine  out  of  a  hundred  who  know  any  thing 
of  real  religion  are  converted  somewhere 
about  twenty.  This  is  a  solemn  consi- 
deration, let  me  attempt  to  impress  you 
Svilh  it.  Suppose  you  had  fallen  into  a 
dream,  and  you  thought  you  saw  an  im- 
mense plain  crowded  with  persons  of  all 
ages,  from  the  young  and  the  middle-aged 
to  the  old  and  decrepit;  and  you  saw  the 
Saviour  of  sinners  descend  in  all  his  ma- 
jesty and  glory,  and  passing  through  this 
crowd,  taking  more  from  the  ranks  of  the 
young,  fewer  from  the  ranks  of  the  mid- 
dle-aged, and  much  fewer  still  from  the 
aged,  conducting  them  to  a  gate,  and  ad- 
mitting them  within,  on  which  was  writ- 
ten this  inscription — "  Strait  is  the  gate 
and  narrow  is  the  way  that  leadeth  unto 
life,  and  few  there  be  that  go  in  thereat;" 
— suppose,  on  waking  in  the  morning, 
you  were  to  tell  this  dream  to  an  aged 
friend,  and  he  was  to  say,  last  night  I 


TO  THE  YOUNG. 


473 


dreamed  exactly  the  same  dream,  and  saw- 
exactly  the  same  representation — a  few 
old  people,  more  in  the  middle  life,  but 
the  great  body  of  those  that  entered  in  at 
the  gate  of  life  were  young  men.  When 
I  awoke,  said  the  old  man,  I  trembled  as 
the  aspen  leaf,  and  the  bed  shook  under 
me,  and  I  thought  I  was  come  to  that 
time  of  life  when  it  was  too  late  to  be 
converted.  And  would  you  not  say,  I 
was  glad  when  I  awoke ;  for  the  greater 
part  of  those  that  are  converted  are  con- 
verted at  the  happy  period  of  my  time  of 
life.  Well,  my  young  friends,  this  is  not 
all  a  dream.  It  is  the  solemn,  serious, 
fact  of  the  case,  that  the  greatest  part  of 
those  who  are  converted  are  converted  in 
youth.  There  is  nothing,  indeed,  to  cut 
off  any  from  hope  ;  but  such  is  the  fact ; 
read  the  history  of  those  who  have  be- 
come real  Christians,  and  you  will  learn 
that  the  grace  of  God  touched  their  hearts 
while  they  were  yet  young.  And  when 
you  find  exceptions  you  look  upon  them 
as  a  rarity,  a  wonder  of  grace,  and  you 
say,  happy  is  it  for  you  that  you  have 
escaped  that  fearful  ruin  that  generally 
comes  upon  those  who  put  off  religion  to 
old  age. 

But  now,  my  dear  young  friends,  I 
would  turn  to  the  second  part  of  the  sub- 
ject. And  I  shall  endeavour  to  point 
out — 

II.    What  is  in  the  scale  that  is 

AGAINST  YOU. 

"  One  thing  thou  lackest,"  says  Christ ; 
and  that  was  the  one  thing  needful ;  for 
"he  went  away  sorrowful."  There  are 
three  things  in  this  opposite  scale  that  are 
against  you. 

1.  The  first  is  that  all  that  is  merely 
amiable  and  hopeful  in  nature  is  not  grace, 
nor  is  it  at  all  really  valuable  in  Code's  sight. 
— It  is  not  true  virtue  or  holiness.  It  is, 
indeed,  as  far  as  it  goes,  pleasant  to  the 
eye,  and  better  than  the  opposite  sort  of 
things.  That  openness  of  mind,  that 
frankness  of  disposition,  that  readiness  to 
credit  a  report,  that  retentive  memory, 
that  bounding,  ardent  spirit,  that  noble, 
generous  zeal  which  youth  feels,  when 
undertaking  any  thing,  to  do  it  thoroughly 
well — all  these  are,  indeed,  lovely  in  their 


is  nothing  in  nature,  considered  in  itself, 
that  is  spiritual,  holy,  worthy  to  be  ap- 
proved of  the  moral  governor  of  the  world, 
or  that  will  stand  the  scrutiny  of  the  last 
day.     "  In  us,  that  is,  in  our  flesh,  there 
dwelleth  no  good  thing."     Mere  nature 
has   nothing  but  what  is  sinful.     Exa- 
mine it  into  the  very  core,  and  it  will  all 
be  foun'd  wanting;  for  there  is  not  in  our 
fallen  nature  any  real  love  to  God,  any 
genuine  love  of  holiness,  any  true  hatred 
of  sin,  any  real   reliance  of  soul   upon 
Christ,   or   any  desire  for  God's   glory. 
All  these  things,  that  are  the  essence  of 
what  is  truly  lovely,  spiritually  amiable 
and  good,  are  wanting  in  us.     So  that, 
whatever  excellence  there  may  be  in  your 
youth,  and  whatever  your  earthly  parents 
may  approve  in   you,  there  is   nothing, 
where  there  is  no  holiness,  that  the  holy 
law  of  God  can  approve.    You  sometimes 
may,  perhaps,  have  seen  the  corpse  of  a 
departed   friend,  and   if  you   have   seen 
more  than  one  you  may  have  observed, 
in  some  instances,  a  redness  on  the  cheek 
that  even  sickness  does  not  remove,  and 
that   attends   them   even  to  their  coflin. 
Now,  that   flush   upon    the   cheek   will 
make  a  corpse  look  pretty,  and  sometimes 
the  corpse  will  look  so  pretty  that  the 
friends  will  hang  over  it  with   delight, 
and  kiss  the  cold  cheek   that  seems  to 
repel  the  token  of  affection  ;  but,  after  all, 
remember  this  is  only  the  loveliness  of  a 
corpse;    and,   whatever  excellence   you 
may  have  as  amiable  young  people,  yet, 
unconverted,  it  is  the  cheek  of  the  rose 
with  the  heart  of  the  corpse.     "  Dead  in 
trespasses   and   sins"   is    the    character 
which  God  pronounces  yours.     Now  that 
is  a  weight  in  the  scale  against  you. 

2.  There  is  a  second  consideration,  and 
it  is  that  all  those  things  that  may  appear 
amiable  and  lovely,  if  they  are  not  sanctified 
by  religion,  will  become  hostile.  To  be 
frank  and  generous,  unsuspecting  in  your 
mind,  exposes  you  to  receive  whatever 
error  may  be  presented  to  you,  and  makes 
you  in  danger  of  becoming  the  prey  of  the 
designing  infidel, so  that  you  may  hearken 
to  his  specious  lies, and  swallow  the  gilded 
bait,  and  be  for  ever  taken  in  the  snare. 
That  readiness  of  mind  that  you  have  to 


way — but  they  are  not  religion.     There    receive  a  rl^ort,  and  to  treasure  up  what 
Vol.  L— 60  2  r  2 


474 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


you  hear,  may  make  your  memory  the 
storehouse  of  all  impurity.  You  may 
recollect  what  is  foul  and  filthy,  and  so 
filling  the  chambers  of  your  memory,  it 
may  render  your  mind  all  that  is  loath- 
some to  the  eye  of  him  who  searches  the 
heart,  and  who  will  finally  make  the 
scrutiny. 

My  friends,  remember  besides  this  that 
you  will  nut  always  be  young.  You  are  not 
so  young  now  as  when  you  entered  this 
place  of  worship  ;  while  you  are  watching 
my  lips  you  are  drawing  breath,  it  is  go- 
ing out  into  the  empty  air,  and  shortly 
you  will  breathe  it  all  away — it  will  be 
gone;  well  then,  remember,  if  you  grow 
old  without  religion,  the  peculiarities  fa- 
vourable to  religion  in  youth  are  gone. 
Instead  of  the  frank  ingenuous  openness 
of  the  unsuspecting  youthful  mind,  there 
will  be  the  close,  cold,  suspicious  one — 
the  heart  shut  up  against  and  impervious 
to  the  truth.  The  warm  and  feeling 
breast,  that  then  was  so  ready  to  receive 
what  was  amiable  and  kind,  will  now  be- 
come cold  and  chilled  as  the  ices  of  the 
poles.  The  memory,  that  once  was  so 
quick  to  receive  and  faithful  to  retain, 
will  become  treacherous  and  slippery,  so 
that  you  will  forget  what  you  heard  yes- 
terday. All  those  qualities  that  were 
once  so  favourable  to  religion  will  be  ex- 
changed for  all  that  is  most  unfavourable. 
And  if  you  defer  religion  in  the  days  of 
your  youth,  how  soon  may  you  become 
the  aged  sinner,  who  says  "  the  days  are 
come  when  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them  !" 

3.  But  let  me  entreat  you  to  remember, 
in  the  last  place,  that,  if  the  grace  of  God 
prevent  not,  all  the  promises  of  youth  may 
perish  in  everlasting  despair.  For  youth 
is  not  immortal;  though  you  are  young 
now,  you  may  die  while  you  are  young, 
and  if  you  are  still  waiting,  and  refusing 
to  embrace  Christ  and  give  up  yourselves 
to  him,  while  you  hesitate,  death  may  be 
deciding,  and  while  you  may  be  saying, 
"  not  to-day.  Lord  Jesus — to-morrow," — 
death  may  be  saying,  "  not  to-morrow,  but 
to-day — this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  re- 
quired of  thee."  And  if  this  should  be 
the  case,  and  you  die  unregenerate,  unfor- 
given,  having  come  to  years  of  account- 
ability, having  an  understan(^ng  to  judge 


between  good  and  evil,  and  a  conscience 
to  have  warned  you  of  your  danger,  and 
having  had  faithful  counsels  and  every 
opportunity — if  you  die  in  your  >ius,  how 
melancholy  is  the  consequence !  Then 
that  glowing  countenance  blooming  with 
youth,  now  withered  and  decayed,  sinks 
down  into  all  the  darkness  and  gloom  of 
the  grave,  and  the  blackness  of  darkness 
and  everlasting  fire  gathers  around  you. 
Then  that  warm  imagination,  that  once 
painted  to  itself  fairy  scenes  of  future  feli- 
city, will  be  left  to  riot  in  all  the  dreadful 
conceptions  of  everlasting  misery  : — what 
it  must  be  to  spend  an  eternity  of  agony  1 
Then  the  memory  that  might  have  been 
the  treasury  of  divine  truth,  and  stored 
up  God's  gracious  words,  will  only  recal 
all  that  will  torment  you — all  your  oppor- 
tunities and  advantages,  and  all  your  own 
perverse  abuse,  neglect,  and  rejection  of 
them  all.  Oh,  why  must  all  the  flower 
of  youth  go  down  to  perdition"?  Why 
must  the  spring  be  blasted,  and  everlast- 
ing winter  wither  the  soul? — Why  must 
that  which  should  have  been  consecrated 
to  Jesus  be  for  ever  the  subject  of  divine 
wrath? — and  he  that  might  have  been  a 
rose-bud  in  the  Saviour's  crown — his  dia- 
dem of  salvation — be  a  withered  weed 
cast  out  to  everlasting  abhorrence  and 
rejection?  Remember,  my  dear  young 
friends,  how  soon  these  sad  reverses  may 
happen.  You  are  aware  that  young  chil- 
dren frequently  sicken,  and  sometimes 
die  suddenly.  Have  you  ever  known 
one  on  whom  consumption  has  seized? 
There  may  indeed  have  been  a  hectic 
flush  upon  the  face,  but  there  was  the 
glassy  brightness  of  the  eye  which  inti- 
mated that  all  was  not  right  within. 
They  told  you  they  were  getting  better ; 
they  fancied  it;  but  you  saw  that  the  get- 
ting better  existed  only  in  their  imagina- 
tions, for  every  one  else  could  perceive 
that  they  were  sinking  down  into  the 
grave.  Remember  that  this  deceptive 
disease  is  the  disease  of  young  persons. 
And  let  this  warn  you  of  the  danger  of 
deferring  religion  until  sickness  comes 
upon  you.  It  is  terrible  that  that  very 
disease,  the  most  likely  to  arrest  you, 
may  be  the  one  you  may  die  of,  and  you 
may  die  getting  better — that  is,  in  your 


TO  THE  YOUNG. 


475 


own  apprehensions.  Oh,  then,  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Saviour,  now  inviting  you 
and  saying,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labour,  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest !" 

Now  let  me  entreat  you  to  take  the  fol- 
lowing COUNSELS, — 

1.  Never  think  you  are  too  young  to  be 
converted,  and  forgiven,  and  saved,  and 
given  up  to  God,  while  you  know  that 
you  are  not  too  young  to  sicken,  to  die,  to 
be  judged,  to  go  to  heaven  or  hell. 

2.  Never  take  up  with  any  thing  short 
of  true  religion — the  entire  change  of  the 
heart  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost — 
the  true  and  full  forgiveness  of  all  your 
sins  by  faith  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ. 
For  only  this  sort  of  religion  will  do  you 
any  good. 

3.  Never  be  satisfied  with  having  re- 
ligion— seek  to  abound  in  it.  Not  merely 
to  be  alive,  but  lively  ;  for,  if  religion  is 
worth  any  thing,  the  more  you  have  of  it 
the  better ;  seek  to  have  as  much  of  God's 
image  as  can  possibly  be  enjoyed  upon 
earth. 

4.  Let  me  remind  you  that  for  this  pur- 
pose you  should  study  your  own  easily 
besetting  sin,  especially  the  sins  of  your 
youth — be  warned  against  them — watch 
against  them — strain  all  your  efforts  to 
oppose  and  destroy  them,  and  ask  by  the 
grace  of  God  to  keep  yourselves  unspotted 
from  the  world. 

5.  For  this  purpose  form  a  rule,  lay 
down  a  plan  for  life,  laying  out  every  day 
as  it  ought  to  be  spent,  and  as  you  will 
wish  you  had  spent  it  when  you  come  to 
die;  for  this  purpose  read  daily  the  Holy 
Scriptures — consult  aged  and  experienced 
Christians,  and  ask  them  how  they  would 
advise  you  to  conduct  yourself  before 
God. 

6.  Lastly,  seek  to  live  not  for  your- 
selves, but  to  live  usefully  as  well  as 
safely.  Do  as  much  good  as  you  can  in 
the  world,  and  as  you  are  young,  and 
have  an  influence  upon  the  young,  seek  to 
wean  them  to  the  knowledge,  and  love, 
and  service  of  Christ.  It  is  a  sad  thing 
to  leave  the  world  before  we  have  done 
any  good  in  it.  Exert  yourselves,  then  ; 
and,  if  you  have  a  short  race  to  run,  you 
will  be  a  quick  seizer  of  the  crown.     If 


you  leave  your  friends  soon  upon  earth, 
it  will  be  to  depart  and  to  be  with  Christ, 
which  is  far  better.  This  is  the  consum- 
mation of  the  felicity  of  true  Christians 
to  be  with  him  where  he  is  that  they  maj 
behold  his  glory.     Amen. 


"  Lebanon  is  not  sufficient  to  burn,  nor  th» 
beasts  thereof  sufficient  for  a  burnt-offering.' 

Wherewithal  shall  I  come  before  the 
Lord,  and  find  acceptance  with  the  mos* 
high  God]  is  a  question,  the  solution 
of  which  must  be  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance to  a  sinner.  "  All  have  sinned," 
say  the  Scriptures,  and  thou,  O  my  soul, 
among  the  rest.  But  the  same  Scriptures 
assures  us,  that  by  an  irrevocable  law  of 
heaven,  no  sinner  can  draw  near  to  God, 
so  as  to  find  acceptance  in  his  sight,  but 
on  the  ground  of  an  atoning  sacrifice, 
which,  according  to  the  law,  was  to  be 
laid  on  wood,  and  burnt  together  with  it. 
But  where  is  such  a  sacrifice  to  be  found  1 
and  where  the  wood  to  burn  it]  The 
text  tells  me,  "  Lebanon  is  not  suf- 
ficient to  burn,  nor  the  beasts  thereof 
sufficient  for  a  burnt-offering."  Lebanon, 
high  and  extensive,  the  range  of  ten  thou- 
sand beasts  ;  Lebanon,  celebrated  for  the 
variety,  beauty,  largeness,  and  durability 
of  its  trees;  Lebanon,  with  all  its  nume- 
rous herds,  and  lofty  cedars,  could  not 
furnish  a  sacrifice  sufficient  to  atone  for 
the  sin  of  our  souls,  nor  wood  enough  to 
consume  such  a  victim.  Yea,  the  cattle 
on  a  thousand  hills  would  have  been  re- 
jected ;  nor  could  our  first-born,  the  fruit 
of  our  body,  have  atoned  for  our  trans- 
gressions. The  redemption  of  the  soul 
is  precious,  and  nothing  that  sees  corrup-< 
tion  could  equal  it  in  value.  Where 
shall  I  look  1  Whither  shall  I  flee  for 
help]  Come,  my  soul,  from  Lebanon; 
look  from  the  top  of  Shenir,  Hermon,  and 
all  the  celebrated  mountains  of  Judea. 
Look  to  the  place  of  skulls,  the  despised 
hill,  with  its  cursed  tree  ;  "  the  place  of 
the  pouring  out  of  ashes :"  the  place 
where  the  carcases  of  criminals  were  in- 
dignantly thrown,  as  the  ashes,  the  refuse 
of  society.  There  you  will  find  a  full 
answer  to  your  question,  filling  you  with 
peace  and  joy  in  believing  it. 


SERMON  LIII. 

CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP  DELINEATED. 
BY  THE  REV.  ROBERT  BRODIE,  A.M. 


'  Jesus  mith  unto  her,  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh  when  ye  shall  neither  in  this  mountain, 
nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  worshij)  the  Father  ;  but  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  v>hen  the  true  wor- 
shipper shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth :  for  the  Father  seekelh  such  to  worship 
him."— John  iv.  21,  23. 


We  are  informed,  in  the  commence- 
ment of  this  chapter,  that,  when  our  Lord 
was  passing  through  Samaria,  the  disci- 
ples went  for  a  supply  of  provisions  into 
the  town  of  Sychar,  while  he  waited  at 
Jacob's  well  in  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood. As  he  rested  there  in  the  heat  of 
the  day,  fatigued  with  his  journey,  a  Sa- 
maritan woman  came  to  the  well  to  draw 
water,  from  whom  he  requested  that  she 
would  "give  him  to  drink."  This  re- 
quest, so  little  in  the  manner  and  spirit 
of  the  country  to  which  his  dress  and 
accent  bespoke  him  to  belong,  for  the 
Jews  had  an  implacable  enmity  towards 
the  Samaritans,  filled  her  with  a  surprise 
which  she  did  not  attempt  to  conceal. 
The  surprise  was  increased  on  hearing 
the  answer  given  to  the  question  so  much 
agitated  between  the  two  nations,  and 
which,  on  discovering  his  prophetic  cha- 
racter, she  put  to  him.  Whether  Gerizim 
'or  Jerusalem  had  the  preferable  claim  as 
a  place  of  worship.  Instead  of  assigning 
the  superiority  to  either,  an  exclusive 
claim  was  denied  to  both.  This  accords 
with  the  representations  which  the  Scrip- 
tures every  where  give  of  the  liberal  spi- 
rit of  the  Christian  system,  in  conformity 
to  which  the  disciples  of  Christ  are,  at 
this  moment,  assembled  in  so  many  dif- 
ferent places,  under  such  a  diversity  of 
outward  circumstances,  with  the  same 
expectations  of  acceptance. 

The  appropriate  beauty  of  the  house  of 
God  is  the  beauty  of  holiness.  "The 
476 


hour  cometh  when  ye  shall  neither  in 
this  mountain,  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  wor- 
ship the  Father.  But  the  true  worship- 
pers shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit 
and  in  truth." 

I.  Let  us  consider  the  negative  descrip- 
tion of  the  character  of  Christian  wor- 
ship— what  it  is  riof. 

1st.  It  is  not  sectarian. 

None  present  will  suppose  that  T  use 
the  epithet  sectarian  in  the  sense  in  which 
it  is  often  used,  as  descriptive  of  those 
who  separate,  however  conscientiously 
from  the  established  forms  of  the  religion 
of  their  country.  The  attribute  of  Chris- 
tianity which  I  have  in  view,  is  directly 
opposed  to  the  narrow  feelings  which 
this  application  of  the  epithet  indicates.' 
Rightly  interpreted,  it  describes  a  cha- 
racter not  confined  to  any  one  class  of  the 
professors  of  religion,  but  extensively 
prevalent  among  all.  At  the  period  to 
which  my  text  relates,  it  was  not,  as  the 
Jew  wished  to  maintain,  exclusively  ap- 
plicable to  the  Samaritan,  nor  is  it  now 
exclusively  applicable  to  the  advocates 
of  dissent.  He  is  the  sectary,  and  he 
alone,  who  would  introduce  into  religion 
the  principle  of  monopoly,  who  neither 
sees  nor  wishes  to  see  any  thing  good  or 
praiseworthy  beyond  the  limits  of  his 
own  denomination. — Sectarianism  is  in 
the  mind  rather  than  in  the  outward  act. 
There  may  be  no  separation  from  others 
in  the  one  case,  where  there  is,  and  where, 
unless  all  moral   distinctions  are  to   be 


CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP  DELINEATED. 


477 


confounded,  there  ought  to  be  a  separa- 
tion in  the  other.  To  assert  that  we  are 
not  justifiable  in  withdrawing  from  the 
communion  of  those  whose  religious  prac- 
tices and  principles  we  deem  unscriptu- 
ral,  would  be  to  represent  protestantism 
itself  as  a  criminal  schism.  But  our  be- 
nevolent regards  may  be  cherished  to- 
wards those  from  whom  we  conscien- 
tiously separate.  Though  to  us  they 
appear  to  err,  charity  will  lead  us  to  hope 
that,  in  many  cases,  the  errors  are  not 
wilful,  and  not  inconsistent  with  general 
religious  sincerity.  In  this  world  we 
"  see  darkly  as  through  a  glass."  Even 
inquiring  minds,  with  equal  degrees  of 
candour  and  zeal  for  the  truth,  may,  in 
religious  matters,  arrive  at  very  different 
conclusions.  Party  distinctions,  as  such, 
and  separate  from  the  motives  in  which 
they  originate,  and  by  which  they  are 
sustained,  are  of  no  importance  in  the 
sight  of  God  ;  and  experience  shows  that 
they  are  but  equivocal  tests  of  character. 
In  communions  the  farthest  removed  from 
the  purity  of  scriptural  requirement,  sin- 
cere though  misguided  worshippers  may 
be  found.  In  communions,  on  the  other 
hand,  whose  principles  and  forms  are  ad- 
justed with  a  professedly  scrupulous  re- 
gard to  the  divine  injunctions,  there  may 
be  little  of  that  spirit  which  imparts  to 
them  their  chief  value  in  the  sight  of 
God.  An  exclusive  religion  can  never 
be  a  scriptural  one.  Christianity  reveals 
the  way  in  which  guilty  creatures  can  be 
reconciled  to  God,  and  every  one  who, 
in  faith  and  penitence,  has  received  the 
proffered  remedy,  and  whose  faith  ope- 
rates as  a  purifying  principle,  stands  ac- 
cepted in  the  sight  of  heaven,  whatever 
misapprehension  in  regard  to  subordinate 
points  he  may  still  cherish  ;  and  to  what- 
ever uncharitable  judgment  he  may  on 
this  account  be  exposed  among  men, 
themselves  equally  fallible  and  imperfect. 
"  Neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  yet  at 
Jerusalem,  shall  men  worship  the  Father. 
But  the  true  worshippers  shall  worship 
the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

2d.  It  is  not  local. 

An  improper  estimate  of  the  importance 
to  be  attached  to  particular  places  was 
alike  the  error  of  the  Jew  and  Samaritan. 


In  the  former  this  feeling  was  strength- 
ened by  the  misappreliension  or  perver- 
sion of  the  divine  direction  given  to  his 
forefathers,  "  Unto  the  place  wliich  the 
Lord  your  God  shall  choose  out  of  all 
your  tribes  to  put  his  name  there,  even 
to  his  habitation  shall  ye  seek,  and  thither 
shalt  thou  come,  and  thither  ye  shall 
bring  your  burnt-offerings  ;  and  there  ye 
shall  eat  before  the  Lord  your  God." 
To  the  most  scrupulous  observance  of 
this  injunction,  no  criminality  could  at- 
tach. It  would  have  been  highly  pre- 
sumptuous to  have  offered  sacrifice,  or  to 
have  observed  any  of  the  annual  festivals 
elsewhere.  The  error  lay  in  ascribing 
an  efficacy  to  the  place  independent  of 
the  character  of  the  worshipper.  An 
error  of  the  same  kind,  but  with  less  to 
justify  it,  was  adopted  by  the  Samaritan. 
He  could  not  say  that  there  was  any  di- 
vine command  directing  to  the  choice  of 
Gerizim,  as  being  particularly  suited  to 
the  offices  of  religion.  He  could  say, 
however,  that  tradition  pointed  it  out  as 
the  spot  on  which  Abraham  and  Jacob 
had  worshipped.  And  he  attached  to  it, 
on  this  account,  a  sanctity  equal  to  that 
which  the  Jew  claimed  for  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem.  That  the  same  superstitious 
spirit  should  still  be  seen  among  the  vo- 
taries of  false  religion,  is  natural.  The 
Hindoo,  performing  his  weary  pilgrim- 
age to  the  temple  of  his  idol  divinity,  and 
the  Mohammedan  offering  a  similar  tribute 
to  the  tomb  of  his  prophet,  are  spectacles 
which  the  spirit  of  their  respective  sys- 
tems would  have  led  us  to  expect.  But 
what  shall  we  say  to  opinions  and  usages 
equally  superstitious  among  the  profes- 
sors of  Christianity  ]  What  shall  we 
say  to  the  religious  value  which  was  for- 
merly, and  is  still,  attached  to  a  visit  to 
the  local  scenes  of  our  Saviour's  miracles, 
and  sufferings,  and  death  ?  What  shall 
we  say  to  those  religious  pilgrimages 
which  are  made  to  spots  far  less  remark- 
able ?  In  what  light,  I  might  add,  are 
we  to  view  the  religious  veneration  which 
is  sometimes  paid  to  consecrated  build- 
ings] It  is  proper,  where  practicable, 
that  particular  edifices  should  be  appro- 
priated to  the  worship  of  God  ;  but  no 
peculiar  efficacy  belongs  to  these  places. 


478 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


Even  Zion,  with  all  its  sublime  associa- 
tions, and  solemn  remembrances,  has  now 
ceased  to  be  sacred.  It  is  on  the  spirit, 
not  the  local  situation,  of  the  worshipper 
that  his  acceptance  depends.  "  Neither 
in  this  mountain,  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem, 
shall  men  worship  the  Father.  But  the 
true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Fa- 
ther in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

3d.  It  is  not  external. 

To  the  mere  forms  of  religion  a  very 
undue  importance  was  attached,  both  by 
Jews  and  Samaritans.  This  was  espe- 
cially the  case  with  the  former.  There 
was  a  conformity  to  the  divine  require- 
ments in  the  constitution  of  the  Jewish 
priesthood,  and  a  splendour  in  their  tem- 
ple services,  which  could  not  be  claimed 
for  the  rival  system.  The  improper  spi- 
rit which  these  tended  to  cherish  is  too 
congenial  to  the  depravity  of  the  heart  to 
be  confined  to  a  particular  period  or  peo- 
ple. A  dependence  on  mere  outward  ob- 
servance, and,  when  it  is  possessed,  a 
glorying  in  ritual  splendour,  are  equally 
the  error  of  the  superstitious  part  of  the 
professors  of  Christianity.  The  same 
boastful  terms  in  which  the  Jew  was  ac- 
customed to  speak  of  the  one,  are  still 
employed  with  reference  to  the  other.  It 
may  be  justly  questioned,  however,  whe- 
ther these  services  are  entitled  to  the  very 
lowest  species  of  merit  which  has  been 
claimed  for  them — that  of  being  adapted 
to  impress  the  imagination,  and  whether 
it  is  not  at  first  only,  and  on  the  minds  of 
strangers,  that  this  eflfect  is  produced. 
It  is  not  those  whose  forms  of  worship 
are  most  simple,  who  have  least  of  what 
may  be  called  the  poetry  of  religion.  It 
is  the  truths  presented  to  the  mind,  rather 
than  the  forms  exhibited  to  the  eye,  by 
which  the  imaginative  faculty  is  culti- 
vated. A  Protestant  peasantry  will,  per- 
haps, be  found,  in  this  respect,  to  have 
the  vantage  ground  over  a  Catholic. 
The  supplications  of  penitence,  the  hu- 
mility of  faith  unfeigned,  the  confidence 
of  Christian  hope,  and  the  love  of  God 
in  the  heart,  are  the  sweetest  sounds,  and 
the  most  delightful  sight,  and  the  most 
exquisite  feelings  which  can  enliven  our 
devotion.  But  they  are  impressions 
which  a  pomoous  ritual  cannot  impart, 


and  for  which,  when  wanting,  it  oiin  be 
no  substitute.  "  Neither  in  this  moun- 
tain, nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  shall  men 
worship  the  Father.  But  the  true  wor- 
shipper shall  worship  the  Father  in  spi- 
rit and  in  truth." 

II.  Let  us  consider  the  positive  descrip* 
tion  of  the  character  of  this  worship. 

1st.  It  is  spiritual. 

The  mere  homage  of  the  lips,  were  it 
known  to  be  so,  would  not  be  accepted 
by  one  man  from  another.  The  language 
of  insincerity,  however  flattering,  is  just- 
ly considered  as  disgusting  in  the  com- 
mon intercourse  of  life.  And  it  cannot 
surely  be  less  so  when  it  is  presented  to 
an  omniscient  God.  Even  at  a  time 
when  local  and  external  worship  was  in 
its  fullest  operation,  there  was  evidence 
sufficient  that  something  more  was  ne- 
cessary to  acceptance.  No  language 
could  convey  a  more  striking  idea  of  the 
immensity  of  the  object  of  worship,  and 
of  the  spirituality  required  in  the  wor- 
shipper, than  that  employed  by  Solomon 
at  the  dedication  of  the  temple.  "  Will 
God  indeed  dwell  on  the  earth'?  Behold 
the  heaven,  and  heaven  of  heavens,  can- 
not contain  thee,  how  much  less  this 
house  which  I  have  builded  ]"  Similar 
to  this  was  the  language  which,  through 
Isaiah,  was  employed  by  God  himself. 
"  The  heaven  is  my  throne,  and  the  earth 
is  my  footstool.  Where  is  the  house 
that  ye  build  for  me,  and  where  is  the 
place  of  my  rest  ■?  To  this  man  will  I 
look,  even  to  him  that  is  poor  and  of  a 
contrite  heart,  and  who  trembleth  at  my 
word."  It  is  nevertheless  true  that,  in 
one  respect,  outward  observances  had, 
under  the  former  economy,  a  value  alto- 
gether independent  of  the  character  of  the 
worshipper.  Being  intended  to  prefigure 
and  introduce  a  higher  dispensation,  they 
answered  an  important  end,  even  when 
no  spiritual  qualities  were  possessed,  and 
no  spiritual  benefits  were  received  by  the 
offerer.  At  the  time  when  our  Lord  held 
this  conversation  with  the  woman  of  Sa- 
maria, the  sacrifices,  which  were  still 
observed  with  all  the  nicety  of  ceremo- 
nial precision,  had  lost  none  of  their  ori- 
ginal typical  siffnificancy,  though,  in  a 
great  majority  of  instances,  it  was  cus- 


CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP  DELINEATED. 


419 


torn,  not  intelligent  piety,  which  dictated 
the  observance.  But  no  such  secondary 
adventitious  value  belongs  to  the  rites  of 
Christianity.  The  age  of  typical  insti- 
tutions is  passed.  Unaccompanied  by 
the  devout  feelings  of  the  v^orshipper,  all 
outward  observances  are  worse  than  use- 
less. It  is  not  merely  the  rising  incense 
and  the  bleeding  victim,  even  the  bended 
knee  and  outstretched  hand,  if  inward 
principle  is  wanting,  will  be  only  a  so- 
lemn mockery.  "  God  is  a  spirit,  and 
they  who  worship  hira  must  worship 
him  in  spirit  and  in  truth;"  in  spirit,  as 
opposed  to  forms  ;  in  truth,  as  opposed 
to  shadows. 
2d.  It  is  filial. 

Terror  in  all  ages  has  been  the  predo- 
minating spirit  of  idolatrous  worship. 
This  was  the  necessary  consequence  of 
the  circumstances  of  the  worshippers. 
With  no  higher  illumination  than  unas- 
sisted reason,  conscience  tells  us  that  we 
are  sinners.  Unassisted  reason,  how- 
ever, cannot  impart  to  us  the  certainty  of 
forgiveness.  And  if  the  certainty  of  this 
is  not  possessed,  there  is  nothing  to  ex- 
clude the  tormenting  dread  which  must 
be  the  inseparable  accompaniment  of 
the  consciousness  of  guilt.  This  feeling 
is,  accordingly,  strongly  depicted  in  the 
outward  features  of  idolatry.  Its  cere- 
monies have  been  principally  deprecatory, 
or  intended  to  avert  punishment.  The 
sanguinary  rites  of  Moloch,  so  often  re- 
ferred to  in  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures, and  in  which  human  victims  were 
the  offering,  have  been  widely  prevalent. 
Of  this  revolting  character  were  the 
druidical  rites  of  our  forefathers  in  this 
island.  Of  the  same  kind  are  the  reli- 
gious rites  of  many  heathen  nations  at 
this  day.  Nor  is  this  the  character  of 
the  rites  only.  The  very  hideous  forms 
of  their  idols  (those  which  have  been 
brought  from  the  South  Sea  Islands  are 
an  example)  are  a  striking  testimony  to 
the  fact  that  terror  is  the  predominating 
feeling  in  the  religion  of  those  who  are  I 
destitute  of  the  light  of  divine  revelation.  | 

The  same  feeling,  though  in  a  much 
smaller  degree,  characterized  the  worship 
of  the  Jews.     Not  that  that  highly  privi-  i 
ed  people  were  left  in  uncertainty  re- 1 


specting  the  doctrine  of  forgiveness.  In 
respect  of  the  mode  of  it,  their  conceptions 
might  be  indistinct  and  imperfect.  But 
there  was  no  obscurity  in  regard  to  the 
fad;  that  being  as  clearly  promulgated 
under  the  Jewish  economy  as  it  now  is 
under  the  Christian.  Accompanied,  how- 
ever, as  the  information  was  with  so 
many  and  such  striking  displays  of  sove- 
reignty and  power,  the  feeling  of  awe  was 
in  most  as  prevalent  as  that  of  love.  It 
was  reserved  for  Christianity  to  merge 
these  sterner  attributes  of  the  divine  cha- 
racter in  those  that  were  more  attractive, 
and,  by  one  potent  word,  to  dispel  every 
vestige  of  terror  from  the  minds  of  the 
worshippers.  It  is  not  in  the  relation  of 
a  king,  sovereign,  or  master,  that  you  are 
called  on  to  approach  the  Divinity,  but 
in  the  endearing  relation  of  a  father — a 
father  who  seeks  only  the  happiness  of 
his  spiritual  offspring,  and  whose  charac- 
ter has  been  rendered  palpable  by  the 
engaging  attributes  of  Him  who*  is  "  the 
impress  of  his  person."  Fear  is  in  this 
way  supplanted  by  love,  and  a  filial,  not 
a  slavish,  spirit  pervades  our  devotions. 

3d.  It  is  universal. 

Simple  and  spiritual  in  their  nature, 
there  is  no  place  where  the  observances 
of  Christianity  may  not  be  performed, 
and  performed  with  acceptance.  The 
proofs  of  this  are  coeval  with  its  origin. 
How  unlike  to  the  spacious  halls  and 
the  lofty  arches  of  the  Jewish  temple  was 
the  upper  room  in  which  the  members  of 
the  first  Christian  church  were  accus- 
tomed to  meet !  Yet  it  was  there  that 
the  principal  prediction  respecting  New 
Testament  times  was  fulfilled — that  what 
was  spoken  by  Joel,  and  reiterated  by  a 
greater  prophet,  was  verified.  "Sud- 
denly there  came  a  sound  from  heaven, 
as  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  and  it  filled 
all  the  house  where  they  were  sitting. 
And  there  appeared  unto  them  cloven 
tongues  like  unto  fire,  and  it  sat  upon 
each  of  them."  How  inferior  even  to 
the  accommodations  of  the  upper  room 
were  the  circumstances  of  Paul  and  Silas 
in  the  prison  of  Philippi,  and  of  John  in 
the  isle  of  Patmos !  Bat  it  was  in  the 
former  of  these  cases  that  the  devout  ex- 
ercises of  these  holy  prisoners  were  heard 


480 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


by  God,  as  well  as  by  their  companions  land,  any  more  than  it  is  necessary,  ac- 
in  bonds;  and  it  was  in  the  latter  case  cording  to  the  literal  import  of  some  other 
that  the  privileges  of  the  seraph  were  predictions,  that  all  nations  should  be  as- 
conferred  on  the  saint,  that  the  veil  was  sembled  for  worship  in  the  ancient  capi- 
removed  from  the  beloved  disciple  which  j  tal  of  the  Jews.  "When  these  wanderino- 
concealed  things  future,  and  things  ce- '  outcasts  shall  look,  with  penitence,  to 
lestial  from  his  sight.  We  admit  that  .  Him  whom  their  fathers  pierced,  their 
these  things  occurred  in  an  age  in  which  [  predicted  restoration  will  be  effected.  In 
the  administration  of  religion  was  in  some  i  whatever  place,  or  under  whatever  cir- 
respects  supernatural,  but  there  was  no- j  cumstances  they  are,  they  may  then  be 

said  to  be  worshippers  in  Zion,  and  to  be 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem.  Spiritual  in 
their  nature,  their  thanksgivings  shall  be 
"  as  incense,"  and  the  lifting  up  of  their 
hands  as  the  evening  and  morning  sacri- 
fice. 


thing  peculiar  to  that  age  in  the  accept- 
ance of  the  services  of  these  primitive 
confessors.     This  was  in  no  degree  con- 
nected with  the  religious  character  of  the 
place.     When  in  later  periods  the  true 
worshippers  of  the  Father  have  been  si- 
milarly  situated    in    regard    to   outward 
accommodations,  we  doubt  not  but  their 
services  have  been  equally  pleasing  in 
the  sight  of  heaven.     Far  different  from 
the  circumstances  in  which  you  are  now 
placed  was  the  lot,  at  a  former  period,  of 
the  godly  in  our  own  land.     Theirs  was 
not  "  the  religion  of  cathedrals,'*  or  "the 
religion  of  churches,"  or  even  "  the  reli- 
gion of  barns."     It  was  on  many  occa- 
sions  the   den   and  the  cave  which  re- 
sponded to  the  sounds  of  their  devotions. 
But  these  devotions,  springing  from  faith, 
and  hallowed  by  suffering,  mingled  with 
the  hallelujahs  of  angels,  and  the  anthems 
of  the  spirits  of  the  just.     Nor  are  these 
remarks  to  be  confined  to  periods  of  per- 
secution, or  to  the  religious  services  of 
those  who  were  its  victims.     We  doubt 
not  that  there  are  thousands  at  this  mo- 
ment  engaged    in    the    undisturbed   ob- 
servance of  the   same   ordinances   with 
ourselves,  in   places    which   have   been 
subjected   to   no   forms  of  ecclesiastical 
consecration,  and  which  have  not  been 
even  exclusively  appropriated  to  religious 
exercises,  whose  services  will  come  up 
as  "  a  memorial  before  God."     And  the 
period,  if  we  mistake  not  the  meaning  of 
prophecy,  is  fast  approaching  when  the 
universal  character  of  Christian  worship 
will  be  still  farther  and  more  strikingly 
illustrated  in  the  restoration  of  that  peo- 
ple to  whose  local  religious  predilections 
our  text  specifically  refers.     It  is  not  ne- 
cessary to  the  fulfilment  of  the  predic- 
tions, respecting  that  restoration,  that  the 
Jews  should  literally  return  to  their  own 


"By  foreign  streams  they'll  cease  to  roam. 

Nor  weeping  think  on  Jordan's  tiood  ,• 
In  every  clime  they'll  find  a  home, 
In  every  temple  see  their  God." 

"  Neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  yet  in 
Jerusalem,  shall  men  worship  the  Fa- 
ther; but  the  true  worshippers  shall  wor 
ship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

1st.  In  the  exercises  of  God's  house 
let  us  guard  against  a  superstitious  spirit. 

The  gross  superstition  of  the  Jew  and 
Samaritan,  to  which  the  text  refers,  is 
not  the  error  into  which,  at  the  present 
tiiue,  we  are  most  likely  to  fall.  It  may 
be  presumed  that  there  are  few  or  none 
present  who  adopt  the  opinion  that  any 
circumstances  of  local  character,  or  any 
forms  of  ecclesiastical  consecration,  can 
possess  or  impart  any  spiritual  efficacy. 
All  of  us,  however,  are  in  danger  of  lay- 
ing too  much  stress  upon  the  mere  ex- 
ternals of  religion.  A  very  undue  im- 
portance is  often  attached  to  the  mere 
outward  act  by  which  we  are  initiated 
into  the  profession  of  Christianity. 
There  are  many  who  would  be  shocked 
at  the  idea  of  a  child  remaining  unbap- 
tized,  who  would  feel  no  compunction  in 
the  habitual  neglect  of  all  practical  soli- 
citude for  the  spiritual  interests  of  their 
offspring.  Equally  unscriptural  and  de- 
lusive is  the  confidence  which  is  fre- 
quently derived  from  participating  in  the 
ordinance  of  the  supper.  To  that  ordi- 
nance it  is  too  cominon  to  apply  the  lan- 
guage, and  with  the  language  the  ideas, 


CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP  DELINEATED. 


481 


ol  a  popish  ritual,  and  to  suppose  that 
there  is  a  higher  degree  of  acceptance  in 
this  than  in  any  other  divine  appoint- 
ment ;  and  that  this  is  necessarily  con- 
nected with  the  mere  act  of  observing  it. 
These  are  opinions  which  the  mode  of 
its  celebration,  and  the  instructions  which 
accompany  it,  have  not  always  a  ten- 
dency to  counteract.  The  difference  is 
palpably  striking  between  the  language 
of  those  who  speak  of  high  communion 
sabbaths,  and  the  phraseology  which  de- 
scribes the  commemorative  rite  by  the 
simple  designation  of  "  breaking  of 
bread,"  and  which  classes  it  with  "  the 
apostles'  doctrine,  and  fellowship,  and 
prayer."  We  need  not  say  which  of  the 
two  it  is  safer  to  adopt.  No  greater  benefit 
can  be  derived  from  a  formal  observance  of 
the  supper  than  from  a  formal  observance 
of  any  other  institution  of  the  gospel. 
The  religion  of  the  soul  is  the  soul  of  re- 
ligion. If  the  heart  is  not  right,  no  ordi- 
nance, however  scriptural,  can  be  accept- 
able. If  the  heart  is  right,  it  will  give  a 
value  to  every  ordinance  of  divine  ap- 
pointment. 

2d.  In  the  exercises  of  God's  house 
let  us  guard  against  a  formal  spirit. 

To  the  importance  of  what  are  termed 
the  sealing  ordinances  of  our  religion 
nothing  disparaging  is  intended  in  the 
remarks  which  have  been  now  made. 
Baptism,  whether  administered  by  im- 
mersion or  effusion,  whether  an  adult  or 
an  infant  is  the  subject  of  it,  is  an  im- 
pressive rite.  By  the  application  to 
the  body  of  that  element  which  cleanses 
from  natural  defilement,  it  exhibits  to  the 
eye  the  necessity  of  the  spiritual  purifi- 
cation of  the  soul,  and  points  to  the  reli- 
gion, of  which  it  is  the  introductory  ordi- 
nance, as  being  the  instrument  in  the 
hand  of  the  Spirit  of  effecting  this  purifi- 
cation. "  Sanctify  them  through  thy 
truth ;  thy  word  is  truth."  The  lessons 
symbolically  inculcated  in  the  ordinance 
of  the  supper  are  not  less  important. 
The  doctrines  which  it  shadows  forth 
and  impresses  on  the  mind  are  of  the 
life  of  godliness.  It  is  calculated  to  af- 
fect us  deeply  with  the  evil  of  sin,  the 
love  and  condescension  of  the  Saviour, 
and  our  obligations  to  serve  him.     But 

Vol.  I.— 61 


for  this  purpose  it  must  be  something 
more  than  an  outward  observance.  "Bo- 
dily exercise  profiteth  little."  The  mere 
participation  of  bread  and  wine  is  not 
communicating.  The  fact  which  was  in- 
tended to  be  exhibited  in  this  commemo- 
rative rite  must  be  remembered.  The 
scene  of  Calvary  must  be  realized.  The 
death  of  Jesus,  not  so  much  in  its  tragic 
and  sentimental  as  in  its  religious  and 
doctrinal  aspect  and  interest,  must  be 
present  to  our  minds.  Strangers  to  these 
feelings,  you  are  symbolizing  with  the 
condemned  practices  of  the  church  of 
Corinth.  You  liken  a  religious  ordi- 
nance to  an  ordinary  meal.  You  do  not 
"  discern  the  Lord's  body." 

3d.  In  the  exercises  of  the  house  of 
God  let  us  guard  against  a  bigoted  spirit. 

The  devotional  language  and  feelings 
of  the  first  Christian  worshippers  were 
eminently  catholic.      It  was  not  on  those 
churches  only  to  which  the  pastors  minis- 
tered, on  which  they  invoked  blessings 
from  on  high,  but  on  "  all  that  in  every 
place  called   upon   the    name   of    Jesus* 
Christ,  their  Lord."     We  come  short  of 
the   Catholicism  of  their   language,  and 
still  more  of  the  Catholicism  of  their  spi- 
rit.    In  none  of  the  services  of  the  house 
of  God  is  this  deficiency  more  discerni- 
ble than  in  that  which  of  all  others  re- 
quired   the    predominance    of    opposite 
feelings.      If  the  fence,  as  it  has  been 
sometimes  called,  which  it  is  customary 
to  draw  round  a  sacramental  table,  had 
been  intended  to  exclude  none  but  those 
who  were  wanting  in  the  principles,  tem- 
pers, and  conduct  essential  to  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Christian,  it  had  been  well. 
We  cannot  too  frequently,  or  too  earnest- 
ly, impress  on  persons  of  this  description 
that   their  commemoration   of    our    Re- 
deemer's  death   is    unwarranted.       The 
free  communion  for  which  we  contend  is 
not  to  be  confounded  with  a  promiscuous, 
indiscriminate  communion.     But  it  is  not 
to  the  irreligious  and  immoral  that  the 
sentence  of  exclusion  has  been  confined. 
In  some  cases  it  has  been  extended  to  all, 
however  excellent  their  character,  who 
had  not  the  sectarian  impress  of  the  ad- 
ministrator of  the  ordinance.     It  is  time 
that  usages  so  unsuited  to  our  comrau- 
2  S 


482 


THE  BRITISH  PULPlT. 


nion  exercises  should  be  abolished  and 
forgotten.  The  table  at  which  you  com- 
memorate your  redemption  is  not  yours. 
It  is  not  the  table  of  a  sect  or  of  a  party. 
It  is  the  Lord^s.  It  was  the  design,  as  it 
is  the  obvious  tendency,  of  the  ordinance 
of  the  supper  to  cherish  unity  of  affec- 
tion— to  make  us  feel  while  we  out- 
wardly recognise  the  ties  which  bind  us 
to  the  Christian  brotherhood.  We  best 
fulfil  the  intentions  of  the  Divine  Ap- 
pointer  of  this  service — we  add  equally 
to  the  pleasure  and  profit  to  be  derived 
from  it,  when  these  brotherly  feelings  are 
indulged ;  when,  dismissing  every  bi- 
goted and  sectarian  sentiment  from  our 
hearts,  we  view  it  as  "  the  communion  of 
saints" — when  our  Christian  affection  is 
as  wide  as  the  terms  of  acceptance — 
when  we  can  say,  with  the  same  sincerity 
with  which  the  words  were  originally 
uttered,  "  Grace  be  with  all  who  love  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  You  are  insulting, 
instead  of  honouring  your  Redeemer,  if 
you  can  approach  the  ordinance  of  love 
without  love  in  your  hearts — if  you  can 
raise  your  walls  of  partition  and  separa- 
tion in  the  very  act  of  commemorating  an 
event  which  was  intended  to  break  them 
down,  and  to  introduce  the  faithful  of 
every  place,  and  of  every  name,  "  through 
one  Spirit  unto  the  Father." 

4th.  In  the  exercises  of  God's  house 
let  us  guard  against  a  slavish  spirit. 

In  those  who  have  no  revelation  to  as- 
sure them  of  forgiveness,  the  spirit  of 
terror  and  bondage  is  what  we  are  led  to 
expect.  In  some  periods  of  their  history 
it  was  not  surprising  in  the  Jews  them- 
selves. When  Sinai  exhibited  the  awful 
appearances  which  bespoke  a  present 
Deity,  when  the  cloud  rested  on  it,  and 
the  thunders  rolled,  and  the  lightning 
played  on  its  hoary  summit,  we  do  not 
wonder  that  the  spectators  should  have 
trembled.  When  a  similar  manifestation 
was  made  to  Elijah,  in  the  cave  on  Ho- 
reb,  it  was  natural  that  he  should  cover 
his  face  with  his  mantle.  Equally  natu- 
ral was  it,  though  it  was  only  in  vision, 
that  when  the  Lord  appeared  to  Isaiah, 
on  a  throne  high  and  lifted  up,  he  should 
have  exclaimed,  "  Wo  is  me,  for  I  am 

ndone ;  for  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips." 


But  this  spirit  ill  becomes  us  who  are 
called  to  "  the  adoption  of  sons" — who 
hear  not  the  thunder  of  an  introductory 
economy,  but  "  the  still,  small  voice"  of 
a  sublimer  dispensation.  The  trembling 
apprehensions  which  would  be  appropri- 
ate in  approaching  a  throne  of  judgment, 
befit  you  not  in  approaching  a  throne  of 
grace.  Least  of  all  do  they  befit  you  in 
exercises  in  which  more  than  in  any  other 
they  prevail — the  exercises  in  which  are 
displayed  before  you  the  symbols  of  your 
redemption,  and  the  pledges  of  your  for- 
giveness. It  is  joy,  not  terror,  which  on 
such  an  occasion  becomes  you — ^joy,  that 
"  the  flaming  sword"  has  been  removed 
from  the  entry  to  the  celestial  paradise — > 
that  we  have  not  "  a  high-priest  who 
cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our 
infirmities  ;"  who  on  earth  suggested  the 
apology  ft r  his  disciples,  "the  spirit  is 
willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak,"  and 
whom  we  can  approach  in  the  confidence 
that,  at  his  Father's  right  hand,  he  is 
still  making  it  for  us. 

Imagine  not,  my  brethren,  that  the 
possession  of  this  filial  confidence  is  the 
property  only  of  a  privileged  few  of  the 
children  of  God,  and  that  there  must  be  a 
long  course  of  religious  services  before 
yon  can  be  entitled  to  appropriate  the 
promises  on  which  this  confidence  is 
founded.  If  we  wait  till  we  are  entitled 
on  the  footing  of  merit  to  do  this,  we 
shall  never  enjoy  the  privilege.  The  ex- 
hibition of  the  divine  mercy  to  sinners, 
and  to  backsliders,  as  well  as  others,  will 
authorize  you  to  appropriate  them  im- 
mediately, though  it  is  in  the  spirit  of 
penitence,  and  in  the  intention  of  obe- 
dience, that  the  appropriation  is  to  be 
made,  and  though  it  is  only  in  the  prac- 
tice of  obedience  that  it  can  be  scriptu- 
rally  maintained.  Take  then  to  your- 
selves the  comfort  which  the  invitations 
and  promises  of  the  gospel  are  so  well 
fitted  to  impart;  and  when,  in  the  devo- 
tional exercises  of  this  house,  you  draw 
near  to  the  Great  Object  of  worship,  in 
the  name  of  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  let  it 
be  under  the  elevating  and  encouraging 
recollection  that  it  is  to  "  his  Father 
and  your  Father,  to  his  God  and  your 
God." 


SERMON  LIV. 

THE  SWORD    OF    THE    SPIRIT. 
BY    THE    REV.   W.   R.   TAYLOR,   A.M. 


"  Take  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God." — Eph.  vi.  17, 


y 


X. 


X 


Many  and  important  are  the  uses  which 
the  word  of  God  serves,  and  many  and 
interesting  are  the  views  in  which  it  is 
exhibited  to  us.  It  is  the  instrument  of 
our  conviction,  and  conversion,  and  sanc- 
tification,  and  consolation,  and  growth  in 
grace.  By  it  we  are  wounded,  and  healed, 
and  eiilightened,and  revived,  and  strength- 
ened. It  is  the  Jire  which  consumes  our 
dross,  and  burns  up  our  refuges  of  lies. 
It  is  the  hammer  which  breaks  our  flinty 
hearts,  and  makes  them  contrite  and  plia- 
ble. It  is  the  incorruptible  seed  by  which 
we  are  born  again  ;  by  which  that  life  is 
implanted  in  our  souls,  which  shall  flou- 
rish without  decay  throughout  eternal 
ages.  It  is  the/ooc?  by  which  this  life  is 
sustained  on  earth ;  the  sincere  milk  by 
which,  as  new-born  babes,  we  are  nou- 
rished, and  grow  up  unto  the  stature  of 
>., perfect  men  in  Christ.  It  is  a  lamp  unto 
our  feet  and  a  light  unto  our  path  :  the 
light  which  discovers  to  us  the  path  to 
glory,  honour,  and  immortality;  which 
makes  known  to  us  the  way  of  life,  the 
narrow  way,  the  way  everlasting;  the 
lamp  which  guides  our  steps  through  the 
wilderness,  which  shows  us  the  dangers 
with  which  on  every  hand  we  are  beset, 
and  so  enables  us  to  avoid  them.  It  is 
the  mirror  in  which  we  behold  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  on  which  we  have  a  delinea- 
tion of  the  person,  and  the  personal  beau- 
ty, and  excellence,  and  suitableness  of 
the  Lord  of  glory ;  and  in  contemplating 
which,  we  are  changed  into  the  same  im- 
age, from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord.  It  is  the  oracle  to 
which  we  may  have  recourse  ia  every 


season  of  doubt  and  difficulty ;  the  Urirn 
and  the  Thummim,  by  which  we  may  in- 
quire of  God,  and  have  the  way  of  truth 
and  the  path  of  duty  made  clear  and  plain 
before  us.  It  is  the  casA-e<  which  contains  y 
the  pearl  of  great  price ;  the  field  in  which 
the  gospel  treasure  is  hid ;  the  golden  urn 
in  which  is  laid  up  the  hidden  manna.  It 
is  the  record  of  Jehovah's  promises;  the 
register  of  his  dealings  and  of  his  works 
of  wonder ;  the  testamentary  deed  in  which 
the  benefits  of  the  Saviour's  purchase  are 
bequeathed  to  us ;  and  so,  the  charter  of 
our  inheritance,  the  hand  which  secures 
our  enjoyment  of  it.  It  is  also,  as  we 
here  learn,  the  weapon  by  which  we  over-^ 
come  all  the  enemies  that  would  oppose  ' 
us  in  our  Christian  course,  and  would 
prevent  us  from  reaching  the  promised 
land.  They  overcame  him,  (it  is  said  of 
those  who  are  before  the  throne,)  they 
overcame  the  enemy  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their  testimony. 
It  is  the  Christian's  sword,  a  weapon 
which  he  must  have  ever  ready,  which  he 
must  have  ever  girded  by  his  side,  that 
he  may  be  prepared  at  all  times  to  make 
use  of  it,  as  occasion  serves.  Take  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of 
God. 

The  sword  of  the  Spirit.  The  reasons 
why  the  word  of  God  is  thus  named, 
must  be  very  obvious.  They  are  two 
chiefly. 

1.  The  Spirit  of  God  is  its  author,  the 
maker  of  this  sword.  It  was  he  who 
framed  and  polished  it.  In  plain  terms, 
it  was  he  who  testified  in  the  prophets 
and  apostles ;  it  was  he  who  moved  them 
483 


484 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


to  speak  and  to  write,  and  taught  them 
what  to  say  and  record.  Let  this  dispose 
us  to  value  this  weapon, — it  is  of  heavenly 
manufacture.  Satan's  darts  are  forged  in 
hell,  and  are  impregnated  with  its  fire. 
This  is  a  weapon  which  has  come  down 
from  heaven,  the  workmanship  of  him,  by 
whose  fingers  the  heavens  and  all  the 
host  of  them  were  framed.  The  ancients 
feign,  that  some  of  their  warriors  had  been 
provided  with  heavenly  armour — armour 
which  was  proof  against  every  mortal 
weapon.  This  every  Christian  warrior 
really  has. 

2.  It  is  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  be- 
cause it  is  his  agency  which  makes  it 
effectual,  and  because  by  it,  as  an  instru- 
ment, his  agency  is  brought  to  bear  on  the 
soul, — it  is  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit, 
— it  is  ever  accompanied  by  his  Almighty 
power.  Hence  it  is  called  quick  and 
powerful,  hence  it  is  called  spirit  and 
life.  Some  persons  call  the  word  of  God 
a  dead  letter.  It  is  never  so  called  by 
the  Spirit  who  indited  it.  It  is  spoken 
of  invariably  as  a  word  of  life  and  light 
and  power, — it  is  spoken  of  as  a  sharp 
two-edged  sword.  Why  then,  it  may  be 
asked,  is  it  so  often  ineffectual  ]  We 
answer,  properly  speaking,  it  is  never  in- 
effectual. Would  you  call  a  sword  inef- 
fectual because  it  did  no  execution  in 
cases  where  it  was  not  made  use  of  or  ap- 
plied 1  Would  you  say  that  it  was  in 
itself  a  powerless  weapon,  because  it  must 
be  laid  hold  of,  and  pulled  out  of  the  scab- 
bard, and  wielded  by  the  arm,  ere  its 
power  can  be  manifested  1  surely  not. 
Now  let  the  word  of  God  be  but  embraced 
and  made  use  of,  and  it  is  invariably  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation,  it  is  inva- 
riably made  effectual  for  the  production 
of  those  glorious  ends  which  it  was  in- 
tended to  produce.  It  is  not  from  any 
defect  or  powerlessness  in  it,  as  some 
would  insinuate,  but  from  our  not  apply- 
ing and  using  it,  that  these  ends  are  not 
always  effected.  Let  the  gospel  be 
brought  to  bear,  let  its  power  be  but  tried, 
and  it  will  soon  be  manifested  what  power 
it  possesses.  In  ascribing  to  it  this 
power,  we  exclude  not,  of  course,  the 
agency  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  On  the 
contrary,  we  say,  that  it  is  because  it  is 


the  appointed  instrummt  of  bringing  his 
agency  to  bear,  that  it  possesses  this 
power.  On  this  very  account  it  is,  that 
it  is  quick  and  powerful ;  and  on  this  ac- 
count, it  is  here  fitly  styled  the  sword  of 
the  Spiril, — not  only  the  sword  of  his 
framing,  but  the  sword  which  his  power 
renders  effectual. 

This  sword  of  the  Spirit,  this  weapon 
of  truth,  we  are  here  directed  to  hike  and 
use,  as  a  chief  part  of  our  armour  in  the 
Christian  warfare.  For  discovering  how, 
and  for  what  ends,  we  are  to  do  so,  it 
may  be  well  for  us,  in  the  first  instance, 
to  consider  it  as  made  use  of  by  the  great 
Captain  of  our  salvation. 

It.  was  necessary  as  a  part  of  his  suf- 
ferings in  our  stead,  necessary  as  a  means 
of  bruising  the  serpent's  head  and  of  tri- 
umphing over  him,  and  for  other  import- 
ant ends  in  the  scheme  of  our  salvation, 
that  our  surety  should  be  assailed  by  the 
tempter, — should  be  assailed  by  Satan  as 
the  serpent,  as  well  as  by  Satan  as  the 
devouring  lion.  Hence  we  are  told  that  f 
Jesus  was  led  up  of  the  Spirit  into  the 
wilderness,  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil. 
In  this  season  of  trial  it  was,  as  you 
know,  this  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which 
our  victorious  leader  then  wielded,  and 
by  which  he  put  the  tempter  to  flight. 
"  Thus  it  is  written,"  was  his  answer  to 
each  insinuation  urged  ;  and  to  that  an- 
swer Satan  could  not,  and  durst  not  re- 
ply. He  could  not  abide  the  edge  of  this 
sword.  Satan,  you  will  remember,  never  K 
attempted  to  answer  our  Lord's  quotation 
of  Scripture.  He  received  that  at  once  as 
a  defeat;  and  instead  of  urging  further  the 
temptation,  in  answer  to  which  the  quota- 
tion was  made, he  straightway  had  recourse 
to  another  temptation.  In  this  latter  way, 
indeed,  he  tried  his  utmost  might,  he  had 
recourse  to  the  most  powerful  weapons 
he  could  use,  but  he  found  them  utterly 
ineffectual.  He  found  that  not  the  slightest 
impression  could  be  made ;  yea,  he  found 
himself  answered,  in  each  case,  in  a  way 
that  precluded  further  attack.  He  found 
the  edge  of  a  sword  turned  to  him,  by 
which  his  own  weapons  were  broken, 
and  before  which  he  was  himself  com- 
pelled to  fly. 

But  Christ  did  more  than  repel  Satan's 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


485 


attacks,  and  make  him  retire  defeated 
from  the  contest.  He  carried  war  into 
his  dominions,  he  attacked  his  strong- 
holds and  destroyed  his  works, — on  his 
cross  he  bruised  the  serpent's  head.  By 
his  death  he  destroyed  death,  and  him 
that  had  the  power  of  death,  even  the 
devil, — defeated  his  master-device,  and 
procured  deliverance  for  the  captives  who 
were  under  his  power.  This  deliverance 
he  now  in  his  exalted  State  applies  and 
renders  effectual.  It  was  not  enough  that 
he  procured  for  his  people  a  title  to  de- 
liverance ;  he  must,  and  he  does,  by  the 
power  of  his  might,  by  the  putting  forth 
of  his  strong  hand,  and  of  his  outstretched 
arm,  grant  them  actual  deliverance  from 
their  state  of  bondage.  Now  this  sword 
is  the  weapon  which  he  wields  for  this 
purpose.  This  is  the  rod  of  his  strength, 
which  he  sends  out  of  Zion,  and  by  which 
he  makes  a  willTng  people  in  a  day  of  his 
power.  By  this  he  continues  to  bruise 
the  serpent's  head,  for  by  this  he  rescues 
sinners  from  his  power.  By  this  he 
makes  Satan  quit  his  hold  of  them,  and 
brings  them  from  darkness  unto  light, 
and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God. 
By  this  he  still  goes  forth  conquering  and 
to  conquer ;  and  with  reference  to  this, 
may  we  address  him  in  the  Psalmist's 
words : — "  Gird  thy  sword  upon  thy 
thigh,  O  most  mighty,  with  thy  glory 
and  thy  majesty  ;  and  in  thy  majesty  ride 
prosperously  because  of  truth  and  meek- 
ness and  righteousness ;  and  thy  right 
hand  shall  teach  thee  terrible  things," — 
terrible  things  to  thine  enemies,  while 
salvation  is  brought  to  thy  redeemed. 
These  ever  go  together.  The  day  of  ven- 
geance, said  Christ,  is  in  my  heart,  and 
the  year  of  my  redeemed  is  come.  The 
day  of  Christ's  death  was  peculiarly  this  ; 
but  so  also  is  the  day  in  which  his  word 
is  glorified,  and  sinners,  by  believing  it, 
are  saved.  My  friends,  little  as  we  may 
V  think  of  the  word  of  God,  the  sword  of 
the  Spirit,  it  is  the  terror  as  well  as  the 
torment  of  hell.  When  Christ  sent  out 
his  seventy  disciples  armed  with  it, — 
sent  them  forth  preaching  the  gospel  of 
the  kingdom,  he  said  to  them  on  their  re- 
turn, I  beheld  Satan  as  lightning  fall  from 
heaven.     Satan  knows  that  his  kingdom 


cannot  stand  before  it ;  and  therefore  it 
may  well  be  a  terror  to  him,  when  he  sees 
him,  who  is  most  mighty,  girding  this 
sword  upon  his  thigh,  and  coming  forth 
to  use  it  with  his  glory  and  with  his  ma- 
jesty. 

Now  this  sword,  which  the  Lord  him- 
self, the  glorious  leader  in  the  spiritual 
warfare,  made  use  of,  and  does  still  makti 
use  of,  in  the  ways  we  have  declared,  we, 
who  call  ourselves  his  followers,  the  sol- 
diers of  Christ  Jesus,  are  after  his  example 
to  make  use  of  also.  We  are  to  take  and 
use  it,  as  he  did,  for  repelling  Sataii's 
temptations,  and  for  actually  desiroyiiig 
his  works. 

1.  When  Satan  comes  to  assault  us, 
we  are,  as  Christ  our  great  pattern  and 
example  did,  to  take  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God,  and 
with  that  weapon  to  oppose  him.  It  is 
surely  for  our  instruction  and  imitation,  as 
well  as  for  our  encouragement  in  think- 
ing of  his  triumph,  that  our  Lord's  con- 
test with  our  great  adversary  is  so  mi- 
nutely recorded.  Yes,  as  in  his  conquest, 
he  has  given  us  grounds  of  rejoicing,  see- 
ing he  conquered  for  us,  so  in  the  manner 
of  his  conquest,  he  hath  left  us  an  ex- 
ample, that  we  should  follow  his  steps. 
He  has  shown  us  in  what  way  we  are  to 
answer  Satan,  and  with  what  arguments 
we  are  to  repel  his  solicitations.  We 
are  not  to  reason  with  him,  but  to  have 
recourse  at  once  to  the  law  and  to  the  tes- 
timony. Satan  can  abide  our  reasoning, 
nay,  most  likely,  if  we  contend  with  him 
on  that  ground  merely,  he  will  soon  be 
able  to  overpower  us,  he  will  soon  suc- 
ceed in  taking  away  this  armour  in  which 
we  trust,  and  in  turning  it  against  our- 
selves. But  the  word  of  God  he  cannot 
abide.  This  sword  of  the  Spirit,  wielded  J 
in  the  hand  of  faith,  compels  him  to  with- 
draw. Darkness  is  his  element,  and  the 
light  and  purity  of  truth  he  cannot  away 
with.  With  whatever  violence  he  comes 
against  us,  though,  as  the  prophet  ex- 
presses it,  he  comes  in  like  a  flood,  yet, 
if  the  standard  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
be  raised  up  against  him,  he  is  instantly 
driven  back  with  confusion.  What  have 
we  to  do  then,  but  to  endeavour  to  be- 
come well  acquainted  with  this  tried  wea- 
2s2 


> 


48G 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT, 


pon,  and  to  be  much  in  exercising  it,  that 
we  may  become  ready  and  expert  in  using 
it.  In  plain  terms,  to  increase  in  our 
knowledge  and  faith  and  love  of  the  word 
of  God,  and  to  be  much  in  meditating  on 
its  declarations  and  commands  and  pro- 
mises, that  we  may  know  how  we  ought 
to  answer  Satan  when  he  comes  to  assault 
and  seduce  us. 

2.  But  we  are  to  aim,  not  merely  at  the 
repelling  of  Satan's  attacks,  but  at  the 
/josi'/jzJt;  destruction  of  his  power.  Christ 
came  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil ; 
and  in  this  also,  we  are  to  be  followers 
of  our  glorious  Head.  We  are  to  take 
our  allotted  part  in  this  holy  war.  We 
are  to  aim  at  the  destruction  of  the  works 
of  the  devil,  wherever  they  exist,  by 
every  means  in  our  power. 

First.  In  an  especial  manner,  and  in  the 
first  instance,  we  are  to  aim  at  the  de- 
struction of  these  works  in  ourselves.  This 
is  a  chief  and  an  essential  point  in  which 
Christ's  contest  with  the  enemy  differs 
from  ours.  He  came  as  the  holy  One  of 
God,  to  destroy  sin  in  others:  but  he 
knew  no  sin  himself.  He  was  manifested 
to  put  away  our  sin ;  but  in  him  was  no 
sin.  He  was  manifested  to  destroy  the 
works  of  the  devil,  but,  yea  for  that  very 
reason,  it  was  necessary  that  the  devil 
should  have  nothing  in  him.  The  contest 
between  him  and  Satan  was  a  contest  be- 
tween light  and  darkness,  between  holi- 
ness and  sin.  On  the  one  side,  sin  in  all 
its  malignity,  on  the  other,  holiness  pure 
and  unsullied  as  the  light  of  day,  or  rather 
as  the  light  which  surrounds  the  throne 
of  the  Eternal,  in  which  is  no  darkness 
at  all.  Say  not  that  this  destroys  the 
analogy  between  the  head  and  the  mem- 
bers, as  if  his  warfare  and  theirs  were 
thus  made  of  a  totally  different  character. 
There  is  a  close  analogy  notwithstanding. 
Do  but  consider  how  the  case  is.  There 
are  two  great  combatants,  Christ  and 
Satan,  the  holy  One  of  God,  and  the 
wicked  one.  When  Christ  rescues  a 
sinner  from  the  power  of  the  enemy,  and 
implants  a  principle  of  holiness  in  his 
heart,  then  a  contest,  similar  to  the  mighty 
one  which  he  carries  on  with  Satan, 
commences  in  that  heart.  The  new  man, 
the  creation  of  Christ's  Spirit,  becomes 


opposed  to  the  old  man,  the  seed  of  the 
serpent  yet  remaining  in  the  soul.  Now 
it  is  only  the  new  man,  the  new  nature, 
which,  in  itself,  however  weak  it  may  be, 
is  essentially  and  only  holy — which  is 
related  to  Christ.  That  is  his  workman- 
ship, and  it  is  renewed  after  the  image  of 
him  that  created  it.  The  old  man  has  no 
relation  to  Christ.  It  is  connected  with 
the  serpent;  it  is  part  of  his  seed,  and  is 
that  which  is  to  be  destroyed.  It  is  as 
possessing  a  new  nature,  that  any  indivi 
dual  becomes  a  combatant  in  this  holy 
war ;  and  it  is  as  possessing  a  new  nature, 
that  he  becomes  at  all  connected  with 
Christ  as  his  head  and  his  Lord  ;  and  it 
is  as  possessing  a  new  nature,  and  not  as 
possessing  a  new  nature  and  an  old,  that 
he  has  any  conformity  to  Christ,  or  that 
any  resemblance  between  him  and  Christ 
is  to  be  traced  :  and  it  is  because  the  new 
nature  is  the  reigning  tprinciple  in  the 
soul;  because  the  individual,  in  speaking 
of  the  old  man,  can  say,  not  I,  but  sin 
that  dwelleth  in  me;  it  is  on  this  account, 
that  in  his  personal  character,  he  is  ranked 
with  the  seed  of  the  woman,  and  not  with 
the  seed  of  the  serpent.  The  analogy 
between  Christ  and  believers  consists, 
not  in  the  resemblance  of  their  whole 
moral  constitution,  but  in  the  resemblance 
of  the  new  nature  implanted  in  them,  to 
his.  To  assert  differently  were  to  assert, 
that  the  Son  of  God  was  manifested  in 
our  nature  and  as  the  head  of  his  body  the 
church,  to  the  end  that  he  the  head  might 
be  conformed  to  the  members,  instead  of 
the  members  being  conformed  to  him. 
We  speak,  you  will  observe,  not  of  es- 
sential humanity,  in  which  respect  Christ 
was  in  all  things  made  like  unto  his  bre- 
thren ;  but  of  holiness  or  sinfulness  of  na- 
ture, in  which  respect,  he  was  not  made 
like  unto  them,  but  they  are  to  be  made 
like  unto  him. 

My  friends,  this  is  the  prize  of  our 
high  calling,  to  be  made  like  unto  the 
Son  of  God,  to  have  our  nature  assimilated 
to  his — to  have  the  human  nature  as  it 
exists  in  us,  conformed  to  what  it  was, 
and  is,  in  him.  In  him  it  existed  in  more 
than  its  original  purity.  The  purity  of 
the  snow  is  not  to  be  compared  with  its 
unsullied  spotlessness,  as  it  was  assumed 


THE  SWOIID  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


487 


and  maintained  by  him.  Now  to  this 
we  are  to  aspire  ;  and,  though  it  belongs 
to  the  Spirit  of  Christ — that  Spirit,  who 
was  on  him  without  measure,  and  who, 
if  we  are  Christ's,  dwells  in  us  also — to 
carry  us  onward  towards  this  state  of  per- 
fection, and  to  purify  us,  even  as  Christ 
was  pure,  it  belongs  to  us  to  make  use  of 
the  means  that  are  appointed,  and  which 
he  blesses,  for  promoting  this  end.  The 
Spirit  works  by  means  and  instruments, 
and  he  works  in  us  to  will  and  to  do. 
Now  the  word  of  the  gospel  is  the  great 
means  of  our  sanctification,  "  sanctify 
them  through  thy  truth ;  thy  word  is 
truth."  "  Now  ye  are  clean  through  the 
word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you." 
Let  us  make  use  of  this  word,  then,  for 
promoting  our  cleansing ;  or  to  return  to 
the  metaphor  in  our  text,  let  us  take  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit,  that  we  may  slay  the 
remaining  corruptions  of  our  hearts,  that 

y  we,  through  the  Spirit,  may  mortify  the 
deeds  of  the  body,  that  we  may  crucify 
the  flesh  with  its  affections  and  lusts. 
Oh  !  there  is  much  of  the  seed  of  the  ser- 
pent, many  of  the  works  of  the  devil 
within  us ,-  and  nothing  but  this  weapon 

. — will  destroy  them.  As  it  was  by  the 
manifestation  of  the  Son  of  God,  in  our 
nature,  that  a  death-blow  was  given  to 
Satan's  cause,  and  the  destruction  of  his 
works  secured;  so  it  is  by  the  manifesta- 
tion of  the  Son  of  God  in  our  hearts — and 
what  is  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  the  word 
of  truth,  but  just  a  manifestation  of  Christ 
and  a  revelation  of  his  glory  ] — it  is  by  the 
manifestation  of  the  Son  of  God  in  our 
hearts,  by  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  applied 
to  our  corruptions,  that  these  corruptions, 
these  works  of  the  devil,  are  destroyed 
within  us.  Let  us  make  use  of  this  wea- 
pon then  for  this  end. 

2.  But  the  works  of  the  devil,  wherever 
they  appear,  as  well  as  in  ourselves,  are 
to  be  the  object  of  our  opposition  and  our 
enmity.  Wherever  they  appear,  we  are 
to  aim  at  their  destruction,  and,  for  this 
purpose,  to  take  to  ourselves  the  sword 
of  the  Spirit  which  is  the  word  of  God. 
In  this  point  of  view  we  mention  two 
cases  particularly  in  which  this  sword 
is  to  be  used  by  us,  in  opposing 
error,  and    in    seeking    the    conversion 


f^ 


of     our     fellow-sinners     from     sin     to 
God. 

In  opposing  error  we  are  to  use  this 
sword.  Truth  is  an  object  worth  the 
contending  for.  We  are  exhorted  and 
commanded  to  contend  earnestly  in  main- 
taining it.  We  are  to  resist,  if  need  be, 
even  unto  blood.  Error,  on  the  other 
hand,  especially  if  it  be  dangerous  in  its 
tendency  and  consequences,  we  are  as 
earnestly  and  as  strenuously  to  oppose. 
Error  as  well  as  sin  is  of  the  devil.  It 
is  a  chief  work  of  the  devil,  a  chief  work 
of  his  kingdom.  It  is  one  of  the  works 
which  Christ  came  to  destroy,  and  which 
we,  therefore,  as  his  followers,  are  to 
seek  to  destroy  also.  And  how  are  we 
to  do  so  1  Not  by  carnal  weapons,  not 
by  railing  accusations,  but  by  the  sword 
of  the  Spirit,  the  weapon  of  truth.  This  ^ 
is  the  only  weapon  of  attack  with  which 
the  Christian  soldier  is  to  gird  himself, 
in  fighting  the  battles  of  his  faith.  He 
has  nothing  to  do  with  any  other.  He 
need  not  regret  that  circumstance,  how- 
ever ;  for  this  is  the  most  powerful  he  can 
use.  He  may  say  of  it,  as  David  did  of 
the  sword  of  Goliath,  "  There  is  none 
like  it."  Let  error  be  but  met  by  an  ex- 
hibition of  the  truth,  and  it  cannot  main- 
tain its  ground.  For  a  time,  indeed,  it 
may  rear  its  Gorgon  head,  but  the  truth 
must  at  length  prevail.  It  is  the  nature 
of  light  to  dissipate  darkness;  it  is  the 
nature  of  light  to  make  itself,  and  every 
thing  else,  manifest:  and  so  it  is  of  truth. 
Let  truth  be  cl  arly  exhibited  in  opposi- 
tion to  error,  and  error  must  fall  before  it 
— like  Dagon  before  the  ark  of  the  Lord. 
It  can  be  maintained,  by  those  only 
who  do  not  come  to  the  light,  or  who 
voluntarily  shut  their  eyes. 

In  seeking  the  conversion  of  sinners,  as 
in  contending  against  error,  this  same 
weapon  of  truth  is  to  be  employed.  The 
conversion  of  sinners  is  a  principal  mean 
of  Satan's  defeat,  a  principal  mean  of  pro- 
moting the  ends  of  that  warfare,  in  which, 
if  we  are  Christ's  soldiers,  we  have  en- 
gaged— of  promoting  the  glory  of  God,  the 
destruction  of  sin,  and  the  advancement 
of  holiness  and  happiness.  Of  course 
every  true  soldier  of  Christ  .Tesus  seeks 
these  ends.     lie  is  anxious  for  the  glory 


488 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


of  his  Lord,  for  the  prosperity  of  his  king- 
dom, and  fur  additional  trophies  to  the 
power  and  riches  of  his  grace.  He  is 
anxious  for  the  destruction  of  the  reign  of 
sin.  He  is  anxious  for  the  triumphs  of 
holiness.  He  is  anxious  to  see  his  fel- 
low-creatures, who  are  deluded  by  Satan, 
and  carried  captive  by  him  at  his  will, 
rescued  from  his  thraldom,  and  numbered 
among  the  followers  of  the  Lamb.  Now 
this  sword  of  the  Spirit,  as  we  have 
already  observed,  is  the  instrument  by 
which  these  glorious  ends  are  effected. 
Shall  we  not  seek  then  to  make  use  of 
it  in  this  view,  as  we  have  opportunity  1 
Shall  we  not  arm  ourselves  i^  such  aeon- 
test,  and  for  so  glorious  an  end  1  And 
shall  we  not  pray  and  endeavour,  that 
others  may  be  incited  and  fitted  to  go 
forth  thus  armed  also  against  the  common 
enemy.  If  we  wish  to  make  any  triumphs 
in  this  warfare,  or  rather  if  we  desire  to 
be  instruments  in  any  way,  however  fee- 
ble and  despised,  of  adding  to  the  tri- 
umphs of  our  Redeemer,  let  us  seek  to  be 
instruments  in  bringing  this  sword — the 
sword  which  he  who  is  most  mighty 
girds  upon  his  thigh — into  contact  with 
our  fellow-sinners  around  us  ;  and  let  us 
feel  honoured  in  any,  even  the  slightest 
instrumentality,  that  may  be  granted  us 
in  producing  that  end. 

For  these  important  purposes  then, — 
even  for  repelling  Satan's  temptations, 
and  for  destroying  his  works  in  ourselves 
and  others — are  we  to  take  this  weapon, 
and  all  the  other  weapons  of  the  Chris- 
tian warfare  ;  and  so  to  fight  the  good 
fight  of  faith,  and  to  lay  hold  of  eternal 
life.  My  friends,  there  are  but  two  par- 
ties in  this  warfare,  and  to  one  or  other 
.  of  these  we  all  belong.  Oh  !  which  side 
"f-  have  we  espoused.  Believe  it,  there  is 
no  neutrality.  If  we  are  not  for  Christ, 
we  are  against  him.  If  we  are  not  fight- 
ing under  his  standard,  if  we  have  not  ac- 
tively and  warmly  espoused  his  cause, 
we  are  his  enemies,  we  are  fighting 
against  him,  we  are  opposing  the  inte- 
rests of  his  kingdom ;  and  in  that  light, 


even  as  his  enemies,  he  regards  uS. 
"  Curse  ye  Meroz,  said  the  angel  of  the 
Lord,  curse  ye  bitterly  the  inhabitants 
thereof,  for  they  came  not  up  to  the  help 
of  the  Lord — to  the  help  of  the  Lord, 
against  the  mighty." 

But  have  we  espoused  Christ's  cause, 
or  are  we  desirous  of  espousing  it — of 
fighting  under  his  standard,  and  following 
whithersoever  he  leadeth  us,  let  us  take 
the  following  directions  and  encourage- 
ments in  doing  so;  and,  in  giving  these, 
we  conclude. 

Let  us  know  our  own  weakness.  Let 
us  not  expect  to  vanquish  our  enemy,  let 
us  not  presume  to  go  and  meet  him,  in 
our  own  strength. 

Let  us  watch  the  motions  of  our  enemy. 
Let  us  beware  of  indulging  security,  for 
he  is  active  and  subtle  and  powerful. 
Let  us  watch  especially  the  movements 
of  the  party  he  has  still  within  ourselves. 
Let  us  keep  our  hearts  with  all  diligence. 

Let  us  keep  our  eye  fixed  on  our  glori- 
ous leader.  Let  this  be  our  motto, 
"  Looking  unto  Jesus,"  looking  unto 
him  as  our  guide,  our  strength,  our  de- 
liverer. 

Let  us  keep  in  view  the  glorious  prize 
set  before  us,  the  conqueror's  crown. 
"  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will 
give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 

For  encouraging  us  in  this  warfare,  let 
us  reflect  that,  if  we  have  really  taken 
part  in  it,  our  enemies  are  God's  enemies. 
Therefore  we  may  trust,  that  he  will  be 
with  us  ;  therefore  we  may  trust  that  they 
shall  be  destroyed. 

Let  us  reflect,  that  we  have  to  do  with 
an  enemy  who  has  been  already  conquer- 
ed— whose  head  has  been  bruised,  whose 
power  has  been  broken,  whose  strong- 
holds have  been  stormed. 

Let  us  reflect,  too,  that  tliis  conquest 
has  been  achieved  by  our  Kinsman-Re- 
deemer, and  for  our  benefit. 

And  lastly,  that  he  has  promised  us  pro- 
tection and  support — promised  to  deliver 
us  from  every  evil  work,  and  to  preserve 
us  unto  his  heavenly  kingdom.     Amen, 


SERMON  LV. 

THE  INCONCEIVABLE  GREATNESS  AND  UNSEARCHABLE  GOODNESS  OF  GOD 
BY  THE  REV.  GEORGE  CLAYTON. 


"  Who  tx  like  unto  the  Lord  our  God,  who  dwelleth  on  high,  who  humbleth  himself  to  behold  the 
things  that  are  in  heaven  and  in  the  earth  ?  He  raiseth  up  the  poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifteth 
the  needy  out  of  the  dunghill ;  that  he  may  set  him  with  princes,  even  with  the  princes  of  hi* 
people." — Psalm  cxiii.  5 — 8. 


This  psalm  contains  an  animating  ex- 
hortation to  praise  God  and  give  iiim  the 
glory  due  to  his  name.  This  is  a  ser- 
vice, my  brethren,  at  once  reasonable  and 
delightful;  and  it  is,  indeed,  of  universal 
obligation  ;  not  only  incumbent  on  those 
who  are  visibly  employed  in  the  imme- 
diate service  of  God,  but  incumbent  on 
all,  at  all  times,  in  all  places,  and  in  all 
periods  of  the  world's  existence.  There- 
fore, says  the  psalmist,  "  Praise  ye  the 
Lord,  0,  ye  servants  of  the  Lord,  praise 
ye  the  Lord,  from  this  time  forth  and 
evermore.  From  the  rising  of  the  sun 
unto  the  going  down  of  the  same,  the 
Lord's  name  is  to  be  praised."  It  cer- 
tainly may  be  considered  as  one  of  the 
deepest  and  darkest  features  of  our  fallen 
nature,  and  an  humbling  evidence  of  the 
corruption  which  is  to  be  found  even  in 
the  best  of  men,  that  we  should  be  gene- 
rally so  reluctant  to  engage  in  a  work, 
pleasurable  and  profitable,  honourable  to 
God  and  edifying  to  others.  Although 
we  are  reluctant  in  our  praises,  we  are 
eloquent  in  our  complaints.  When  we 
detail  our  miseries,  how  fluent,  how  vo 
luble,  how  little  at  a  loss  to  detail  the 
aggravation  of  our  sorrows  ;  but  when  we 
come  to  think  of  our  miseries,  how  much 
of  hard  work  have  we  to  warm  our  cold 
hearts,  to  set  them  in  tune  for  the  praise 
of  God — how  much  of  excitement  do  we 
need  to  its  enjoyment — how  absolutely 
requisite  is  it  that  we  should  adopt  the 

Vol.  I 62 


language  of  the  psalmist :  "  Bless  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within 
me,  bless  his  holy  name  ;  bless  the  Lord, 
O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  his  bene- 
fits." Is  it  not,  my  brethren,  refreshing 
to  look  forward  to  the  time  when,  by  the 
copious  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  all 
among  whom  the  name  of  God  is  men- 
tioned, and  by  whom  his  benefits  are  par- 
ticipated, his  praise  shall  be  sung  even 
from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  going 
down  of  the  same  1 

In  order  to  incite  to  this  needful  and 
pleasurable  occupation,  the  psalmist  ad- 
duces two  great  motives,  both  of  them 
derived  from  the  attributes  of  the  Divine 
Nature.  The  one,  the  greatness  and  ma 
jesty  of  God  ;  the  other,  the  goodness 
and  mercy  of  God;  and  these  are  set 
forth  before  you  in  my  text  in  admirable 
combination.  We  shall,  however,  con- 
sider them  distinctively,  that  is,  sepa- 
rately from  each  other;  for  there  is  that 
in  the  greatness  of  God  which  might 
overwhelm  us  with  fear  and  trembling, 
and  fill  us  with  dismay  and  dread,  if  we 
were  not  to  associate  at  the  same  time  in 
our  contemplations  that  view  which  he 
has  given  of  his  goodness  and  mercy  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  "  Who  is  like 
unto  the  Lord  our  God,  who  dwelleth  on 
high — who  humbleth  himself  to  behold 
the  things  that  are  in  heaven  and  in  the 
earth.  He  raiseth  up  the  poor  out  of  the 
dust,  and  lifteth  the  needy  out  of  the 
489 


490 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


dunghill,  that  he  may  set  him  with 
princes,  even  with  the  princes  of  his  peo- 
ple." 

First — I  INVITE  vou  to  meditate  brief- 
ly ON    THE    INCONCEIVABLE    GREATNESS  OF 

THAT  God  with  whom  you  have  to  DO. 
Secondly — To  consider  his  matchless 

AND  INCOMPREHENSIBLE  GOODNESS. 

Thirdly — To   inquire    what  are  the 

PRACTICAL  LESSONS  WE  MAY  LEARN  FROM 
THE  UNITED  DISPLAY  OF  BOTH. 

May  God  seal  instruction  on  every 
heart,  and  make  us  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ 
whom  he  has  sent. 

First 1  INVITE  YOU  TO  THE  CONTEM- 
PLATION OF  HIS  GREATNESS. 

We  should  look  unto  "  the  Lord  our 
God  who  dwelleth  on  high,  and  wlio 
must  humble  himself  to  behold  the  things 
that  are  in  heaven  and  on  earth."  Con- 
sider, first,  the  place  of  his  habitation — 
"  He  dwelleth  on  high."  Secondly,  his 
superiority  to  all  the  greatest  of  creatures 
and  of  things  ;  "  for  he  humbleth  himself 
to  behold  the  things  that  are  done  in  hea- 
ven and  on  earth." 

First — Of  his  habitation.  We  must  be 
careful  not  to  assisrn  to  the  Deity  any 
speciKc  local  limits;  for  God  is  a  spirit, 
and  his  essence  every  where  diffused. 
If  we  ascend  up  into  heaven,  he  is  there  ; 
if  we  make  our  abode  in  the  abyss,  he  is 
there  ;  if  we  should  take  the  wings  of  the 
morning  and  fly  to  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth,  even  there  his  hand  would  up- 
hold us,  and  his  right  hand  would  sustain 
us.  But,  with  great  propriety,  heaven, 
and  the  heaven  of  heavens,  though  they 
cannot  contain  God's  essence,  are  repre- 
sented to  us  as  the  place  of  his  imme- 
diate abode;  there  his  glory  dwells,  and 
upon  the  inhabitants  of  that  world,  the 
angels  of  light  and  the  spirits  of  the  just 
made  perfect,  the  emanations  of  his  inex- 
pressible majesty  are  continually  poured 
forth  :  therefore  they  are  said  always  to 
behold  the  face  of  their  Father.  This 
heaven  is  called  the  high  and  the  holy 
place.  I  cannot  tell  you  where  it  is  ;  but 
I  can  tell  you  wherever  God's  presence 
is,  especially  in  the  immediate  manifesta- 
tion of  it,  there  is  heaven ;  for  heaven  is 
God,  and  God  is  heaven.     It  is  always 


represfnted  to  us  as  a  place  of  superla- 
tive elevation,  rising  far  above  onr  utmost 
thought  and  the  largest  stretch  of  our 
imagination.  "  He  dwelleth  on  high," 
far  above  all  principality,  and  power,  and 
might,  and  dominion,  and  every  name 
that  is  named. 

In  the  next  place  consider  his  infinite 
superiority  to  the  greatest  of  beings  and  the 
greatest  of  things.  "The  Lord  is  hio-h 
above  all  nations,  and  his  glory  above 
the  heavens,  and  he  must  humble  him- 
self to  behold  the  things  that  are  in  hea- 
ven and  on  earth.  "  This  is  ascribing  un- 
utterable superiority  to  God  over  the 
greatest  of  beings  and  the  greatest  of 
things.  There  is  something  in  national 
greatness  made  up  of  numbers,  rank,  in- 
telligence, the  order  and  arrangement  of 
civil  economy  defended  by  mijihty  fleets 
and  splendid  armies,  the  councils  of  the 
kingdom  guided  by  the  wisdom  and  by 
the  might  of  those  who  occupy  seats  of 
power  and  of  authority.  "  God  is  above 
all  nations,  all  nations  in  his  sight  are 
but  as  the  drop  of  the  bucket,  and  the 
small  dust  of  the  balance,  and  he  taketh 
up  the  isles  as  a  very  little  thing,  and 
Lebanon  is  not  sufficient  to  burn  for  him, 
and  all  nations  are  before  him  less  than 
nothing,  and  vanity."  Then  consider  the 
heavenly  bodies  which  roll  over  us  in 
splendour  and  in  brightness.  Look  at 
the  sun,  whose  golden  beams  you  now 
participate  and  enjoy  ;  think  of  the  moon, 
walking  in  her  brightness;  mark  the 
planetary  system;  see  the  innumerable 
hosts  which  spangle  the  firmament  of  the 
clouds,  and  consider  all  these  suns  as 
systems — and  that  all  these  stars  are  only 
so  many  worlds;  and  Ihen  carry  your 
thoughts  higher  still,  and  remember  that 
God  has  set  his  glory  above  the  heavens, 
the  clouds  are  the  dust  of  his  chariot,  and 
the  stars  and  suns  are  the  pavement  of 
his  feet — then  you  will  sea  he  is  under 
the  necessity  of  stooping  even  to  observe 
the  things  that  are  done  in  heaven,  as 
you  have  expressed  it  in  the  hymn  which 
introduced  the  discourse: 

"  Still  might  he  fill  his  starry  throne, 
And  please  his  ears  with  Gabriel's  song.'' 

But  oh  !  he  must  stoop  to  listen  to  those 


THE  GREATNESS  AND  GOODNESS  OF  GOD. 


491 


songs,  and  the  purest  and  loftiest  angel 
that  stands  in  the  presence  of  God  is  so 
far  removed  beneath  him,  that  he  must 
bend  his  throne  to  see  and  hear  the  wor- 
ship of  the  cherubim  and  seraphim.  How 
much  more  must  he  stoop,  then,  to  be- 
hold the  things  that  are  done  on  the  earth, 
things  of  the  greatest  interest — things 
thai  in  our  view  swell  into  the  mightiest 
importance ;  all  these  he  cannot  notice 
without  an  amazing  step  of  condescen- 
sion, so  high  is  his  elevation,  and  so  un- 
utterable is  his  grandeur.  This  is  a  wide 
theme,  but  a  theme  at  which  we  might 
labour  from  the  commencement  of  our 
lives  to  the  close,  without  exhausting  the 
subject,  and  without  having  gained  even 
a  thousandth  part  of  that  knowledge  of 
God  which  stands  connected  with  his 
immeasurable  greatness  :  "  Who  can  by 
searching  find  out  God  1  Canst  thou 
find  out  the  Almighty  unto  perfection  ?" 
Therefore  I  pass  on, 

Secondly — To   notice   his  matchless 

GOODNESS. 

This  will  appear  in  the  description  of 
my  text:  that  "  He  humbleth  himself  to 
behold  the  things  that  are  in  heaven  and 
on  earth.  He  raiseth  up  the  poor  out  of 
the  dust,  and  lifteth  the  needy  out  of  the 
dunghill,  that  he  may  set  him  with 
princes,  even  with  the  princes  of  his 
people."  But  I  shall  apply  these  repre- 
sentations to  three  distinct  provinces  of 
the  Divine  agency.  The  first  is,  to  the 
ministrations  of  his  kind  providence  es- 
pecially in  favour  of  the  poor  and  op- 
pressed. Secondly,  the  manifestations 
of  his  grace  to  our  fallen  and  ruined 
nature.  Thirdly,  in  the  revelations  of 
his  kingdom  when  time  shall  be  no 
more. 

First — we  apply  this  representation  to 
the  ministrations  of  his  providence.  There 
is,  be  assured,  a  particular  providence 
which  notices  all  individuals,  and  which 
regulates  and  superintends  their  concerns. 
The  greatest  is  not  above  the  notice  of 
God's  eye,  nor  the  meanest  beneath  it ! 
"  For  are  not  the  hairs  of  your  head  all 
numbered  ?  Are  not  two  sparrows  sold 
for  a  farthing,  and  not  one  of  them  is  for- 
gotten before  God."  "He  raiseth  up 
the  poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifteth  the 


needy  out  of  the  dunghill,  that  he  may 
set  him  with  princes,  even  with  tlie 
princes  of  his  people."  Was  not  this 
exemplified  in  the  case  of  Joseph,  who 
was  sold  for  a  slave  into  the  land  of 
Egypt,  condemned  under  a  false  accusa- 
tion to  an  ignominious  prison,  where  his 
feet  were  hurt  with  fetters,  and  the  iron 
entered  into  his  soul ;  and  yet  God  re- 
membered him,  raised  him  from  the  dust, 
took  him  from  the  dungeon,  gave  him  the 
second  chariot  in  the  land  of  Egypt;  and 
they  cried,  "  bow  the  knee,  bow  the 
knee!"  before  him;  and  only  in  the 
throne  was  his  great  master  greater  than 
he.  Was  not  this  singularly  exemplified 
in  the  case  of  Hannah,  who  was  a  wo- 
man of  a  sorrowful  spirit,  who  bent  her 
knee  in  all  the  urgency  of  importunate 
prayer,  lying  in  the  dust  at  the  footstool 
of  divine  majesty;  and,  ere  long,  her 
sorrows  were  chased  away,  the  dark 
clouds  which  enveloped  her  broke  asun- 
der and  departed,  and  gave  way  to  the 
bright  shining  of  a  clear  and  cheerful  day, 
so  that  she  herself  adopted  this  very  song 
of  praise  which  is  recorded  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  text?  I  might  refer  to  Ruth 
the  Moabitess,  whose  history  is  but  an 
illustration  of  the  doctrine  of  my  text. 
I  might  refer  to  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and 
Abednego,  in  the  province  of  Babylon. 
I  might  refer  to  Daniel  and  his  remarka- 
ble history,  and  to  the  Virgin  mother 
herself,  who,  though  of  royal  descent, 
was  found  in  a  condition  of  extreme  po- 
verty ;  but  she  was  raised  out  of  the  dust, 
and  lifted  from  the  dunghill,  and  had 
the  distinguished  honour  of  giving  birth 
to  the  Messiah,  so  that  she  said,  "My 
soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spi- 
rit hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour;  for 
he  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  his 
handmaiden  ;  for,  behold,  from  hence- 
forth all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed. 
For  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done  to  me 
great  things;  and  holy  is  his  name." 
Time  would  fail  me  to  tell  of  the  particu- 
lar instances  in  which  the  language  of 
my  text  has  been  practically  fulfilled,  in 
which  God  has  taken  the  poor  from  the 
dust,  from  cottages  of  obscurity,  from 
thatched  roofs,  and  from  places  of  ex- 
treme depression  and  gloom,  and  "  placed 


492 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


them  with  princes,  even  the  princes  of 
his  people."  So  that,  as  a  doctrine  of 
providence,  and  as  an  illustration  of  God's 
hand  in  ordering  the  affairs  of  his  provi- 
dential kingdom,  we  may  consider  that 
the  language  of  the  text  is  most  apt  and 
just. 

Secondly,  let  us  apply  this  to  the  mani- 
festations of  his  grace:  "  He  hath  remem- 
bered his  nation's  low  estate,  for  his  mer- 
cy endureth  for  ever."  "What  was  the 
condition  of  man  as  a  sinner  when  the 
eye  of  God  contemplated  his  recovery, 
and  the  bowels  of  his  compassion  melted 
over  his  misery  1  It  was  a  state  of  the 
greatest  possible  degradation,  the  lowest 
dust  was  his  abode :  no  dunghill  can 
adequately  represent  the  deep  depression 
and  utter  ruin  in  which,  by  reason  of  sin, 
we  are  all  found.  And  how,  I  ask,  was 
our  elevation  from  this  state  of  degrada- 
tion and  ruin  effected  1  Why  the  eternal 
Son  of  God  took  upon  him  our  nature  in 
the  lowest  circumstances  of  its  degrada- 
tion ;  he  became  a  poor  man,  was  born  in 
a  stable,  laid  in  a  manger  at  Bethlehem, 
worked  at  a  menial  occupation,  lived  a 
life  of  dependence,  and  was  at  last  indebt- 
ed to  charity  for  his  grave.  It  was  by 
this  stupendous  act  of  condescension  that 
our  Lord  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of 
God,  saved  us  from  our  bitter  wo,  and 
raised  us  to  sit  together  with  him  in  hea- 
venly places.  Oh,  how  astonishing  the 
humiliation  of  the  eternal  Son  of  the  Most 
High  !  Well  may  it  be  said  by  the  apos- 
tle, "  He  made  himself  of  no  reputation, 
and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant, 
and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men ; 
and  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he 
humbled  himself  and  became  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross." 
See  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory  bowing 
his  head  upon  the  accursed  tree,  while  he 
exclaimed,  "  It  is  finished  !"  See  him 
laid  even  in  the  dust  of  death,  and  re- 
maining under  the  power  of  the  grave,  for 
a  time  darkness  his  curtain,  and  his  bed 
the  earth !  Wondrous  dispensation  of 
mercy — 

"  That  thy  eternal  Son  should  bear 
To  take  a  mortal  form ; 
Made  lower  than  the  angels  are, 
To  save  a  dying  worm !" 


Then  consider,  I  pray  you,  not  only 
the  general  scheme  of  our  recovery  by 
grace  divine,  through  the  humiliation, 
and  suffering,  and  death,  and  burial  of 
the  Divine  Redeemer,  but  consider  the 
manner  in  which  this  salvation  is  applied 
by  the  sovereign  and  gracious  operations 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Now  you  will  per- 
ceive that,  generally,  the  poor  are  evan- 
gelized :  "  Hath  not  God  chosen  the  poor 
of  this  world,  rich  in  faith  and  heirs  of 
the  kingdom  1"  The  objects  of  his  spe- 
cial favour  are  generally  found  among 
those  who,  of  all  others,  seem  least  like- 
ly or  fitted  for  the  distinction  which  he  is 
pleased  to  put  upon  them.  Look  at  Mary 
Magdalen ;  see  her  brought  to  the  feet 
of  Jesus,  bathing  those  feet  with  her 
tears,  wiping  them  with  the  hair  of  her 
head,  and  then  following  Jesus  into  the 
wilderness.  Oh,  how  truly  is  it  written  : 
"  He  humbleth  himself  to  behold  the 
things  that  are  in  heaven  and  in  earth — 
he  raiseth  up  the  poor  out  of  the  dust, 
and  lifteth  the  needy  out  of  the  dunghill, 
that  he  may  set  him  with  princes,  even 
with  the  princes  of  his  people  !" 

Look  at  Saul  of  Tarsus  breathing  out 
threatenings  of  slaughter.  Oh,  what  a 
state  of  wretched  depravity  was  his  heart 
found  in  when  the  message  of  Jesus  ar- 
rested him  in  his  course!  he  heard  a 
voice,  he  saw  a  light,  and  he  fell,  trem- 
bling, to  the  earth,  exclaiming,  "  Lord, 
what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do]"  The 
degraded  persecutor  (for  man  never  ap- 
pears in  a  more  degraded  form  than  when 
he  persecutes  the  church  of  Christ)  be- 
came an  ardent  believer  of  the  faith  which 
he  once  laboured  to  destroy ;  and  he 
says,  "  Howbeit,  for  this  cause  I  obtained 
mercy,  that  in  me  first  Jesus  Christ  might 
show  forth  all  long-suffering,  for  a  pat- 
tern to  them  who  should  hereafter  be- 
lieve on  him  to  life  everlasting,"  There- 
fore he  could  say:  "It  is  a  faithful 
saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation, 
that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to 
save  sinners  ;  of  whom  I  am  the  chief." 
"Though  ye  have  been  among  the  pots, 
yet  shall  ye  be  as  the  wings  of  a  dove 
covered  with  silver,  and  her  feathers  with 
yellow  gold."  The  depth  of  human  de- 
pression, in  a  m  jral  and  a  spiritual  sense. 


THE  GREATNESS  AND  GOODNESS  OF  GOD. 


493 


exemplifies  the  wonderful  depth  of  the 
Divine  humiliation  and  the  Divine  good- 
ness. 

Thirdly,  we  apply  this  to  the  revela- 
tions of  eternity.  God  has  done  much 
for  his  people  in  the  application  of  the 
great  blessings  of  salvation  to  them  here; 
but  "  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard, 
what  he  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love 
him"  in  the  world  to  come.  My  bre- 
thren, assist  me  by  your  meditations  to 
draw  aside  the  curtain  which  hides  eter- 
nal things  from  our  view.  Think  of  the 
fulfilment  of  this  representation  in  the 
morning  of  the  resurrection,  when  from 
abodes  of  dust,  and  from  houses  of  clay, 
God  shall  call  the  slumbering  remains  of 
his  people  into  life,  and  warm  them  into 
activity,  and  clothe  them  with  beauty, 
according  to  the  mighty  power  whereby 
he  is  able  to  subdue  even  all  things  unto 
himself.  "  Thy  dead  men  shall  live  to- 
gether, with  my  dead  body  shall  they 
arise.  Awake  and  sing,  ye  that  dwell 
in  the  dust,  for  thy  dew  is  as  the  dew  of 
herbs ;  and  the  earth  shall  cast  out  the 
dead :"  "  For  the  trumpet  shall  sound, 
and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  incorrupti- 
ble, and  we  shall  be  changed.  For  this 
corruptible  must  put  on  incorruption,  and 
this  mortal  must  put  on  immortality. 
So  when  this  corruptible  shall  have  put 
on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall 
have  put  on  immortality,  then  shall  be 
brought  to  pass  the  saying  that  is  writ- 
ten. Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory." 
Then  will  he  "  raise  up  the  poor  out  of 
the  dust,  and  lift  the  needy  out  of  the 
dunghill,"  that  he  may  set  him  on  the 
throne  of  the  Lamb,  and  encircle  him 
with  a  diadem  of  glory. 

Consider  the  associations  of  that  great 
day,  when  all  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord 
shall  meet  from  the  east,  from  the  west, 
from  the  north,  and  from  the  south — shall 
be  gathered  together  in  one  holy,  happy, 
harmonious  throng,  all  crowned,  all  en- 
throned, all  adorned  with  bright  garments 
of  shining  lustre  and  spotless  purity,  and 
shall  wave  palms  of  triumph,  and  join  in 
the  everlasting  song  of  "  salvation  unto 
the  Lamb."  There  the  humblest  and 
meanest  believer  shall  find  himself  on  an 
equal  footing,  in  point  of  locality,  and  in 


point  of  enjoyment,  with  the  venerable 
patriarchs,  with  the  inspired  propiiets, 
with  the  noble  army  of  martyrs,  with  the 
confessors,  and  with  those  who  in  every 
age  have  been  distinguished  for  their  life, 
their  love,  their  holiness,  and  their  zeal. 
We  are  ready  to  say.  The  meanest  place 
at  thy  right  hand  is  infinitely  too  high. 
But  there  is  no  mean  place  there;  all 
will  be  princes,  all  will  be  sitting  at  one 
common  table,  and  all  will  be  the  sub- 
jects of  one  inconceivable  and  incompa- 
rable satisfaction.  I  do  not  deny  that 
there  may  be  degrees  of  glory  arising  out 
of  the  physical  and  moral  capacities  of 
our  nature.  I  can  hardly  conceive  that 
an  infant  dying  in  its  infancy  shall  be 
found  in  the  same  scale  of  precise  enjoy- 
ment with  St.  Paul  or  St.  John,  with  a 
Watts,  a  Doddridge,  a  Hall,  a  Porteus  ; 
but  though,  in  the  very  nature  of  things, 
there  may  be  gradations  as  to  the  pecu- 
liar measure  of  enjoyment,  every  mind 
will  be  full  of  purity,  full  of  bliss,  and 
full  of  glory — as  full  as  it  can  hold — 
while  it  will  be  stretching  forth,  by  the 
enlargement  of  its  powers,  to  the  still 
larger  enjoyment  of  an  object  whose  ex- 
cellencies can  never  be  exhausted,  and 
whose  boundless  extent  will  admit  of  a 
constant  and  eternal  progression,  both  in 
knowledge,  resemblance,  and  enjoyment. 

Now  what  an  amazing  discovery  will 
this  be,  when  we  shall  see  heaven  open- 
ed, and  when  we  shall  see  poor,  degraded, 
ruined  man  "taken  from  his  dust,  and 
raised  from  his  dunghill,  and  made  to  sit 
with  princes,  even  the  princes  of  immor- 
tality." 

In  conclusion,  what  practical  les- 
sons MAY  WE  LEARN  FROM  THE  COMBINED 
OR  ASSOCIATED  DISPLAY  OF  THE  GREAT- 
NESS AND  GOODNESS  OF  GoD. 

In  the  first  place,  my  brethren,  let  it 
fix  on  our  minds  a  deep  sense  of  our  own  in- 
significance, meanness,  and  vilentss.  You 
will  go  away  from  the  contemplation  of 
this  subject  little  benefited,  unless  you 
find  that  it  is  fitted  to  cast  down  every 
high  thought,  and  every  proud  imagina- 
tion, unless  it  levels  your  own  pretensions 
with  the  dust,  and  unless  you  are  led 
from  the  contemplation  of  God's  great- 
ness to  learn  the  lesson  of  your  own  lit- 
2T 


«94 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


lleness,  did  I  say,  your  own  nothingness. 
Contrast  yourself  for  a  moment  with  the 
great  Object  you  have  been  contemplat- 
ing; think  of  the  majesty  and  glory,  the 
elevation  and  excellence  of  the  blessed 
God  ;  you  then  sink  down  in  the  dust  of 
self-abasement,  and  say,  as  Job  said,  "  1 
have  heard  of  thee  by  the  hearing  of  the 
ear,  but  now  mine  eyes  seeth  thee ; 
wherefore  I. abhor  myself,  and  repent  in 
dust  and  ashes."  "  Wo  is  me  !  for  I  am 
undone,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the 
King,  the  Lord  of  Hosts."  Oh,  what  a 
self-annihilating  subject  is  this !  what  a 
blow  to  all  those  self-preferring,  self- 
exalting,  self-endearing  thoughts  which 
are  prone  to  take  possession  of  the  plat- 
form of  the  human  heart !  I  am  sure,  if 
you  rightly  understand  the  subject  of  this 
afternoon,  there  will  be  little  room  left 
for  self  in  your  meditations  and  prayers. 
We  should  go  from  this  subject  smiting 
our  heart,  and  acknowledging  fhat  we 
are  less  than  nothing,  and  vanity  ;  saying 
in  the  language  of  our  old  poet, 

"  The  more  thy  glories  strike  my  eye, 
The  humbler  servant  I  shall  die." 

0  man,  O  woman,  learn  thy  place  from 
this  subject!  Remember  that  thou  art 
only  like  an  indivisible  fraction  of  this 
great  world  which  we  inhabit,  and  that 
when  compared  with  God  you  are  lost. 
Where  are  you  1  The  atom  which  now 
floats  in  the  sunbeam  is  less  considera- 
ble, compared  with  the  mass  of  this  solid 
globe,  than  you  compared  with  your  rela- 
tion to  the  great  and  glorious  God. 

Secondly,  the  contemplation  of  this 
combined  display  of  God's  greatness  and 
goodness  should  promote  reverence  in  wor- 
ship. Brethren,  if  God  must  humble 
himself  to  behold  the  things  that  are  done 
in  heaven  and  earth — if  he  is  thus  exalt- 
ed  above  all  beings,  and  above  all  things, 
however  great — then  surely  we  ought  to 
worship  him  with  reverence  and  with 
godly  sincerity.  "  Great  is  the  Lord  and 
greatly  to  be  feared,  and  to  be  had  in  re- 
verence by  all  those  who  are  round  about 
him."  Men  cannot  think  aright  of  the 
greatness  and  grandeur  of  God  who  enter 
into  the  sanctuary  with  trifling  and  levi- 


ty, who  conduct  themselves  there  in  an 
undevout  manner,  and  who  retire  from 
the  house  of  God  to  forget  where  they 
have  been  and  what  they  have  been  doinge 
"  Keep  thy  foot  when  thou  coniest  to  the 
house  of  God,  and  be  more  ready  to  hear 
than  to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  fools." 
How  would  you  conduct  yourself  in  the 
presence  of  an  earthly  superior?  W'hat 
measure  of  awe  would  you  feel,  were  you 
to  be  introduced  to  the  sovereign  of  these 
realms,  or  to  find  yourself  associated  with 
the  concentrated  splendour  of  all  the 
princes,  powers,  and  potentates  of  earth? 
And  yet  who  are  all  the  powers,  princes, 
and  potentates  on  earth,  compared  with 
that  great  and  glorious  God  into  whose 
presence  you  enter  in  every  prayer  you 
offer,  during  every  sermon  you  hear,  and 
every  religious  exercise  in  which  you 
join] 

My  dear  young  friends,  there  is  always 
great  danger  lest  the  youthful  heart 
should  not  be  impressed  with  a  sense  of 
the  majesty  of  God  in  the  solemn  exer- 
cises of  his  work;  I  therefore  entreat  you 
dear  children  who  hear  me — children  of 
our  weekly  schools,  and  children  of  our 
Sabbath  schools- — always  to  consider  the 
greatness  of  God  whenever  you  come  into 
his  presence,  and  whenever  you  take 
his  name  on  your  lips,  and  remember  to 
make  a  distinction  between  the  house  of 
God  and  all  other  houses— the  day  of  God 
and  all  other  days — the  worship  of  God 
and  all  other  employments;  fov  he  is  not 
to  be  mocked,  and  if  he  sees  a  light  and 
trifling  countenance,  and  if  he  observes  a 
light  and  trifling  mind  in  his  presence, 
he  regards  it  with  displeasure  and  abhor- 
rence. Let  us,  then,  in  all  acts  of  wor- 
ship set  the  Lord  before  us  in  all  his 
superlative  elevation,  majesty,  and  gran- 
deur, that  we  may  worship  him  reverent- 
ly ;  "  For  to  that  man  will  I  look,  and 
with  him  will  I  dwell,  who  is  of  an  hum- 
ble and  contrite  heart,  and  who  trembleth 
at  my  word." 

Thirdly,  let  this  subject  nourish  in  our 
bosoms  confidence  towards  God,  as  well  as 
holy  reverence  in  our  dealings  towards 
him.  His  goodness  is  equal  to  his  great- 
ness, and  he  has  provided  means  whereby 
that  goodness  shall  flow  down  to  guilty 


THE  GREATNESS  AND  GOODNESS  OF  GOD. 


493 


man,  with  infinite  honour  to  his  charac- 
ter and  his  perfections.  Therefore  let 
me  say  to  you,  have  faith  in  God ;  con- 
sider his  condescension  ;  let  it  encourage 
your  approaches,  consider  the  ministra- 
tions of  his  providence — consider  the 
manifestations  of  his  grace — consider  the 
future  revelations  of  his  glory.  Then, 
my  brethren,  repose  your  spirits  as  in 
the  bosom  of  God  ;  for  "  he  taketh  the 
poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifteth  the  needy 
out  of  the  dunghill."  Go  to  him  with  all 
your  indigence  and  destitution,  with  all 
your  moral  degradation  and  pollution, 
with  all  your  hopes  and  all  your  fears, 
and  cast  your  every  care  and  burden  upon 
him  who  careth  for  you.  There  is  no 
case  in  which  you  are  warranted  to  de- 
spair of  God's  gracious  succour  and  sea- 
sonable help ;  there  are  no  measures  of 
depression  to  which  the  arm  of  his  mercy 
will  not  reach  ;  and  there  are  no  measures 
of  public  exaltation  to  which  that  arm 
may  not  conduct  you.  Believe,  there- 
fore, in  God  with  all  your  heart;  trust 
him  with  all  your  concerns.  Remember 
that  you  cannot  expect  too  much  from 
him  who  is  so  great ;  neither  can  you 
hope  for  too  much  from  him  who  is  so 
good.  "  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my 
soul,  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  within 
me  ■?  Hope  thou  in  God,  for  I  shall  yet 
praise  him  who  is  the  health  of  my  coun- 
tenance and  my  God." 

Fourthly,  let  this  subject  scatter  those 
doubts  of  scepticism,  and  those  hesitations 
of.  infidelity,  ivhich  are  too  industriously 
spread  amongst  us  at  the  present  day.  I 
would  mention  two  points  in  connexion 
with  this — the  minute  observation  which 
God's  providence  takes  of  the  affairs  of 
men,  and  the  efficacy  of  believing  prayer. 
"Oh,"  says  the  sceptic,  "do  you  think 
you  are  of  sufficient  importance  in  the  vast 
chain  of  cause  and  effect  for  Deity  to  be- 
stow a  thought  or  care  upon  you  ?  God  is 
so  great  a  being  that  he  cannot  find  room 
in  the  vastness  of  his  heart  for  your  inte- 
rests, for  your  concerns,  for  your  sorrows, 
for  your  welfare."  This  has  been  a  fa- 
vourite topic  with  infidelity  in  every  pe- 
riod of  time.  The  men  of  this  school 
have  attempted  to  destroy  our  faith  in  the 
doctrine  of  a  particular  providence ;  con- 


tending that  one  event  happeneth  alike  to 
all,  and  that  every  thing  must  be  resolved 
to  certain  chances  and  accidents ;  and 
thus  they  endeavour  to  deprive  us  of  a 
truth  which  is  most  full  of  consolation 
and  godly  relief,  under  all  the  trials,  dif- 
ficulties, and  conflicts  of  this  lower  world. 
My  brethren,  God  is  indeed  so  great 
"  that  he  humbleth  himself  to  behold  the 
things  that  are  done  in  heaven  and  in 
earth."  He  bestows  his  thoughts  upon 
the  poorest  of  his  intelligent  creatures ; 
yea,  the  meanest,  the  irrational  ones,  and 
every  insect  that  wings  its  way  through 
the  air,  and  every  flower  that  is  clothed 
with  beauty  and  brightness,  owes  its  ex- 
istence and  support  to  the  immediate 
agency  of  the  perfect  will  of  Providence. 
Let  my  text  establish  your  minds  in  the 
conviction  of  this  truth. 

So  with  regard  to  the  efficacy  of  prayer, 
which  arises  out  of  this  great  principle. 
Can  I  believe  that  God  hears  my  prayer  t 
I  am  an  atom  of  dust  so  inconceivably 
minute,  in  comparison  with  the  great  in 
terests  of  his  kingdom  and  government- 
will  he  listen  to  my  voice  ?  Will  hj 
attend  to  the  breathing  of  my  prayers  ' 
Will  my  solitary  notes  attract  his  ear  o) 
move  his  heart  ?  Yes,  when  you  aie 
most  alone,  most  despised,  most  in  tne 
dust,  yea,  when  you  feel  yourself  as  upon 
the  very  dunghill,  you  may  say,  "  pooi 
though  I  am,  despised  and  forgotten,  ye\ 
God,  my  God,  forgets  me  not." 

"  He  is  safe,  and  must  succeed, 
For  whom  the  Lord  vouchsafes  to  plead. 

Then  put  your  cause  into  the  hands  of 
the  great  Intercessor — employ  him — offer 
your  praise  to  the  Divine  Majesty,  and 
you  have  the  pledge  of  God's  greatness, 
and  the  pledge  of  Go'ds  goodness,  that 
you  shall  in  no  wise  be  forgot.  There- 
fore I  say,  away  with  the  doubts  of  scep- 
ticism, and  away  with  all  insinuation  of 
unbelief.  "  Lord,  I  believe,  help  thou 
mine  unbelief." 

Fifthly,  let  the  contemplation  of  this 
subject  kindle  in  our  breast  a  high  and  no- 
ble ambition; — not  that  sort  of  ambition 
which  inflames  the  desires  of  worldly 
men  who  are  in  the  pursuit  of  worldl)"- 


496 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


good,  who  are  seeking  to  climb  the  steep 
acclivity  which  is  to  introduce  them  to 
sublunary  honour  and  distinction ;  but 
seek  that  honour  which  cometh  from  God 
alone.  Oh,  pray  that  he  may  set  you 
among  princes,  even  the  princes  of  his 
kingdom  !  Seek  the  honour  of  a  church 
relationship  here  with  the  friends  and 
followers  of  the  Redeemer,  and  then  you 
will  be  associated  with  them  in  the  splen- 
dours of  the  future  resurrection,  and  in 
the  glories  of  the  coming  immortality  ! 
Oh  that  we  may  aspire  to  these  noblest 
of  all  distinctions — honours  that  fade 
not,  preferments  that  shall  never,  never 
perish,  and  an  inheritance  incorruptible, 
undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away  ! 

"  This  is  my  glory,  Lord,  to  be 
Guided  by  saints,  and  near  to  thee." 

"  For  they  shall  come  from  the  east  and 
the  west,  and  the  north  and  the  south, 
and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  God." 

Finally,  let  this  subject  awaken  both 
our  gratitude,  and  our  anticipations  of  the 
future.  Gratitude  for  the  revelation  God 
has  given  of  himself,  of  his  purposes, 
and  of  his  grace — gratitude,  if  we  our- 
selves have  any  thing  answerable  in  our 
experience  to  that  which  we  have  been 
hearing  this  day — gratitude  that  we  ob- 
serve in  the  transactions  of  God's  provi- 
dence, and  the  economy  of  his  grace,  a 
minute  fulfilment  of  all  this  in  the  cases 
of  others.  For  charity  envieth  not;  and 
he  who  is  the  subject  of  heaven-descended 
charity  will  be  doubly  blessed,  because 
he  will  not  only  be  happy  in  those  gifts 
and  distinctions  which  God  has  imparted 
to  him,  but  he  will  be  made  happy  by 
the  gifts  and  distinctions  which  he  sees 
imparted  to  others.  Envy  is  the  child  of 
hell ;  and  whenever  it  takes  possession 
of  the  human  bosom,  it  makes  that  bosom 
a  hell:  Christianity  goes  to  extinguish 


its  fire,  and  it  teaches  every  Christian  to 
make  every  Christian's  happiness  his 
own.  Therefore  we  shall,  I  am  sure,  be 
infinitely  happier  than  we  are,  if  we  could 
act  up  to  this  great  principle ;  if  we  could 
rejoice  with  them  that  rejoice,  and  weep 
with  them  that  weep ;  and  when  we  see 
the  poor  raised  out  of  the  dust,  and  the 
needy  taken  from  the  dunghill,  and  set 
with  princes,  even  the  princes  of  God's 
people,  we  should  rejoice  and  be  exceed- 
ing glad.  When  the  poor  prodigal  comes 
home,  after  he  has  wasted  his  substance, 
dishonoured  his  character,  and  nearly 
ruined  his  soul  for  ever,  instead  of  grudg- 
ing his  reception  and  envying  his  enter- 
tainment, let  us  rather  break  forth  into 
songs  of  joy  and  gladness,  saying,  "This 
my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again  ; 
was  lost,  and  is  found."  This  is  the  be- 
nevolence of  the  spirits  in  heaven  ;  for 
they  tune  their  harps  afresh  when  a  sin- 
ner is  converted,  and  when  a  soul  is 
raised  from  the  dust,  from  the  natural 
apostasy  of  man,  and  made  to  sit  with  the 
princes  of  his  people  in  the  present  joys 
of  communion  with  the  church  on  earth, 
and  anticipating  the  future  joys  of  the 
church  triumphant  in  heaven.  Let  us 
warm  our  bosom's  gratitude  at  the  con- 
templation of  this  great  subject,  and  anti- 
cipate the  period  when  we  shall  be  in- 
troduced to  the  city  and  fellowship  of 
heaven,  and  shall  see  those  kings,  and 
prophets,  and  righteous  men  who  have 
gone  before  us  in  the  path  of  glory,  and 
are  now  enjoying  the  rest  that  remains  to 
the  people  of  God. 

"  In  such  society  as  this 

My  weary  soul  would  rest ; 
The  man  who  dwells  where  Jesus  is 
Must  be  for  ever  blest." 

God  grant  us  all  such  a  dwelling  place, 
through  the  countless  ages  of  eternity, 
for  Christ's  sake.     Amen. 


SERMON  LVI. 

THE    WITHERED    LEAF. 
BY  THE  REV.  JOHN  ANDERSON, 

HELENSBURGH. 


"  We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf;  and  our  iniquities  like  the  wind,  have  taken  us  away." — Isa.  Ixiv.  6. 


Spiritual  instructions  are  frequently 
conveyed  to  us  in  the  Scriptures  by  images 
drawn  from  natural  objects.  In  no  book 
are  the  objects  of  nature  more  frequently 
introduced,  for  the  explanation,  the  en- 
forcement, and  the  illustration  of  truth, 
than  in  the  book  of  God.  To  the  eye  of 
the  inspired  writers  nature  seems  to  have 
unfolded  itself  as  one  vast  book  of  sym- 
bols, from  which  they  read  lessons  to 
man  adapted  to  the  various  junctures  of 
life.  This  book  of  symbols  may  be  said 
to  have  four  chapters  or  leaves — the 
spring  and  the  summer,  autumn  and  win- 
ter. So  far  as  the  present  year  is  con- 
cerned, the  lessons  of  the  spring,  and  the 
summer,  and  the  autumn,  are  ended  ;  its 
solemn  lesson  the  winter  is  now  reading. 
The  fields  that  a  short  while  ago  were 
waving  with  their  golden  produce,  are  now 
barren  and  bare ;  the  skies  that  were 
sunny  and  warm,  are  now  cloudy  and 
cold ;  the  flowers  that,  wet  with  dew, 
opened  their  leaves  to  the  sun,  or  shed 
their  spicy  fragrance  on  the  winds,  broken 
in  their  stem,  and  bruised  in  their  leaves, 
are  now  fast  turning  into  dust  and  disho- 
nourable ashes ;  the  trees  of  the  wood 
and  the  field  are  now  stripped  of  their 
foliage — their  leaves  that  were  lately 
fresh  and  green,  now  withered  and  brown, 
are  falling  to  the  ground,  while  the  few 
that  remain  upon  the  branches  seem  but 
to  wait  for  a  ruder  blast  when  they  also 
shall  be  carried  away.  Such  is  the  con- 
dition of  the  natural  world  :  between  this 

Vot.  I.— 63 


condition  and  our  own  is  there  any  analo- 
gy ?  Is  the  condition  of  nature  in  any 
respect  symbolic  of  our  own  ]  It  is.  The 
prophet  in  our  text  takes  up  a  withered 
leaf,  and,  entering  with  it  as  it  were  into 
an  audience  of  his  countrymen,  addresses 
them  in  these  words — "  We  all  do  fade  as 
a  leaf."  A  withered  leaf,  then,  is  this 
day  to  be  our  preacher.  What  are  som& 
of  the  truths  it  proclaims,  and  in  which 
it  is  wisely  adapted  and  mercifully  in- 
tended to  instruct  us  ?  It  instructs  us  in 
the  following : — 

1st,   The  frailty  and  shortness  of  life. 

What  object  in  nature  is  frailer  than  a 
withered  leaf  adhering  to  the  bough  by  a 
single  thread,  and  ready  to  be  carried 
away  by  the  first  and  feeblest  breath  of 
wind.  Not  more  frail,  however,  is  the 
withered  leaf  even,  than  is  man  that  is 
born  of  a  woman.  Consider  him  in  in- 
fancy :  what  object  more  frail  than  a  hu- 
man weakling — the  infant  in  the  cradle — 
the  babe  at  the  breast !  Is  it  not  the  very 
type  of  all  weakness  and  all  frailty — full 
of  wants,  yet  without  the  smallest  power 
to  supply  them  or  to  make  them  known  ; 
exposed  to  dangers  which  he  does  not 
foresee,  and  which,  if  he  did,  he  could  not 
control  ]  If  others  do  not  feed  him,  he 
must  perish  of  hunger ;  if  others  do  not 
give  him  drink,  he  must  perish  of  thirst ; 
if  others  do  not  clothe  him,  he  must  perish 
of  cold.  Surely  on  the  whole  earth  there 
is  not  a  creature  more  frail  and  more 
helpless  !  Consider  him  in  the  pride  and 
t2  497 


4GS 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT 


vigour  of  manhood  :  even  in  this  period 
of  life,  how  like  a  leaf  wasted  and  driven 
by  the  wind  !  When  he  imagines  his 
mountain  stands  strong,  and  that  nothing 
can  move  him — when  he  exalts  himself 
as  a  god,  how  weak,  indigent,  and  insuf- 
ficient— subject  to  every  breath  and  to 
every  blast !  Is  he  on  the  sea  1 — see  how 
its  waves  whirl  him  where  they  will  ! 
Is  he  on  the  land  1 — see  how  the  winds 
scorn  his  bidding,  the  storm  how  it  mocks 
^is  prospects,  the  hurricane  how  it  lays 
nis  dvveljing  in  ruins!  thus,  even  when 
standing,  is  he  not  liable  to  fall — when 
rich  to  become  poor — when  strong  to  be- 
come weak  ■?  In  life  is  he  not  every  mo- 
ment liable  and  ready  to  die  ]  Thus  poor 
is  man  in  his  best  estate  ;  thus  sure  is  it 
that  "  each  man  is  vanity."  Consider 
him  in  old  age  :  is  the  withered  and  wast- 
ed leaf  of  winter  more  withered  or  more 
wasted  1  His  eyes  how  dim,  his  ear  How 
dull,  his  limbs  how  shrunken,  his  breath- 
ing how  short  and  how  difficult;  how 
like  a  walking  shadow,  a  living  death  ; 
the  evil  days  have  come  upon  him,  he  is 
fallen  into  the  "sere  and  yellow  leaf!" 
Such  is  man,  in  infancy,  manhood,  and 
old  age  ;  nor  is  he  thus  frail,  but  how 
ehortlived  as  well  as  frail !  To  denote 
the  shortness  of  man's  existence,  it  is  Je- 
remy Taylor,  we  think,  who  remarks  that 
the  wise  men  of  the  world  have  contended, 
as  it  were,  who  should  denote  its  short- 
ness by  the  fittest  figures.  By  one  it  is 
likened  to  a  shadow;  by  another  to  the 
shadow  of  a  shade ;  by  another  to  a  va- 
pour ;  by  another  to  the  swift  ships  ;  by 
another  to  tlie  eagle  that  hasteth  to  its 
prey ;  by  another  to  the  weaver's  shut- 
tle :  the  day  casts  it  to  the  night,  and  the 
night  to  the  day,  till  the  web  of  life  is 
spun,  and  cut  from  the  beam  of  time. 
By  the  prophet  it  is  compared  to  a  leaf. 
Short  is  the  duration  of  a  leaf:  such,  how- 
ever, is  the  life  of  man — as  short  in  its 
duration  as  it  is  frail  in  its  texture  and 
fading  in  its  kind.  In  the  withered  leaves, 
then,  that  at  this  season  of  the  year  are 
strewing  your  path,  see,  my  brethren,  the 
emblem  of  your  condition.  Think  not 
more  highly  of  yourselves  than  you  ought 
to  do  :  look  to  that  withered  leaf;  like  it 
you  are  frail,  and  like  it  you  are  fading, 


and  like  it  you  will  soon  be  carried  nway 
for  ever.  If  you  shall  be  more  deeply 
impressed  with  these  truths  this  day  than 
you  have  hitherto  been  ;  if  you  shall  form 
a  truer  estimate  of  your  condition  than 
you  may  have  hitherto  done  ;  if  you  shall 
be  instructed  more  fully  in,  or  be  impress- 
ed more  deeply  with,  the  frailty  and 
shortness  of  life,  this  leaf  will  not  have 
faded  and  fallen,  nor  shall  we  have  dis- 
coursed from  it  to  you  this  day,  in  vain. 
But  not  only  does  the  withered  leaf  in- 
struct us  in  the  conditions  of  life,  it  in- 
structs us  also  in  the  conditions  of  death  ; 
and  this  it  does. 

First.     In  the  naltire  of  death. 

A  leaf  that,  having  witliered  on  the  tree, 
has  fallen  to  the  ground,  is  a  separated,  a 
disunited  thing.  It  is  disunited  from  its 
parent  tree,  it  is  separated  from  its  sister 
leaves.  Such  is  death.  It  is  a  separa- 
tion, a  disuniting ;  it  is  the  separation, 
first  of  all,  of  the  soul  and  body.  As  the 
union  of  soul  and  body  constitutes  natural 
life,  the  separation  of  soul  and  body  con- 
stitutes natural  death.  This  separation 
every  man  living  must  undergo  :  fatal  to 
man  is  the  neglect  of  this  great  truth. 
Neglect  it  not,  my  brethren  :  when  you 
see  a  leaf  separated  from  its  parent  tree, 
let  it  remind  you  of  the  separation  that 
must  one  day  take  place  between  the 
body  and  the  soul ;  let  it  remind  you  that 
you  shall  not  always,  as  you  now  do.  see 
through  the  medium  of  the  eye,  and  hear 
through  the  medium  of  the  ear,  and  think 
through  the  medium  of  the  brain.  There 
is  a  spiritual  world  :  to  that  world  you 
belong;  in  that  world  as  pure  spirits  you 
shall  exist;  on  the  verge  of  that  spiritual 
world  you  are  at  this  moment  standing; 
upon  it  you  are  soon  to  enter;  in  that 
world  you  shall  continue  to  see,  but  not 
through  the  medium  of  the  eye  ;  yon  shall 
continue  to  hear,  but  not  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  ear;  you  shall  continue  to 
think,  but  not  through  the  medium  of  the 
brain ;  then  all  that  is  in  this  world  as  to 
you — the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of 
the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,  shall  come 
to  an  end.  Now,  if  it  should  be  the  case 
that  your  happiness  is  now  consisting  in 
the  seeing  of  the  eye,  or  the  hearing  of 
the  ear,  or  the  gratification  of  the  senses — 


THE  WITHERED  LEAF. 


499 


n  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the 
eye,  and  in  the  pride  of  life  ;  if  your  hap- 
piness consists  in,  and  is  dependent  on 
what  is  material,  what  is  to  become  of 
you  in  that  world  that  is  spiritual  1  If 
your  supreme  happiness  consist  in  aught 
that  is  earthly,  in  what  shall  it  consist, 
when  the  world  in  which  you  are  to 
dwell,  and  you  yourselves  shall  no  longer 
be  of  the  "  earth  earthy,"  and  when  from 
all  that  is  earthly,  its  possessions  and  its 
enjoyments,  you  shall  be  torn  away  for 
ever ]  If  your  happiness  is  connected 
with  time,  and  the  things  of  time,  in 
what  will  you  find  happiness  when  time 
and  the  tilings  of  time  shall  be  no  more? 
Think  of  this,  ye  who  are  lovers  of  plea- 
sure more  than  lovers  of  God  ;  think  of 
this,  ye  who  are  seeking  and  finding  your 
chief  enjoyment  in  the  pursuits  and  the 
pleasures  of  this  passing  and  this  perish- 
ing world.  Hear  it,  men  and  brethren ! 
take  it  from  my  lips  as  the  word  of  God, 
that  a  happiness  springing  from,  and  end- 
ing with  time,  is  no  happiness — it  has 
the  show,  but  not  the  substance ;  it  is  a 
happiness  that  might  content  us  if  we 
were  mortal  only,  but  is  no  portion  for  an 
immortal  soul.  True  happiness  is  an 
abiding  happiness;  the  true  happiness  of 
an  everlasting  being  is  a  happiness  that, 
like  himself,  is  everlasting.  But  what  is 
this  true  and  everlasting  happiness  1  in 
what  does  it  consist?  In  "doing  the 
will  of  God."  A  life  spent  in  doing 
the  will  of  God,  is  a  life  of  happiness ; 
a  life  spent  in  contravening  the  will 
of  God,  is  and  must  be  a  life  of  essen- 
tial misery.  Into  such  a  life,  a  life  of 
simply  doing  the  will  of  God,  now,  my 
brethren,  now  that  you  are,  and  while  you 
are  in  the  body,  enter;  for  into  this  life 
there  is  no  entrance  in  the  world  to  come. 
Of  good  or  evil  in  the  world  to  come  there 
is  no  first  choice;  such  a  choice  must  be 
made  here ;  and  the  choice  that  is  made 
here,  is  the  choice  that  is  ratified  here- 
after. You  are  now  either  doing  the  will 
of  God,  or  you  are  doing  your  own ;  if  you 
are  doing  your  own,  you  are  sowing  to  the 
flesh,  and  shall  of  the  flesh  reap  a  harvest 
of  corruption  ;  if  you  are  doing  the  will  of 
God,  you  are  sowing  to  the  Spirit,  and  of 
the  Spirit  and  in  the  Spirit  you  shall  reap 


a  harvest  of  life  eternal.  But  not  only 
does  death  separate  tlic  soul  and  the  body, 
it  separates  and  disunites  us  from  our  re- 
lations and  our  friends.  Very  mysterious 
and  deep,  as  you  know  well,  is  the  afTcc- 
tion  we  cherish  for  our  relations  and  kins- 
men according  to  the  flesh.  Do  we  hear, 
for  example,  of  the  sickness  of  a  parent  or 
a  child,  of  a  sister  or  a  brother — with 
what  eagerness  and  trepidation  do  we 
hasten  to  their  bedside ;  with  what  inter- 
est do  we  gaze  on  their  wan  and  wasted 
countenances;  how  anxiously  do  we 
watch  the  progress  of  the  disease ;  with 
what  pure  delight  do  we  witness  the  first 
dawning  of  recovery  I  On  the  other  hand, 
when  we  often  look  but  look  in  vain,  when 
it  is  but  too  plain  that  they  are  dying, 
how  does  our  heart  sicken  and  die!  And 
when  at  length  death  has  completed  his 
prey  ;  when  the  eye  is  broken  from  whose 
look  of  love  our  heart  drew  its  sweetest 
solace ;  when  the  spirit  of  the  beloved 
object  has  fled,  and  all  that  remains  to  us 
is  the  cold,  silent,  and  inanimate  clay, 
how  dreadful  is  the  blow  !  We  are  over- 
whelmed with  a  sorrow  we  can  scarcely 
bear,  and  the  bitterness  of  which  vvords 
are  wanting  to  express.  In  our  journry 
through  life,  many  are  the  clouds  which 
darken  our  path,  and  many  are  the  events, 
the  tendency  of  which  is  to  bruise  our 
spirit  and  to  break  our  heart;  but  there  is 
no  event  so  solemn  and  so  sad  as  that 
which  converts  our  homes  into  a  house  of 
mourning,  and  stretches  one  of  our  nearest 
and  dearest  relations  on  the  bed  of  death. 
Yet,  all  painful  as  this  event  is,  it  is  one 
which  we  may  expect  to  meet,  and  to  meet 
which  we  should  at  all  times  be  prepared. 
Among  the  mourners,  of  whom  the  earth 
is  full,  how  many  are  at  this  moment  utter- 
ing the  language  of  the  orphan  children  of 
Jerusalem — language  "  every  letter  of 
which  seems  written  with  a  tear,  and  every 
word  of  which  seems  the  sound  of  a  bro- 
ken heart :" — "  We  are  orphans  and  fa- 
therless, and  our  mothers  are  as  widows." 
How  many  fond  parents,  during  the  past 
year,  have  seen  their  bright  and  beautiful 
laid  in  the  dust,  and  are  now  left  to  weep 
over  not  only  the  flower  of  their  flock, 
but  the  last  of  their  race !  How  many 
husbands  have  stood  by  the  bed  on  which 


500 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


the  mother  of  their  children  lay  dying ! 
How  many  wives  lately  blessed  with  the 
husbands  of  their  hearts,  are  now  lonely 
and  sorrowful  widows  I  See  that  band  of 
mourners  ;  how  powerful  is  the  claim  they 
have  on  your  sympathy  and  your  tears  ! 
yet,  while  you  "  weep  with  them  that 
weep,"  weep  not  for  them  only,  hut  weep 
for  yourselves.  Sad,  it  is  true,  is  their 
condition  ;  but  in  that  condition  see,  my 
brethren,  the  emblems  of  your  own. 
What  they  are  now,  that  all  of  you  will 
be  at  some  time,  and  may  be  soon.  Chil- 
dren, you  may  soon  lose  your  parents  ; 
fond  parents,  you  may  soon  lose  your 
children  :  your  hearths  now  bright  with 
the  sunshine  of  their  happy  faces  may 
soon  be  darkened  ;  your  halls  now  vocal 
with  their  joyous  voices  may  soon  be 
silent.  Husbands,  you  may  soon  lose 
"  the  delight  of  your  eyes  ;"  and  you  hap- 
py wives,  ye  may  be  soon  lonely  widows. 
Such  being  the  case,  what  influence  ought 
the  knowledge  of  this  to  have  upon  your 
conscience  and  your  conduct?  surely,  if 
permitted  to  excercise  its  legitimate  influ- 
ence, it  will  excite  us  to  an  immediate 
and  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties  we 
owe  one  to  another,  as  parents  or  children, 
as  husbands  or  wives.  Whatever,  then, 
in  this  matter,  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  that 
do  with  all  thy  might  and  all  thy  dili- 
gence, for  there  is  no  knowledge,  work,  or 
device  in  the  grave,  whither  thou  art  fast 
going.  If,  then,  you  who  are  children, 
shall  be  stirred  up  to  honour,  from  this 
day  henceforth,  your  parents  more  highly 
than  ever  you  have  yet  done  ;  and  if  you 
who  are  parents  shall  be  stirred  up  to  per- 
form those  sacred  and  solemn  duties  you 
owe  to  your  children,  more  faithfully  in 
all  time  coming,  than  at  any  time  past ; 
if  the  husband  will  be  stirred  up  to  a  more 
faithful  discharge  of  the  duties  of  a  hus- 
band, and  the  wife  to  a  more  faithful  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  of  a  wife  ;  so  that 
when  the  sad  and  solemn  hour  of  separa- 
tion, which  is  surely  coming  to  all,  has 
come,  amid  its  blackness  and  its  bitter- 
ness, there  shall  be  no  root  of  regret  and 
remorse  in  the  remembrance  of  the  past, 
and  in  reviewing  the  history  of  that  rela- 
tionship which  by  the  hand  of  death  has 
now  been  severed  for  ever ;   if,  we  say, 


you  shall  be  stirred  up  to  such  a  discharge 
of  the  duties  you  owe  one  to  another,  by 
means  of  the  reflections  to  which  this 
withered  leaf  may  give  rise,  we  shall 
have  no  cause  of  regret  that  we  have 
directed  your  attention  to  this  topic  on 
this  day. 

It  is  not  enough,  however,  that  we  direct 
your  attention  to  the  death  of  others,  let  us 
direct  it  to  your  own.  By  this  withered 
leaf,  you  are  instructed  not  only  in  the 
nature,  but  in  the  certainty  of  death. 

Nothing  is  more  certain  than  the  fading 
of  the  leaf:  equally  certain  is  death. 
When  we  speak  of  the  certainty  of  death, 
we  speak,  it  is  evident,  not  of  its  certainty 
as  to  time,  or  manner :  than  these  nothing 
is  more  uncertain.  The  seasons  have 
their  time  of  coming  and  going,  and  we 
know  when  they  will  come  and  go ;  the 
passage-birds  have  their  appointed  time, 
and  we  know  when  they  will  come  and 
when  they  will  depart ;  the  leaf  has  its 
time  to  flourish  and  its  time  to  fade,  and 
we  know  when  it  will  flourish  and  when 
it  will  fade.  It  is  otherwise  with  death  : 
"  Man  knoweth  not  its  time."  I  am  old, 
said  Jacob,  yet  I  know  not  the  day  of  my 
death  :  equally  uncertain  is  death  as  to 
the  manner  of  its  coming.  Amid  all  this 
uncertainty,  however,  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain— death  itself.  What  is  our  life,  in- 
deed, but  a  constant  dying — a  death  in 
life.  The  moment  we  begin  to  live,  that 
moment  we  begin  to  die.  I  am  dying 
while  I  now  speak,  and  you  are  dying 
while  you  hear :  every  breath  we  take  to 
lengthen  life,  shortens  it;  and  the  more 
we  live,  the  less  we  have  to  live  :  thus 
do  we  fade  as  a  leaf.  These  you  may 
think  are  stale  and  common-place  remarks. 
We  confess  they  are:  frequently  liave 
they  been  made,  and  frequently  have  they 
been  heard  ;  yet,  frequently  though  such 
remarks  respecting  death  and  its  certainty 
have  been  made,  how  few  of  you  have 
even  yet  given  it  that  consideration  which 
its  paramount  importance  demands  I 
Though  day  unto  day  utters  speech ; 
though  night  unto  night  teaches  man 
knowledge;  though  in  every  new-made 
grave  that  meets  our  eye;  though  in 
every  newspaper  that  we  read  ;  though 
in  every  funeral  procession  we  are  sum- 


THE  WITHERED  LEAF. 


501 


moned  to  attend,  or  that  we  see  dragging 
its  slow  and  sable  length  along  our 
streets  ;  though  in  every  funeral  bell  that 
tolls  the  departure  of  another  and  another 
to  the  tomb ;  though  all  nature  enters,  as 
it  were  for  our  sakes,  once  every  year  into 
a  state  of  death  ;  though  at  this  moment 
every  sound  that  meets  the  ear,  and  every 
sight  that  meets  the  eye,  is  eloquent  of 
death  ;  though  in  all  these  we  have  solemn 
utterance  and  stern  assurances  of  our  ap- 
proaching dissolution;  yet  how  few  of 
us  realize  this  approach,  so  as  to  consider 
and  to  provide  against  its  issues  !  Every 
species  of  arithmetic  we  will  learn,  but 
that  of  counting  our  days  ;  every  species 
of  economy  we  will  study,  but  that  of 
setting  our  house  in  order,  seeing  we  must 
die  and  not  live.  So  certain  is  death,  it 
might  be  thought  that  the  first  and  great 
concern  of  all  must  be  to  provide  against 
its  approach  and  its  issues  ;  yet  there  is 
nothing  of  which  we  are  more  forgetful ; 
yea,  this  very  certainty  of  death,  instead 
of  fixing  it  in  our  thoughts,  seems  to 
make  us  but  the  more  eager  to  escape 
from  its  consideration,  as  if  our  not  think- 
ing of  its  approach  would  alter  its  nature, 
or  delay  its  coming.  My  brethren,  are  we 
in  our  senses  ?  Will  our  blindness  to 
danger  diminish  or  prevent  danger?  Will 
we  not  die,  because  we  never  think  of 
dying?  Surely  we  cannot  think  this; 
you  cannot  but  know  that  death  is  ad- 
vancing, and  that  every  effort  you  make 
to  exclude  it  from  your  thoughts,  does  in 
effect  but  bring  it  the  nearer  !  To  know 
our  danger,  believe  it,  my  brethren,  is  the 
first  step  of  safety ;  to  prepare  for  its  ap- 
proach, to  provide  for  its  issues,  when  in- 
evitable, is  the  highest  act  of  wisdom. 
The  prudent  man  foreseeth  the  evil,  and 
hideth  himself;  it  is  the  simple  only  that 
pass  on,  and  are  punished.  Let  the  fore- 
warnings  of  nature,  then,  be  your  fore- 
armings;  let  not  this  season  pass  by  un- 
improved ;  listen  to  the  voice  of  nature. 
The  voice  of  nature  is  the  voice  of  God  ! 
God  speaks  to  us  from  the  dust  as  well  as 
from  the  pulpit ;  and  if  hitherto  you  have 
lived  as  men  who  were  not  to  die,  live 
henceforth  as  men  who  are — to  die — in 
the  full  foreknowledge  of  the  fact,  live 


under  its  full  influence :  and  that  the  know- 
ledge of  death's  certainty  and  death's 
solemnity  may  issue  in  life's  sanctity, 
so  may  you  seek  and  find,  and  so  help  you 
God. 

Again,  while  this  "withered  leaf"  in- 
structs us  in  the  certainty,  it  instructs  us 
also  in  the  universality  of  death. 

We  must,  said  the  woman  of  Tekoah, 
all  die,  and  be  as  water  spilt  on  the  ground. 
That  we  must  all  die  requires  no  reason- 
ing to  prove  ;  sufficient  is  it  for  us  to  ap- 
peal to  experience.  Since  the  birth  of 
time,  how  many  human  beings  have  been 
born  into  time  1  Time  still  continues, 
but  where  are  those  who,  during  its  past 
ages,  have,  with  their  names  and  their 
actions,  filled  its  records  1  The  stream 
of  time  still  continues  to  wind,  but  where 
are  those  who  have  dwelt  upon  its  banks  ? 
We  have  mighty  forests,  and  crowded 
cities,  but  where  are  the  hands  that  plant- 
ed the  one,  or  that  built  the  other]  We 
have  books  written  many  centuries  ago, 
but  where  are  those  by  whom  they  wer6 
written,  and  those  whose  actions  or  whose 
lives  they  record  1  Like  an  aged  mother, 
the  earth  still  remains,  but  where  are  her 
children]  our  fathers,  where  are  they — 
and  the  prophets,  do  they  live  for  ever? 
We  have  all  occupied  a  portion  of  the 
past,  but  where  are  those  who  occupied 
it  along  with  us  ?  Where  are  the  busy 
hands,  and  where  the  burning  hearts ; 
where  are  the  gleaming  eyes  ;  where  are 
the  melting  voices ;  where  are  the  "  old 
familiar  faces  ]"  Ah  !  the  busy  hands  are 
motionless  ;  the  burning  hearts  are  cold  ; 
the  gleaming  eyes  are  dim  ;  the  melting 
voices  are  silent ;  and  the  "  old  familiar 
faces  are  gone."  Lover,  acquaintance, 
and  friend,  have  been  removed  into  dark- 
ness. A  thousand  times  has  that  dark 
and  dream-like  past  been  peopled  with  the 
living — living  forms  and  living  voices; 
and  a  thousand  times  has  it  been  emptied 
again.  A  thousand  times  has  the  earth 
brought  forth  children,  and  a  thousand 
times  has  she  been  bereaved  ;  the  grave 
has  received  them,  and  the  grave  will  re- 
ceive us — the  grave  that  receives  all — 
the  grave  that  is  never  satisfied,  and  that 
never  says.  It  is  enough  :  thus, 


502 


THE  BRITISH  PULPIT. 


Like  leaves  on  trees  the  race  of  man  is  found, 
Now  green  in  youth,  now  withering  on  the 

ground. 
Another  race  the  following  age  supplies  ; 
They  fall  successive,  and  successive  rise  : 
So  generations  in  their  course  decay  ; 
So  flourish  these  when  those  have  passed  away. 

In  conclusion,  as  the  text  instructs  us  in 
the  nature,  cei-iainfy,  and  universality  of 
death,  it  instructs  us  also  in  its  cause. 

Were  we  to  enter  into  a  country  almost 
deserted  of  its  inhabitants  ;  were  we  to 
witness  on  every  hand  villages  and  towns 
laid  in  ruins — fields,  that  had  been  ripe 
even  unto  harvest,  trampled  down  and 
soaked  with  blood — wells  choked  up, 
and  rivers  polluted  with  the  bodies  of  the 
.«lain — the  erections  of  human  ingenuity 
dismantled  and  overthrown — we  vi^ould 
naturally  ask,  How  has  all  this  come  to 
pass  ;  how  has  this  beautiful  country  be- 
come the  scene  of  such  terrible  calamities'? 
When  we  witness  the  earth,  in  like  man- 
ner, with  its  three  kingdoms,  the  vegeta- 
ble, the  animal,  and  the  rational,  full  of 
corruption,  decay,  and  death,  and  contrast 
it  as  originally  full  of  health,  and  beauty, 
and  life ;  standing  as  we  do  in  a  world 
intended  to  be  a  region  of  life — amid  the 
chambers  of  the  dying,  and  the  sepulchres 
of  the  dead  ;  it  is  natural  to  inquire.  How 
has  this  come  to  pass;  how  has  pain 
entered  into  the  region  of  pleasure;  sor- 
row into  the  region  of  joy;  decay,  corrup- 
tion, and  death,  into  the  regions  of  beauty 
and  life  1  Why  is  it  that  we,  who  were 
created  in  the  iitiage  of  our  Maker,  do  all 
"  fade  as  a  leaf?"  Why  is  it  that  we  are 
born  to  trouble,  as  the  sparks  fly  upward  ] 
Why  is  our  sure  and  sad  inheritance  suf- 
fering, and  sorrow,  and  death  1  The  an- 
swer to  these  questions,  the  solution  of 
these  difficulties,  is  contained  in  the  text; 
"Our  iniquities,  like  the  wind,  have 
taken  us  away." 

These  are  the  consequences  of  which 
sin  is  the  cause  ;  these  are  the  wrecks  of 
a  beautiful  and  blessed  world,  of  which 
sin  is  the  author.  In  what  light,  then, 
are  we  to  regard  sin?  Has  it  corrupted 
all  that  was  pure;  has  it  defaced  all  that 
was  beautiful  in  this  lower  world  ;  has  it 
filled  all  things  with  the  seeds  of  decay 
and  death;  has  it  brought  us  under  the 


entire  and  everlasting  forfeiture  of  God's 
favour;  has  it  exposed  us  to  his  wrath 
and  his  curse,  not  only  through   all  this 
life  but  through  all  the  life  that   is   to 
come  ;  has  it  dug  a  dishonoured  grave  for 
our  bodies;  has  it  kindled  an  intolerable 
and  an  everlasting  fire  for  our  souls;  has 
it  wrought    us   all   this  wreck ;    has   it 
proved  to  us  the  source  of  so  many  and  so 
mighty  woes  ;  and  shall  we  love  it ;  shall 
we  live  in  its  love ;    shall  we  live  will- 
ingly   under   its   power;    shall   we   net 
rather  hate  it,  weep  over  it,  forsake  it  ? 
Has  God   provided   a  salvation  for  us ; 
has  he  proclaimed  and  proffered  it  to  us — 
a  salvation   from  its  guilt,  its  pollution, 
its  power,  its  curse,  its  very  being  1   How 
should  we  regard  the  offer  of  this  salva- 
tion ;  an  offer  made  to  the  most  abandoned 
and  the  most  depraved,  the  most  worth- 
less and  the  most  wicked  of  mankind — 
made  to  them  irrespective  of  all  merit, 
and  all  condition  of  any  personal  having, 
and  of  any  personal  doing — an  offer  of 
Christ's  salvation  for  Christ's  sake.  How 
should  we  treat  1     Should   we   not,  the 
moment  it  is  offered,  that  moment  accept 
it,  and  that  with  all  the  gratitude  and  the 
joy  a  boon  of  such  a  kind,  provided  for 
and  proffered  to  persons  of  our  character, 
and  in  our  condition,  is  so  well  fitted  to 
produce?     Is  it  to  be  conceived  that  it 
should  be  treated  otherwise  1     Is  it  to  be 
conceived,  not  that  it  should  be  rejected, 
but  that  it  should  not  be  received,  with 
this  gratitude  and  this  joy  1     See  yon  cri- 
minal on  the  scaffold ;  the  preparations 
of  death    proceed.     A   messenger,   pro- 
claiming his  errand  lest  he  should  come 
too  late,  forces  a  way  through  the  crowd. 
A  pardon  !  a  pardon  !  resounds  from  evcr}"^ 
voice.     When  that  sound  reaches  the  ear 
of  the  criminal,  how  does  it  affect  his 
heart  1     When  a  sealed  pardon  from  roy- 
alty is  unfolded,  is  put  into  his  hands, 
how  does  he  regard  it,  how  does  he  trcEit. 
it — with  apathy,  with  neglect  1    See  how 
he  clasps  his  hands;  see  the  hues  of  life 
returning  to  his  cheek ;  see  the  wild  but 
joyful  light  that  sparkles  in  his  eyes  ;  sec 
how  his  heart  heaves  ;  see  that  look  of 
wild  and  delighted  wonderment,  as  if  he 
feared  that  the  sights  meeting  his  eye,  and 
the   sounds   meeting  his   ear,   were   the 


THE  VVITflERED  LEAF. 


503 


eights  and  sounds  of  a  delusive  dream  ! 
Thus  eagerly,  thus  gratefully,  is  the  par- 
don received  which  restores  the  criminal 
to  a  suffering,  sorrowful,  and  short  exist- 
ence in  this  world.  With  how  much 
greater  eagerness  and  gratitude  ought 
that  pardon  to  be  accepted,  which  re- 
stores us  to  life  eternal !  Yet,  to  how 
many  has  this  pardon  been  offered  in  vain! 
By  how  many  is  the  salvation  of  the  gos- 
pel— a  salvation  provided  by  the  love  of 
God,  purchased  by  the  blood  of  Christ, 
and  applied  by  the  love  of  the  Spirit — a 
salvation  which  redeems  us  from  the 
pains,  the  pollutions,  and  the  punish- 
ments of  hell,  which  exalts  us  to  the  dig- 
nities and  the  glories  of  heaven ;  by  how 
many  is  this  salvation  neglected  and  de- 
spised ;  hitherto  has  it  been  neglected  ; 
hitherto  has  it  been  refused  by  you.  Yet 
it  may  be  accepted  ;  for  yet  it  is  offered. 
You  are  guilty,  and  you  may  be  willing 
to  remain  guilty  ;  you  are  depraved,  and 
you  are  willing  to  remain  depraved  ;  you 
are  lost,  and  lost  you  are  willing  to  re- 
main. Yet,  however,  God  is  not  willing  ; 
yet  he  has  not  ratified  your  choice ;  yet 


the  most  guilty  may  be  pardoned  ;  the 
most  depraved  may  be  renewed  ;  the  most 
lost  may  be  saved.  Tliis  salvation  aro 
you  willing  now  to  accept — this  salva- 
tion as  a  whole,  and  for  Christ's  sake] 
You  now  must  either  accept  it,  or  reject 
it ;  not  to  accept  it,  know  this,  is  to  reject 
it.  The  consequences  of  this  rejection 
are  you  willing  or  prepared  to  abide  ?  It 
is  a  common  saying,  that  <'  it  will  he  all 
one  a  hundred  years  hence."  Ay,  ay,  it 
will  be  all  one  as  to  the  honours  and  the 
distinctions  of  time ;  it  will  be  all  one  as 
to  its  glimmer  and  glory  ;  all  one  whether 
you  have  been  rich,  or  whether  you  have 
been  poor;  a// 07!e  whether  you  have  been 
a  wandering  beggar,  or  a  crowned  king; 
but  when  a  thousand  years  have  come 
and  gone,  will  it  be  all  one  whether  that 
thousand  years  has  been  spent  amid  the 
sanctities  and  the  glories  of  heaven,  or 
amid  the  pollutions  and  the  pains  of  hell  ? 
Oh,  no,  that  will  not  be  all  one.  As  it 
will  not  be  all  one  then,  neither  is  it  all 
one  now;  for,  according  to  your  "  sow- 
ing" here,  will  be,  and  must  be,  your 
"  reaping"  hereafter. 


THE    BND. 


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